I agree! Unfortunately, there is often no natural alternative to so many things. I love the brushed nickel towel bar for inside the shower that was just delivered. It came in a box that said "Metal First, No Plastic Parts." However, it was made in China. I look forward to the future when most products are manufactured onshore. Great post@
Hey - it's cheaper up front, and that's all most people care about! If it LOOKS like a fence or a shed, or whatever, it's good to go. Doesn't matter how shoddy and ugly it is. And they brag about "how "good a deal it was."
I'm going to raise an objection this time. I live in the deep South. A fence like that made of wood will last 5 - 10 years before it rots away to nothing. Pressure treated wood - rots away. Cedar - rots away. Redwood - rots away. Teak - maybe - if you can afford a $25,000 fence.
And that is not mold on the fence, it's algae. In a hot humid environement it grows everywhere. There is a product called "Wet and Forget", Costco, Walmart, amazon sell it. You spray it on, the algae disappears. Do it once a year.
My mom lives about 400 miles north of Mr. Kuntlser in Montreal Canada. There a plain untreated pine fence lasts 20, 30, 40 years because of sub-freezing temps half the year. She has one. An untreated pine fence in my yard would be gone in 2 years.
Under our pergola are a teak table and chairs. My biggest issue with them is the lichens that grow on teak, presumably b/c teak is so oily? I give people a hive tool to scrape lichens off their chairs. LOL
Synthetic decks such as trex. You ever seen what a failed trex deck looks and smells like? Yeah, no maintenance until the whole thing fails virtually overnight.
Fake grass. Just, no, no, noooooo.
I’ll probably take some heat for this one and slightly off topic, but gas grills. Please, just take the time to use briquettes. Oh I know, gas is so quick and easy. Well if you’re in a hurry maybe you just shouldn’t be grilling. You gas grill guys, please go outside have a look and lie to me that it’s not a gigantic grease fire waiting to ignite. You see, the problem is that nobody ever cleans them. My Weber gets cleaned with every new pile of briquettes.
Fake grass? In the west, water shortages are going to make it imperative. There is a big difference in the cost and quality of synthetic grass, also its lifetime. It is not maintenance free.
Ratio of observed children playing on plastic trikes and assorted plastic playthings to those things sitting upturned in yards: so far, 0 to 100. FWIW I like the look of a weathered wood fence behind my plantings, the older the better
I see a lovely, organic petroleum product that nature (mold) has found attractive enough to mate with. During this dance, the fence whispers: "I will last all night, for eons even." The mold wants what it wants, and as a bystander I can only marvel at the interspecies love affair, wishing to love as the mold, and last as long as the moulded PVC.
A sad development. Even clothing now has morphed from cotton and wool to extruded plastic thread. Then there are nylon monofilament fishing nets that keep killing long after they are lost to the fishermen.
Look under and behind the fence. I would suggest that this homeowner wouldn’t maintain any kind of fence…it doesn’t look like they maintain their yard. Now, to be the devil’s advocate, and forgetting about aesthetics for the moment, lift the hood of your car….most people will be confronted with loads of plastic. Or try to get your plumber to replace your plastic plumbing pipes with copper (or think about paying for that). Even in a perfect world, we are not going to stop using plastic. So perhaps the answer should be solutions to what we do with it when it’s no longer usable, or maintaining it properly while in use.
Visiting Austin RN. In a first for me yesterday, I drove by a house with bright, shiny metal siding. Perhaps coated with clear rustoleum or a similar finish. I wish I had stopped to look closer.
I agree! Unfortunately, there is often no natural alternative to so many things. I love the brushed nickel towel bar for inside the shower that was just delivered. It came in a box that said "Metal First, No Plastic Parts." However, it was made in China. I look forward to the future when most products are manufactured onshore. Great post@
Hey - it's cheaper up front, and that's all most people care about! If it LOOKS like a fence or a shed, or whatever, it's good to go. Doesn't matter how shoddy and ugly it is. And they brag about "how "good a deal it was."
