Cheap balusters are easy to find but you get what you pay for, right? Wood will rot, metal will corrode, concrete will erode, but composite materials will last a lifetime. Or, at least, that is what you have been told by every “manufacturer” that is selling polyurethane balusters.
American-made Balusters and why they are the Best
Buying American-made polyurethane balusters or balustrades is patriotic, sure. Supporting the economy of where you live is important. No one would argue the contrary. But why should buying American-made products be important to you as an independent consumer?
The theory is that Chinese manufacturers are able to produce the polyurethane product inexpensively and pass those savings on to you. That’s only true in theory but not in practice. There are good companies in China that produce products that can rival American-made. However, a vast majority of Chinese companies proliferate the concept of “you get what you pay for”. Many Chinese companies that advertise to American importers are actually using photos of American products to pass off as their own. They might say the products don’t use lead paint but use it anyways. They will even make changes to raw materials without asking and the changes are only revealed once the product starts falling apart.
Cheap Balusters imported from China
A distributor we know, many years ago, had purchased polyurethane balusters from an American company that imported them. Several months later every single baluster, when exposed to the elements, cracked at the plinths. Why? The Chinese manufacturer after expressly being told not to insert MDF wood blocks into the balusters in order to save on material costs, went ahead and did it anyway. The product was installed on many prominent homes across the country, painted, and then had to be replaced.
Recently, another American company began importing polyurethane balusters from China. After installing the balustrade and painting it, customers experienced paint falling off the balusters in sheets. Why? Cheap and/or improper application of the primer coat or something worse. What options does the customer have? They would have to completely remove the primer and paint from each spindle, scuff each raw baluster to accept new primer, and prime and paint each baluster, and hope that the primer/paint will hold for the long haul. Or, they can return the defective products to the seller and buy American-made polyurethane products from Royal Corinthian. We would suggest the latter. Not only do Royal Corinthian polyurethane balustrades compete on price with imported Chinese products but they are primed with high quality primer in a manner that ensures proper adhesion. Our product is American-made and so are our raw materials.
Cheap Balusters and the True Cost
What is the true cost of cheap balusters? Well, that depends on who you buy them from. If you buy polyurethane balusters from Royal Corinthian, your costs are that of the product, installation, and painting. If you buy from our “competitors”, you might be paying the same costs plus the cost to remove and replace the original system.
In addition to polyurethane balusters, Royal Corinthian offers fiberglass balusters and synthetic stone balusters. Synthetic stone balusters come fully permeated with your color of choice and emulate natural stone at a fraction of the cost and weight.
