Planters are a great way to add curb appeal to businesses and homes. Planters can be made from almost any material and cast planters have traditionally been the most popular. Cast iron and cement planters are very typical and offer a beautiful look to complement a front entrance to a home or building. Cedar planters are very popular in front of commercial entrances, especially restaurants. Vinyl planters have popped up as a nice affordable alternative to wood that will not rot and PVC planters have come on strong, emerging as an upgrade over vinyl capturing the look of wood and none of the maintenance issues.

The advantages of planters are obvious. They add curb appeal to almost any home or business. Each material choice for planters offer a different asset and look that is unique. Wood planters have always been a popular choice, especially cedar, cypruss, and teak. Wood planters will usually last 3-5 years before they begin to show signs of rot. The vinyl planters are able to beat out mother nature in that respect, but have suffered from not being able to be painted and having a shiny finish to them. To solve that puzzle, PVC planters are now available which are paintable and have a matted finish to them. They can be manufactured in custom styles cheaper because they do not require custom moulding. Another advantage to PVC planters is that matching window boxes can be custom built. Matching window boxes and planters is usually only achieved with the type of product that can be mounted to a building. This usually means wood, vinyl, metal, or PVC because of the weight limitations. PVC window boxes are the gold standard in the window box industry and matching planters have become increasingly more in demand.

Nowadays, businesses need custom planters of all sizes: long and narrow or wide and tall. These planters need to fit a very custom application and fill a very specific spot. At times, the need is for a corner planter or a long freestanding planter between columns. If you are going to spend money to have custom planters built for your business, consider what your expectations and needs will be down the road 5-10 years. Do you need something custom? Are you trying to achieve a specific look? Does it need to match the home or building? Is cost an issue? If you know the answers to those questions, then you will know exactly what material will best suit your needs for commercial planters.