DOUGLAS FIR

Long Arm ol the Saw

Hendrick Manufacturing Corp. has introduced the Long Arm-a 3l " cutoff sawthat willcut stockdownto a workable size and perform precise cuts on all component parts.

It provides a cutting len4h of 31" and a full 4" material depth for many applications including decks, doors, cabinet backs, backsplashes, side panels and frames.

The saw features 2" diameter solid steel precision ground and polished rails mounted in a solid cast base plus a push button start/stop feature.

Standard equipment includes 14' x4'steel cable frame with table top and a squaring fence. Additional options and accessories are also available.

ShinglesSell

A shingle designed for application over one or two existing roofs is being marketed by Celotex Corp.

The Cove II reroofing shingles are self-aligning and come in four colors. Sold in bundles covering approximately 33-l/3 sq. ft. each, they carry a U.L. class A fire and wind resistance label.

Special promotiond materials are available to home centers.

The Dimensional Shake Asphalt shingle, another Celotex product, reportedly has the appeal of cedar shakes but is less expensive and comes in four earthtone colors.

Door Combines Wood, Metal

The new Louisiana-Pacific Corp. Forester patio door combines wood inside with structural extruded aluminum outside in a thermally efficient sliding door. A new concept in quality patio doors, it offers features like l " tempered insulating glass, thermal barrier sill, all steel tandem rollers, complete perimeter weatherstripping, plus an interlocking and weatherstripped check rail.

The reversible door, engineered for fast and easy installation, is suitable for new construction or replacement of older aluminum patio doors. It is available in two and three panel sizes with wood grilles and keyed lock as options.

Exterior aluminum is prefinished in white or brown with the interior in natural wood which can be stained or painted.

SinkorSwim

New from Plumb Shop is the flexible extension tube for d-i-y sink installation or extension tube replacement.

Because the tube is flexible, minor misalignment is allowed between sink strainer and J-bend while still maintaining a leak-free connection.

The carded tube is available in lV2" O.D. and lVq" O.D. slip joint connections, and lVz" O.D. direct connection. Each package includes step-by-step directions.

Shower Power

The Swan Corp. now has a shower surround product for builders, contractors or consumers.

Known as Showerwal, this system is manufactured of press-molded fiberglass with a baked-on polyurethane coating. Suited for both remodeling and new construction, it is packed, knocked down, in a corrugated carton with all materials needed for installation.

Showerwal adjusts to fit shower base sizes from 30" x 30" up to and including 36" x 36". In addition, an optional extension panel fits areas up to 36" x 60". The system reportedly installs in an hour using only a drill and caulking gun.

An in-store merchandiser is available to stocking dealers.

Performance Guaranteed MacMillan Bloedel Building

Materials have a new Aspenite waferboard underlayment panel that they back up with a written guarantee.

Panels, when handled and installed as floor underlayment in accordance with instructions set out in their application brochure, are guaranteed to hold floor buckle or delaminate; not cause cracking of the floor covering, or nail popping; not split or crack on nailing or stapling.

Consumer Clinics

(Continued from poge 13) ing, ceiling tile, or vinyl flooring, all are somewhat simple jobs.

(3) Develop a Written Plan

So that no detail is overlooked, you need a written plan which should be reviewed with your clinic managers.

Here are the key items that should be in your plan:

(l) Proper scheduling is essential. Determine the week or weekend to schedule the clinic. It's best to hold them on Friday nighrs or on Saturdays. On Saturdays, a morning and an afternoon clinic are possible.

(2) Call in yolr manufacturer's representative for the product selected and request his help in providing literature. samples. demonstration aids, films and even personal help if possible. Some manufacturers or distributors have well trained people to do just this type of program.

(3) Select the location in your store for the demonstration. Be sure it is out of the heavy traffic area so as not to restrict sales of other products while the clinic is in session, and to provide a quiet spot so your audience can easily hear the demonstration. If necessary, move some of your displays temporarily so you have tne proper space.

(4) Set up 30 to 40 chairs. (Renr them from a local club or funeral parlor or church.)

(5) Provide enough room at the front of the audience for the demonstrator to conduct the demonstration.

(6) Make a list of all the rools, materials and literature needed and assemble these items in an area for safe keeping and easy accessibility.

(7) Plan your advance promotion. Use your newspaper ads or radio, outdoor sign, in-store posters near entrance and checkout counter and posters in the department where the product is displayed. Provide checkour personnel with a 3" x 5" slip promoting clinic dates and requesting reservations. Some dealers require customers to sign up for the clinic so they know how many are coming; also the customers have committed themselves to attend. Allow at least 2 to 3 weekends for advance promotion.

(8) Use prizes or drawings. if pos- sible, in promoring the clinic. The manufacturer or distributor may help with these items.

(9) Rehearsal is absolutely necessary. Even if you have a manufacturer's representative to conduct the clinic, at least have them come in a week in advance and review the entire program so that when they arrive to begin the clinic, you have everything they need and they are familiar with the physical ser-up. lf possible, ask the manufacturer's rep to rehearse beforehand. If store personnel are holding the clinic, by all means rehearse two or three times before the clinic day and ",-ou be sure lo critique the rehearsal.

( I0) Offer coffee or coke or some beverage and doughnuts, cookies. etc.

( | l) Although mosr customers will not purchase the product at the completion of the demonstration, make a strong pitch for the order. Some dealers offer a discount good only on the clinic day. Pass out literature, pricing information and samples at the completion of the clinic. Always allow time for questions, and in addition. invite the audi- ence to come up individually after the demonstration to speak personally to the demonstrator. Many people are too shy to ask the question in front of the entire group.

