What customers want when they buy moulding

I|:IENERALLYspeaking, mosr moulding customers fall l\finto one of two distinct categories-the builder/contractor or the do-it-yourselfer - with the needs of each addressed separately.

Finger joint pine/paint grade mouldings have comprised the largest sector of the market, says Peter SpieLnan, PlyMould Corp., Newport News, Va. He estimates they have accounted for more tdlran 85Vo of all mouldings sold with the other l1%o divided between solid lineal mouldings for stain grade purposes, prefinished mouldings and hardwood mouldings, generally for stain grade purposes.

Contractors have generally been concerned with price and availability of long lengths, Spielman notes, while doit-yourself buyers are morc concemed with the appearance of a moulding product. Do-it-yourselfers are generally less concerned with long lengths and are willing to purchase shorter, more convenient-to-handle pieces that fit easily into a vehicle for transporting home.

"Since both contractor and do-it-yourself customers have become more aware of the shortage of wood and the eco logical concerns facing our country," he adds, "engineered wood, a relatively new concept in the U.S. paint grade moulding market, has become more appealing to both groups as a long term alternative to pine and hardwood mouldings. Engineered wood utilizes in excess of 90Vo of the tree with the sawdust that results from producing the mouldings recycled into top soil and mulch applications."

Engineered wood moulding is either primed with a water based primer or has the engineered board substrate covered with a paint grade paper laminate. Engineered board is composed of wood fibers glued together with a resin system and pressed into sheets. After these sheets of fiberboard are machined, the profiles are wrapped with hardwood veneers, primed with paper or prefinished with paper, vinyl or heat transfer foil, Spielman explains.

By using wood veneers such as oak, maple or cherry as well as paint grade paper over engineered board, mouldings can be produced in fixed lengths, free of all nonnal defects associated with solid wood mouldings, he says. Engineered board moulding that has been profile wrapped has a smooth surface appearance, no finger joints, no splitting and no warping. It can be cut and nailed easily.

Story at a Glance

Gharacteristics of moulding buyers .." product benefits each is looking for... how engineered wood can satisfy environmentally conscious customers and meet the need for pine and hardwood substitutes.

Engineered board moulding is an ecologically sound alternative to both pine mouldings and solid hardwood mouldings, Spielman points out. "Europe has produced mouldings in this way for well over 20 years due to both the lack of available wood and the ecological pressure put on producers by the environmental movement."

To a large extent environmental issues as they relate to supply and demand will dictate the future of the moulding industry in this country. Ever more environmentally conscious customers will look to alternatives such as engineered board mouldings to fill their moulding needs, Spielman maintains.