Do-It-Yourself Resources
Identifying Genuine Alumawood™ Materials
A buyer beware regarding Alumawood™ "Bait & Switch".
There are Contractors and Do-It-Yourself Suppliers advertising Alumawood™ and then giving the customer a imitation of Alumawood™.
Alumawood is not a general name, Alumawood™ is a trade name of the original simulated wood aluminum covers; Alumawood™ is manufactured by Amerimax Building Products and Alumawood™ is Amerimax's trade name for their product. Other manufacturers try to imitate but there is only one Alumawood™. The imitators are similar in look but not the real thing which is no different than the Rolex and Folex wrist watch scam.
A true customer story: A customer of a contractor in central California contacted us; she had been victim of the Alumawood™ "Bait & Switch", although she did not realize it until after she spoke to us. The customer called us to check up on what the Contractor told her regarding painting columns to match the Alumawood™, the contractor told her it could not be done because no paint or paint codes were available; touch up paint and paint codes are available for Alumawood™ and when we showed her the Alumawood™ paint codes she realized she had been victim of "bait and switch". We think the imitator did not have color codes available to match the product and the contractor did not want her to see the Alumawood™ colors not match the imitator’s product. To help resolve the issue we gave the customer a number to call and from what we have been told the situation was resolved.
How to Identify Alumawood™ Materials
Here are some ways to notice Alumawood™ from the imitator's right off the bat prior to ordering and also some ways to verify you actually receive Alumawood™.
Prior to ordering Alumawood™.
- Wood Grain Texture: Alumawood™ materials are embossed to give a cedar grain finish, the cedar embossed wood grain texture is unique to Alumawood™, most of the imitator's are using a larger and heavier embossed wood grain texture (some refer to this as a driftwood texture).
- Color Names: The Alumawood colors are White, Desert Sand, Sonora Beige, Mojave Tan, Latte and Adobe; Alumawood™is not available in Ivory, Champagne, Platinum, Almond, Cameo, Brown, etc. as those are names from the imitating manufacturers.
- Teflon Surface Protector: Exclusive Aluma-Shield℠ paint system has the addition of Teflon® surface protector to provide extended longevity, superior durability and ease of maintenance; no imitator has Teflon® surface protector.
- Product Names: The Brand name is Alumawood™, not Aluma Wood or Aluma-Wood, Durawood, Ultra Lattice, Elitewood and so forth; the only Covers available by Alumawood™ is the Solid Roof Newport Patio covers and the Open Roof Laguna Arbor Lattice covers.
Verifying you received Alumawood™
- Packing Slip: Whether you purchase from a Do-It-Yourself Supplier or from a Contractor you will want to view the packing slip which should be from Amerimax Building Products, Inc..
- Engineering Report: You should receive a copy of the product Engineering Report and the Report should have Amerimax Building Products listed as the Manufacturer.
- Label on Product: “AMERIMAX ALUMAWOOD” is stamped in black ink inside the 2" x 6 ½" Rafters and 3" x 8" Beams, to see the ink stamp take off an end cap of the 2" x 6 ½" Rafters and 3" x 8" Beams“AMERIMAX ALUMAWOOD” ink stamp (see picture below) should be there.
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