A new product that offers a reyclable solution for revitalizing old decks and patios could translate into more jobs for a Mount Airy manufacturer.

United Plastics Corp. on Hay Street recently launched “ProFekt” at the Southern Ideal Home Snow in Greensboro. ProFekt is a wood-like substance that can be installed right on existing decks, avoiding the time and expense of tearing out the old decking, the company said.

“Even when I first heard about it, I thought it just doesn’t seem possible,” said Kevin Fuschich, who handles marketing for United Plastics, a company in business for more than 60 years.

“But I saw it installed, and changed my opinion,” Fuschich said.

United Plastics recently has positioned itself on the cutting edge of the “green” movement in developing various products for the construction and home-improvement market. Everything manufactured by the company is “fully recyclable,” Fuschich said.

ProFekt, the latest United Plastics innovation to be launched, looks and feels like real wood, he said. Since it can be installed on existing decks, the product can save homeowners the chore of tearing out old decks and spending thousands of dollars to install new ones. A deck refurbished with ProFekt looks new again, Fuschich added.

In addition to unveiling the product at the recent home show in Greensboro, it is expected to be featured at similar events in Raleigh and Miami. ProFekt also is being market-tested at Home Depot stores throughout the Carolinas, according to Fuschich, in addition to other promotional efforts by United Plastics officials.

“They’ve been pushing it pretty hard,” Fuschich said. The timing of this effort is coinciding with the arrival of spring, when many homeowners undertake renovations such as deck repairs. Fuschich called ProFekt a “great alternative” to traditional deck and patio materials.

Officials of the Hay Street company, which now employs 55 people, are hoping that acceptance of the new product in the marketplace will mean more jobs here.

“As it expands, it will definitely help boost the job force in Mount Airy ... as long as it takes off,” the marketing official said. “It would translate into more jobs for sure.”

United Plastics presently is running three shifts, Fuschich added, and trying to develop other products as well.

The Mount Airy manufacturer recently gained national exposure for one of its creations, a soundproofing membrane that goes into walls, flooring and ceilings of new structures. This product made from recycled materials not only reduces noise from one room to another, but controls air and moisture, the company says.

United Plastics donated 3,000 pounds of the material for a house-rebuilding project in Lexington which was featured on an episode of ABC-TV’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” on Jan. 31.

More information about the latest product is available on the Internet at www.ProFektDecks.com.

Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.