Plastic lumber: a serious threat to treated lumber or a practi cal j okg ?

RPJ:i:fiixS,n'#*ff

mentally-minded consumen an( until recently, the idea of plastic "wood" was considered silly, if considercd at all. But now - as a result of new technologies, misperceptions about CCA preservative, higher lumber prices and the entrance of fomddable producers - plastic lumber has a funre that cannot be ignored.

Plastic wood is not a single product. This variation is one of its biggest problems; there are no uniforrr standards and no consistencies irmong processors. An article in one trade publication included this precaution: "Order a truckload of 2x4s carrying the grade stamp approved by one of the major lumber associations and you know what you're getting. Order a truckload of plastic lumber and there's no telling what lies beneath the material's smooth, even surface."

Depending on the manufacturer, the raw naterial may be virgin plastic or recycled plastic or a mixture of plastics in combination with other substances. These feedstocks have different physical pnoperties, such as strength, flexibility and dimensional srability.

The variability has made building codes reluctant to accept recycled plastic producrs.

Furtherurore, inadequate cleaning of recycled containen may leave contaminants that eat away at reformed products, and molding equipent that fails o eliminate bubbles in tbe plastic will produce material of inferior strength.

Some fear that the acceprance of recycled plastic products will rernove concerns about plastics generally and even lead to increased production, which requires nonrenewable and cancer-causing ingredients. And, should recycled plastic be involved in a fire, the resulting byproducts could present problems.

A southeastern resort, which insalled boardwalks made of recycled plastic lumber, found that the pieces expanded and contracted so much that nails broke. The plastic boards warped and the surface got painfully hot for barefoot sunbathers. After ore year, the plastic lumber was re,placed with pressure treat€d wood.

Virginia Polytecinic Institute sudied pallets made of recycled plastic lumber. Among other findings, this study indicated that the plastic lumber wx 53% heavier than woo( creeped (deformed) from 15 to 23 times faster, was weaker and much less rigid and absorbed less impact energy.

Today's plastic lumber is not suitable for most structural applications and, on top of all this, it costs about twice as much as wood.

Despite these shortcomings, plastic

It bas been installed as sbet piling and docks in projects ftrom a 300 ft" city pier in the Bronx to Duck's Mooage in Oregon. Tbe L. L. Bem catalog advertises a plastic park bench. Vinyl fencing was a cover sory in Rural Builder magrine, xad polymer-clad wood fene posts have been introduced. Plastic wood has also gained a market foothold as srgn posts, playground equip'ment and picnic ables. Tbe Sae of Texas has put a hold on a treated wood pier pending investigation of recycled plasic as an alternative and both tbe U.S. Navy and the Corps of Fngineers ae looking at plastic fc mqic pro!rcts.

Manufacturers claim that their products last indefinitely with no maintenance. They do not crack or splinter, and tbey can be naile4 sawn, and sanded with commo woodworking tools. Insted of clunering landfills, proponen6 oy, used milk conrrinefs and other plastic wastes are recycled into useful products. And nearly all producen are pointing out the abserce of oxic preservative.

Plastic lumber, sold by the piece has asf been as suaessful as narine materials or as finished products made of plastic components. There have been problems and the price is prohibitive. Nevertheless, some major chains - Builders Square and 84 Lumber among th€m - have begun disributing plastic hmber frrom some locations.

Jeff Easterling, Southern Forest Products Association tr€ated markets trunager, says, 'Ptastic lunber is an issue being discussed by our steering commiree. The plastic lumber producers have ben very active in contacting dealers and builders; they're puning together an extensive network. I just wonder where's the quality con- trol for the product."

The prospects for plastic lumber have moved onto a new level, however, with the recent entrance of Mobil Chemical Co. Unlike most previous operations which were founded by inventors or small entrepreneurs, Mobil brings enonnous capital and wide-ranging expertise along with its product, an extruded wood-polymer composite called Timbrex.

The impact of Mobil's marketing capability is already noticeable - the

Story at a Glance

What's ahsad for plastic lumber ... product problems and shortcomings noteworthy uses impact of Mobil's Timbrex ... retailers and wholesalers testing market effect on traditional materials including pressure treated wood.

Timbrex promotion effort has probably generated more brand awareness than the campaigns for all the other products conbined. Among other advertising, Mobil displayed Timbrex at the National Association of Home Builders show.

Some major eastern wholesalers are distributing Timbrex, though not on a big scale. The list includes Logan Lumber, Wholesale Wood Products, Furman Lumber, Snavely Forest Products and P,I$xkettWebster. For Plunkett-Webster.

which supplies home centers with some interior wood products but not treated wood, the addition of Timbrex represents entrance into new outdoor applications. "Initial response has been 1007o positive," said PlunkettWebster's Mike Keadle, though orders were not yet being booked at the time of the interview.

Mobil has a production facility operating in Florida and is reported to have at least one other facility planned. Its plant, enclosed by a Timbrex fence, is only eight miles from the Tampa headquarters of Robbins Manufacturing Co., one of the South's largest producers of pressure treated wood. Dick Gates, sales manager at Robbins, is concerned. "The name of the game anymore is new products, and recycled products are considered very favorably by consumers."

Mobil is not the only major corporation becoming involved; the Comingled Plastics Task Group of American Society of Testing and Materials has had participation from Arco, Occidental Chemical,. Conoco, DuPont and Monsanto.

In the next year or two, plastic lumber is unlikely to cirpture a significant share of the reated wood market. However, plastic products have overtaken traditional materials for siding, gutters, pipe, flooring, molding and outdoor furniture; it would be foolish to disregard plastic.

Should the cost of plastic lumber fatl, as it probably will, competition with real wood will get tougher. Also, the involvement of major corporations is ceriain to have an effect.

Even if treated wood doesn't lose market share to plastic, it may well suffer from declining consumer confi- dence as plastic lumber producers repeat dubious statements questioning the safety of wood impregnated with preservative chemicals Such messages, as misleading and inaccurate as they may be, can only add to public misperceptions about treated wood.

Texas Plant Adds Tires To Plastic Lumber Mixture

Had as wood and more durable is the claim for boards manufactured from old tires and recycled plastic in a Muenster, Tx., plant.

After making planters, birdbaths and volleyball standards from a concoction of bits of tires and plastic waste, Jim Rosenbaum cooked up a board several years ago. "It starts out as waste, becomes a usable product and definitely saves a lot of hees," he said.

Sales of ReCyc Lumber have reached several million dollars among farmers and ranchers who use it to resurface animal trailers. The company's distributors also recommend the product for barn flooring, patio or marina decking and any place where durability and resistance to rotting are factors. The walls of an office at the RMI plant are built with it.

"You hammer it, you nail it, you cut it just like you do wood," said Fred Rosenbaum, brother of the plant's owner.

An estimated 250 million tires are discarded annually in the United States. Texas is one of two states with a special tax on tire sales to pay for shredding by companies such as those which provide raw material for Renewed Materials Industries [nc.'s two production lines.

ReCyc Lumber costs slightly more than most softwoods, but less than hardwoods such as oak. A typical 16-foot animal trailer can be re-floored for about $250.