A group of plaintiffs seeking class action status have filed a lawsuit against decking manufacturer Fiberon over its Portico wood composite line. The lawsuit, filed March 14 in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by Hagens Berman, a Seattle-based firm, claims that the decking has a defect that results in the growth of mold, mildew and other fungal growth. Furthermore, the complaint claims that Fiberon refused to repair the decks under its 20-year warranty.

Trex Co., a manufacturer of composite decking and railing, reported net sales of $51.5 million for its fourth quarter, a 31.6% decrease over sales of $75.3 million for the same quarter of 2010. 

During the quarter, which ended Dec. 31, 2011, the company reported a net loss of $18.3 million, compared to a net loss of $0.5 million, for the fourth quarter of 2010. During the 2011 period, the Trex increased its warranty reserve by $10 million for decking material manufactured at its Nevada plant prior to mid-2006. Excluding that charge, the net loss was $8.3 million.

Demand for wood-plastic composite and plastic lumber, used in decking, railing, trim and other building materials, is projected to rise 13% per year until 2015, according to a report from The Freedonia Group.

Winchester, Va.-based Trex Co. launched the new Trex Enhance high-performance composite decking. 

The new product will be positioned between Trex Accents and Transcend in the company's good, better, best decking line-up, according to CEO Ronald Kaplan.

"Trex Enhance will both expand and strengthen our high-performance decking portfolio and provide consumers with a composite product that features a multitude of innovative features," said Kaplan.

Trex Co., the major manufacturer of wood-alternative decking and railing products, is expanding its presence in the Pacific Northwest with the addition of International Wood Products (IWP) to its distribution network. 

IWP will now supply Trex products -- including the high-performance Trex Transcend decking and railing collection -- to dealer partners across the territory.

Composite deck maker Trex has announced preliminary second-quarter results, predicting lower-than-expected revenues of $78 million, as opposed to previous expectations of $115 million.

Florida-based Decks & Docks Lumber is a new outlet for Trex Transcend decking and railing. Decks & Docks is a nine-location marine construction material dealer.

“We’re excited to expand our relationship with Trex because we feel the advances they've made in the composite market are substantial and address the needs of the future,” said Gary Roberts, owner of Decks & Docks.

The demand for decking products in the United States is expected to grow by 2.7% over the next four years, with the majority of this $6.2 billion forecasted demand falling in the composites category, according to a study just released by the Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based industry market research firm.

Winchester, Va.-based Trex Co. entered into a licensing agreement with Colorado-based CurveIt to develop and market a solution for heating and bending Trex products on the job site.

The Trex CustomCurve Heating and Bending Solution offers a new tool for the creation of customized outdoor living spaces.