(12) lf you have a drawing. conducr this after the clinic and award the winner in public.

(13) Be sure you also make available the tie-in products necessary to do the complete application or installation. lf adhesive. nails. special tools, etc. are needed, have these pr<ducts on hand and priced. and discuss these items uhen you ask f<rr the order. lf you reni rools. include these in )'our program.

The more advanced retailer who is experienced in holding clinics should consider a Clinic .Open House Program. Some chains such as Central Hardware in St. Louis. Mo.. hold an annual Clinic Week. A dozen or more manufacturers are invited to hold clinics and demonstrations simultaneousll during a three-da1,period. Space is provided in the warehouse and traffic is channeled back ro this area. Here again. heavy advance promotion is necessary in the media and within the store.

Consumer clinics can be profitable. but careful planning and advancc' preparalion and promotion are vital ingredients to their success.

Edward A. More is a veteran of 25 years morketing management with Formica Corp. and a vital link between the company ond the home remodeling industry. A two-term president of the National Home Improvement council, he has retired from Formica and opened Edward A. More &. Associates, marketingmerchandisingconsaltants. -ed.

FIX-UP MARKET

(Continued from page 9) public tv in the South this spring and summer. Contact your local PBS station for time and dates.

The construction advantages of older homes are myriad. Even when the building is devastated by years of neglect, the basic construction is often sound. Magnificent wood paneling, hardwood floors, carved stair parts, brass hardware, stained glass, shingle siding, and gingerbread architectural features have sometimes only been dulled by the ravages of time and can be restored to a useful life.

More modest wooden or stucco houses lack the impressive dignity of the Victorian mansions, but they too can be restyled into attractive, livable homes for present day families. The addition of features long associated with suburban living such as outdoor areas and privacy gardens is flourishing.

"People in cities are just as anxious for outdoor living as suburbanites," explains the representative of a large city lumber yard. "They

Texas Topics

(Continued from page 25) build decks, only the decks are smaller. They build fences, only the fences are shorter. And then, there are some other uniquely urban uses. Take an old city house converted into apartments for instance. The second floor may have a screened-in wood porch, so the residents can sit in privacy and gaze over the roofs of the city. Or the same building may have wood steps leading to a private side entrance."

Science and Transportation Committee on the broad and diverse issue ofproduct liability. NLBMDA endorses the concept of the legislation with minor changes and has encouraged the Senators to introduce formal legislation for full committee review.

Of interest to lumber and building material dealers is a section which provides that a product seller other than the manufacturer is liable if, "by a preponderance of the evidence," the seller's own breach of an express product warranty was the proximate cause of the claimant's harm. A seller is responsible only for his own fault, except where the manufacturer is not subject to service of process or is determined to be judgment proof. The objective is to reduce litigation costs by taking the seller out of suits in which he is not responsible.

The legislation would preempt state law theories of strict liability in tort negligence, breach ofwarranty, failure to warn or instruct, or misinterpretation, which previously governed such action. In addition, the draft would place a 25 year time limitation on liability.

Wood is only one of the many building products needed for renovating a house. The outside will probably need shingles, turned railings or decorative millwork, roofing, stucco or paint. The invisible inside will use plumbing, wiring and insulation. The visible inside will need doors, windows, skylights, plaster and plasterboard, lighting, cabinets, ceramic tile, bath and kitchen fixtures, built-in appliances, stair parts, and flooring to name a few. The finishing touches will use at least paint, wallpaper, floor covering, and decorative hardware. Almost every department of the home center or building supply store will contribute to the remodeling with materials or tools.

PENTH0USE deck, built with pressurelreated lumber, provides a private space for relaxation.Proiects like this are an imoortant parl of inner city remodeling and repair.

Remodeling of early homes requires many specialty building products. Obsolete siding and moulding patterns must be reproduced.

While building supply dealers may find it impossible to stock all the specialty items required for remodeling, they can special order or at least keep catalogs from such places on hand for customers.

The retailer, whether through contractor sales or d-i-y trade, is bound to benefit from the growing interest in improving existing housing through remodeling and repair.

More Personals

(Continued from page 26)

Loren lrving, Deschutes Pine Sales, is back in Bend, Or., after a sales trip to Atlanta, Ga.

George T. Poulos is the new exec. v.p. of Wolohan Lumber Co. including the retail units in Ky.

Daniel A. Martinez, regional mgr. of the Georgia-Pacific Corp. divs. in Palatka, Fl. and Port Hudson, La., has been named a v.p.

George H. Smith, Jr. is now merchandising mgr. of Henderson & Baird Hardware Co., Inc. for both the Greenwood and Greenville, Ms. operations.

W.D. "Dick" Rose, newly named general products mgr., distribution div.,' Georgia-Pacific Building Products, will be moving to Atlanta, Ga., with the corporate staff this summer, according to Stanley S. Dennison, senior v.p., distribution div. He is a graduate of the U. of N.C.

Robert H. Sands has been promoted to assistant Southern Region sales mgr. for Alcoa Building Products, Inc., working out of Jackson, Ms., according to Jack Anderson, pres. of the Pittsburgh, Pa., firm.

Obie P. Moore has been selected as pres. and c.e.o. of Rite-Way Metal Products (Cool-Way fans), Smyrna, Ga.; G. Warren Stoughton assumes sales and marketing duties as v.p. Polly Esther has joined the fabric sales dept. at Mungus-Fungus Forest Products, Climax, Nv., according to Hugh Mungus and Freddy Fungus.

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