The big debate. When deciding which material is best for your application, several things must be considered. Size, cost, style, and durability are all important topics to mull over.
Here’s a great example. Recently, we consulted with several experts in (of all things) the mushroom farming industry and found that wooden doors are wreaking havoc amongst mushroom farmers. If you don’t know anything about mushrooming, here is your tidbit for the day. To grow mushrooms on a massive scale, a highly controlled environment is needed. The conditions have to be just right to grow those little white mushrooms you pick up from your local grocer. Each growing room typically has a wooden barn-style door that due to the growing conditions (think dark, dingy basement) becomes rotten and soggy over time. These conditions allow for uncontrolled changes in a growing room’s environment which in turn reduces the success of the mushroom yield.
So what’s the solution? Plastic or wood? Which one lasts longer? Which one costs more?
Easily answered. Plastic sheet comes in various forms and molecular properties. It is hard, won’t warp, is very durable and won’t rot or delaminate. It can also be machined and modified with common woodworking tools you probably already have. When wooden parts start going bad due to a salt air, humidity, or dampness – plastic is your friend.
Replacing problem wooden components with plastic can provide long-term cost savings that outlast the tried-and-true wooden door. Plastic reduces your material costs and your labor costs. Not to mention your frustrations.
And this is just one success story. Plastic is effectively replacing wood for many different applications in many different industries; marine, building and construction, signs, and recreation equipment to name just a few.
Does this spark your interest? Email us at solutions@piedmontplastics.com for more information. We’d love to continue the conversation. In the meantime, enjoy some delicious mushrooms!