I'm going to raise an objection this time. I live in the deep South. A fence like that made of wood will last 5 - 10 years before it rots away to nothing. Pressure treated wood - rots away. Cedar - rots away. Redwood - rots away. Teak - maybe - if you can afford a $25,000 fence.
And that is not mold on the fence, it's algae. In a hot humid environement it grows everywhere. There is a product called "Wet and Forget", Costco, Walmart, amazon sell it. You spray it on, the algae disappears. Do it once a year.
My mom lives about 400 miles north of Mr. Kuntlser in Montreal Canada. There a plain untreated pine fence lasts 20, 30, 40 years because of sub-freezing temps half the year. She has one. An untreated pine fence in my yard would be gone in 2 years.
Sometimes practicality has to trump aesthetics.
Under our pergola are a teak table and chairs. My biggest issue with them is the lichens that grow on teak, presumably b/c teak is so oily? I give people a hive tool to scrape lichens off their chairs. LOL
100% yes and yes
My neighbor cut down his lovely arborvitae fence and put in a plastic privacy fence. On the positive side, at least he keeps his vinyl siding clean.
Ok and two more, actually 3 more things:
Synthetic decks such as trex. You ever seen what a failed trex deck looks and smells like? Yeah, no maintenance until the whole thing fails virtually overnight.
Fake grass. Just, no, no, noooooo.
I’ll probably take some heat for this one and slightly off topic, but gas grills. Please, just take the time to use briquettes. Oh I know, gas is so quick and easy. Well if you’re in a hurry maybe you just shouldn’t be grilling. You gas grill guys, please go outside have a look and lie to me that it’s not a gigantic grease fire waiting to ignite. You see, the problem is that nobody ever cleans them. My Weber gets cleaned with every new pile of briquettes.
Fake grass? In the west, water shortages are going to make it imperative. There is a big difference in the cost and quality of synthetic grass, also its lifetime. It is not maintenance free.
Amen, and well said.
Agreed. Even more important, don't put food in plastic, nor in your kids mouths.
Ratio of observed children playing on plastic trikes and assorted plastic playthings to those things sitting upturned in yards: so far, 0 to 100. FWIW I like the look of a weathered wood fence behind my plantings, the older the better
Petroleum pimps be dammed. Back to the days when you paid a kid to paint your fence.
"...when you paid a kid to paint your fence."
Or tricked a bunch of kids into paying you to paint (white-wash) your Aunt Polly's fence.
I see a lovely, organic petroleum product that nature (mold) has found attractive enough to mate with. During this dance, the fence whispers: "I will last all night, for eons even." The mold wants what it wants, and as a bystander I can only marvel at the interspecies love affair, wishing to love as the mold, and last as long as the moulded PVC.
A sad development. Even clothing now has morphed from cotton and wool to extruded plastic thread. Then there are nylon monofilament fishing nets that keep killing long after they are lost to the fishermen.
I only bought 100% cotton athletic socks for years (being a decades long runner).
All of a sudden, several years ago, that market simple disappeared. Now it’s like 100% cotton socks went extinct.
Okay, true confessions: I have Trex decking, and like it. And maintain it.
One would think we learned our lessons with Tupperware. Nasty stuff IMO
Look under and behind the fence. I would suggest that this homeowner wouldn’t maintain any kind of fence…it doesn’t look like they maintain their yard. Now, to be the devil’s advocate, and forgetting about aesthetics for the moment, lift the hood of your car….most people will be confronted with loads of plastic. Or try to get your plumber to replace your plastic plumbing pipes with copper (or think about paying for that). Even in a perfect world, we are not going to stop using plastic. So perhaps the answer should be solutions to what we do with it when it’s no longer usable, or maintaining it properly while in use.
Plastic fences are tacky. There is no getting around that. And they get worse with age.
Visiting Austin RN. In a first for me yesterday, I drove by a house with bright, shiny metal siding. Perhaps coated with clear rustoleum or a similar finish. I wish I had stopped to look closer.