Your porch is the first thing your guests notice when they visit your home. Skinny or rotting posts can dull down the appearance of your home exteriors.
What’s the solution? Wrapping them up with beautiful-looking column wraps.
But are all kinds of column wraps the same?
How do you choose the right material and design of column wraps for your home?
When you search for column wraps on the internet, you will find three popular material types – wooden column wraps, fiberglass column wraps, and PVC column wraps.
But how can you decide which type of material is ideal for your home, given the climate conditions, your home’s exterior design, maintenance capability, and budget?
Therefore, we have created a one-stop guide for you where you learn about different column wrap materials and compare them with each other to decide which one will work the best for you.
Let’s dive right into it.
Wooden Column Wraps
Wooden column wraps are sure to provide an embellished look to your porch. They are a cost-effective way to jazz up your exterior posts! These are traditionally used for years to decorate the exteriors of mansions and bungalows.
Different polishes bring out different qualities in the beautiful wood grains, and you can paint wood in any color you want. They can give your home a rustic, vintage look that reflects grandeur.
Another added advantage of wooden columns is that with wood, you can do plenty of design customizations. Wooden columns have intricate carvings, delicate features, and exquisite details.
However, there are several downsides to wooden column wraps.
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- Wooden column wraps can easily get weathered. In the presence of excess moisture, they can rot and get damaged. Hence, it has a shorter lifespan.
- These wraps can get infested by insects, pests, and mites.
- They can also easily chip, splinter, warp, or peel
- Wooden columns require constant maintenance and regular refinishing. Hence, the advantage of the initial low cost is ultimately offset by a higher maintenance cost.
- Not environment-friendly, as it requires a lot of wood which effectively means cutting trees!
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Fiberglass Column Wraps
These wraps are decorative column covers that are ideally used for concealing structural posts. Right from ornate Roman style to Postmodern architect Style, an artisan can add such an extravagant flair to their exterior decor with fiberglass columns.
These columns are usually made by hand layup, spray-up, or combining the two methods and do not contain any fillers. The mold is sprayed with a marine-grade white gel coat and, in some cases, an aggregate that looks like stone.
Fiberglass columns are much easier to maintain than wooden columns, and they last much longer too! Even the most robust kind of wood can be broken and cracked by exterior weather conditions. Fiberglass columns are not affected by this problem. Unlike wood, the chances of getting worn off are much lesser with fiberglass.
Additionally, these are resistant to external factors like pests and mites as well.
It sounds like an excellent substitute for wooden columns, right? Since not all glitters are gold, there are certainly disadvantages to this material too!
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- Scientists have repeatedly mentioned the health hazards related to fiberglass, such as soreness in the nose and throat due to inhalation of fibers by the construction workers. Fiberglass slivers inhaled can cause lung disease.
- Some researchers state that fiberglass may cause cancer if a human is in its proximity for long periods, although this is not proven.
- The installation of Fibreglass releases unpleasant smells.
- Fiberglass needs to be re-gel-coated every few years.
- It’s hard to seamlessly seal the joint area
- If it gets cracked you may need to replace the whole column
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PVC Column Wraps
PVC Column wraps are practically inert to most external conditions. These wraps do not wither, wear and tear, or rot! Unlike wooden columns, they do not need to be sealed and treated periodically and are fire retardant.
PVC Column wraps are also available in various designs that can seamlessly blend with any style of exterior decor. You can also paint them with the color of your choice to match your home’s decor palette. They can amp up the aesthetics of your porch and can last for years with almost no maintenance.
Disadvantages of PVC Column Wraps:
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- The only disadvantage of the PVC Column is that it has a high initial installation charge. However, PVC column wraps require little to no maintenance. Hence, the initial investment is offset.
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If you wish to learn about PVC column wraps installation, you can read our detailed blog here!
We have created a table for you to see how these materials compare to each other!
| Features ↓ | Wooden Column Wrap | Fibreglass Column Wrap | PVC Column Wrap |
| Weatherproof | No | Yes | Yes |
| Insect Proof | No | Yes | Yes |
| Durable | No | Yes | Yes |
| Aesthetic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ornate Details | Yes | No | Yes |
| Easy Installation | No | Yes | Yes |
| High Maintenance Cost | Yes | No | No |
| Poses Health Hazards | No | Yes | No |
As you can observe in this table, PVC column wraps are the clear winners!
Now you know which column wraps to choose for a superior design with matching quality standards.
Do explore Echon’s range of premium PVC column Wraps and give your porch the ultimate luxurious upgrade!
Check out all our PVC column wraps here!
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are based on our team’s knowledge and experience. The results from instructions provided in the blog may vary from case to case basis. We strictly advise our readers to verify all the information provided here through their sources. Echon, its employees, partners, distributors, or directors are not responsible for any consequences, good or bad, that may arise from following the instructions on this blog for an individual or a company from the USA or abroad. The information is being provided to help our readers and our community and is by no means official. We are not legally or morally liable for any damage, financial or non-financial, that may be caused by following the suggestions or information provided in our blogs.