Hello. This is my first time on here so I hope this helps. I am looking to replace my rotting wood patio cover with the new aluminum type material. I believe one of the original brand names is Alumawood. This issue I'm having is that there are also off brands out there since Alumawood is a patented material through a single company. The main difference i'm seeing between the original Alumawood brand and off brands is price. I'm looking for a 240 sq ft. cover and the off brands are closer to the $2k march whereas the Alumawood brand is nearer to $3500. Is there really that much of a difference beteen this main brand and the off brands? Is it worth the extra money or am I just as well off going with a different brand that's cheaper. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!

There are a lot of aluminum patio cover manufactures, but only one Alumawood. Alumawood is manufactured by Amerimax Building Products and backs their product with a Lifetime Warranty. Amerimax has about to celebrate 30 years of manufacturing Alumawood which is by far the most recognized brand in the industry. Alumawood has the Teflon surface protector within their Aluma-Shield Paint system. The Aluma-Shield paint system is a modified siliconized-polyester paint with the Teflon surface protector. Aluma-Shield paint system with the Teflon surface protector will give the patio cover more protection of staining keeping a "looks like new" appearance for many years. Amerimax has more control over the quality of their products since they are the only manufacturer that paints and embossed their aluminum. This leads to a more consistent color match all the time. This is why some of their competition has come to them to paint their materials. Alumawood is engineered to follow the strict 2006 International Building Codes and prints are available for contractors to local permits. The right choice is Alumawood because of they are the original; made with the best materials; and backed by established and stable company.