After some debate, I decided to make my window boxes of Azek. The fronts are frame and panel and they turned out looking pretty nice if I must say so myself. Because it’s maintenence free, Azek seemed like a good idea at the onset, but now I’m worried that the fronts of the 44″ wide boxes may bow once the boxes are filled with dirt. I’m planning to re-inforce the fronts with aluminum “L” channel, but more often than not, you folks come up with some ingenious alternative. Any ideas?
PS, I posted this on Breaktime, so I’ve already got the Viagra jokes.
Replies
Just remember that Azek expands and contracts in the linear direction too--with temperature not with moisture. Consequently, you need to to be sure that when in shrinks in wintertime the aluminum doesn't push it apart.
Cialis.
Ok, ok........... Steve brings up a good point, although I am not certain that there is a better alternative, than the aluminum "L" or similar. My only concern would be that Azek doesn't take a fastener all that well, so even screws will tend to pull out. You may be considering a liner of some type, or perhaps the plants will be in pots. I would just be concerned that wet dirt pushing against the face of the window boxes will bow them no matter what.
Best,
John
I have made many window boxes of Azek. I use 3/4" Azek for the fronts and sides - cope and stick with raised panels, look really nice. The back and bottom are 1" Azek for extra stiffness. I use butt joints glued with Azek adhesive and reinforced with #7 x 2-1/4" stainless steel trim head screws. I lag bolt them to the house using 3/8" galvanized lag bolts through the back. They are plenty stiff and rugged.
I never put dirt directly in the Azek boxes, too much of a mess and hard to clean out. Instead, I use Gardener's Supply Company (http://www.gardeners.com) self-watering windowboxes as liners. They come in three lengths - 23" (#34-496 white), 31" (#34-499 white) and 39" (#34-502 white). The 39" one (~$40) will work nicely with your 44" wide Azek box with some room to spare on each side. Make the finished inside dimensions of the Azek box - 9.5" wide by 8.5 inches high. The Gardener's boxes are made of PVC and are really sturdy. They come with heavy metal L-brackets that I fastened to the top of the back with stainless steel screws. The Gardener's boxes then slip nicely into the Azek box and all the weight rests on the metal L-brackets. The Gardener's boxes can be easily removed for cleaning and planting.
Previously, I made redwood boxes and put dirt directly in the boxes. It was such a mess I will never do that again.
With flowers in the boxes, the Gardener's boxes are not visible. The Gardener's boxes have a nice water well in the bottom for self-watering helping the flowers to grow. It is a great setup.
Edited 7/19/2009 4:45 pm ET by Tom7
Azek has relatively little thermal expansion, they list 1/8" - 1/4" over 18 feet so I really don't think you have to worry about that.
Pete
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