How to sell cedar superiority for less

EALERS across the country from Virginia to California are discovering that theY can sell the curb appeal of cedar to customers with champagne taste on beer budgets by suggesting cedar PlYwood panels for exterior use.

With the rich look and durabilitY of western red cedar, the exterior siding panels have all the structural and price advantages of PlYwood with a face of western red cedar in premium or select grade. Surfaces are rough-sawn or brushed in a choice of patterns, all with shiplap edges. Ungrooved Panels can have either shiplap or square edges. Classified as western red cedar exterior 303 plywood bY the American PIYwood Association, cedar PlYwood panels should carry its grade stamp. Watch for it.

Cedar plywood Panels are appropriate for exterior application on sidewalls, soffits and trim and interior applications. They can be used for both residential and low rise commercial applications including remodeling. They can eliminate the need for sheathing or corner bracing.

Builders talk about saving as much as 500/o on labor and materials by using cedar plywood panels. Records show that a 1,700 sq. ft. house can be covered with 50 Panels in 13 manhours.

Cedar plywood Panels have the low maintenance, resistance to decay and pests and durability advantages inherent in cedar. TheY can be finished with a clear wood preservative, light-bodied oil based semi-transparent stains or heavy-bodied oilbased stains for color variation. Leaving the cedar plYwood Panels unfinished is not recommended.

Help customers cut costs with cedarplywoodPanels ' '. offer curb appeal, durabilitY, APA grade stamP in an economical material that cuts labor costs.

Peninsula Plywood, now an ITT Rayonier Inc. division in Port Angeles, Wa., was the first mill to manufacture cedar plYwood back in 1958. In addition to pioneering cedar plywood, they are the second oldest APA mill in operation with the designation of Mill No. 2. Their membership goes back to 1941. PenPlY, as they are known, is Probably the major producer of cedar PlYwood today, manufacturing over 8 million square feet monthlY, enough to side 4,000 homes.

Richard M. LYons, marketing manager, wood products Northwest' for the company, says that the product is "especially popular along the coastlines and in the mountain areas because of its superior stain retention characteristics and ability to resist severe weather conditions."

He anticiPates that todaY's increasing cost of western red cedar lumber sidings, including material and installation cost, will continue to make cedar plywood a more practical siding alternative in 1987.

Multnomah PlYwood is the other APA mill producing cedar PlYwood. Located in St. Helens, Or., the company had manufactured Douglas fir plywood siding for nearly 20 years' but done little with cedar until last year. Sales manager O. E."Erv" Lodeen, who was formerlY with Evans Products, a cedar PlYwood firm no longer in operation, says that the worker-owned mill has begun an aggressive program to secure the highest quality cedar logs. In addition to the APA logo, their Product carries the company's Indian chief logo.

Although cedar PlYwood is limited in availability, it does fill a need for the customer who wants the luxury of cedar without the expense' Retailers should keeP it in mind.