Universal Forest Products, Inc.

Note: I am not being paid, nor have I been asked, to write about this company. I just think this stuff is cool.


My dad took us to Universal Forest Products, Inc.'s new showroom yesterday and while I admittedly went to make my dad happy, I fell in love with a lot of the products they are working on.


Take, for example, this porch enclosure ...




The sides are glass, or so I thought. See the glass framed in white on the ground? Watch this ...

Yup, that is my 6' 4" tall, 198 lbs. dad standing on what initially appeared to be a piece of glass. It turns out it is a type of plastic that is just about unbreakable, giving this enclosure (which they are also thinking of turning into a greenhouse) some serious appeal. Throw stones all you want around this glass house ... it isn't going to break!

Possibly my favorite product of the trip was their Everiron fencing. You can currently buy this product through Lowe's, but he showed us a new section length they are working on. Regardless, it is made of a "fiberglass-reinforced polymer" that won't bend, sag, rust, crack, fade, or dent, no matter how hot the summer or frigid the winter. All that, and it is easy to install. I am totally wanting to replace our ugly, peeling fence with this gorgeous product.

Another cool product he showed us was this ...

and this (just another variation) ...

They are sheds that use your existing fence as a back wall! How genius is that?! No need to use extra material to construct your shed when you have something sturdy and already available at the ready. Very green of you, UFP!

Then, my dad demonstrated their new Capricorn decking ...

... and showed us some inlays they are working on to spruce up what might otherwise be a typical deck. The stone slabs really add some interest, don't you think?

It turned out to be a really interesting trip. My dad did a great job on his impromptu presentation; he totally sold me on UFP's products. And it was fascinating to learn about what my dad has been working so hard on these past months. Sort of like, take your adult daughter, her son and husband, your wife and other daughter, and two of your nieces to work day!