Join the western wood paneling revival

OR the first time in 20 years, homeowners are increasingly turning to solid western wood panelings as a premium wall covering. Lumber retailers can benefit from this growing trend by becoming familiar with new paneling applications, as well as to the different species, grades, finishes, patterns and styles available.

Story at a Glance

How a retailer can benefit from wood paneling trends. marketing ideas and opportunities for add-on sales you can use the role of product knowledge.

The resurgence of solid wood paneling may be attributed in part to the continued growth of the repair and remodel market. Homeowners are looking for new, innovative and more sophisticated wall coverings to update their residences. In addition, there appears to be a willingness among developers and builders to use more expensive and higher quality materials.

Solid wood panelings were popular until the mid-1960s. Then consumers turned to processed sheet panels, which offered greater variety and ease of installation. Until that time, solid wood had maintained a strong growth, particularly in knottypine boards, Applications, however, were limited to mostly vertical square-edged board or tongue-andgroove.

Today, the wide variety of solid wood patterns, species and color finishes, and availability provide the consumer with any number of application choices. The retailer's role, and sales incentive, can be suggesting to homeowners possible applications and guiding the d-i-yer to proper installation.

Though knotty-pine is still around, other species have made inroads. These include vertical grain Douglas fir and the western cedars with their reddish-brown hues.

Don't let your customers limit themselves to traditional vertical applications. Explain how horizontal boards can make a narrow room seem wider. Or show examples of a herringbone pattern which, with accent lights, can dramatize a room. Use a video or pictures to demonstrate how a simple wainscoting and plate rail can add visual stability to small rooms. Illustrate how, on the other hand, diagonal patterns give the illusion of greater height and width.

Along with application, also suggest style. Solid wood panels are available in a variety of patterns including channel rustic, beaded ceiling, V-joint rustic, and standard flat boards.

Numerous profiled patterns are made in tongue and groove. Such profiles have contours that are rounded, grooved, or a combination of both. These designs can lend a handcrafted appearance to a room's decor.

Remember to suggest rooms where solid wood paneling can be applied effectively. Unlike the '50s and '60s, when knotty-pine boards were used primarily for the den or basement, today's solid wood paneling makes a dramatic statement in almost any room.

For instance, beaded wainscoting with a chair rail is now fashionable in dining rooms. Ceiling panelings combined with exposed beams are becoming increasingly popular for living rooms, family rooms, and studies.

Point out the numerous possibilities for finishes, all of which leads to the possibility of add-on sales. These include stains, sealers, paints and glazes. (RnO remember that sandpaper, steel wood, brushes, tack cloth, and rubber gloves may also be required).

For a pale, aged effect, suggest the do-it-yoursefer try painting with a thinned white oil-based paint and wiping dry. Or, explain, to produce a durable, clear finish, a polyurethane varnish will sufl'ice. Tell customers how, with added pigment, the varnish can be tinted to a light tone.

Rather than just explaining patterns and finishes, you'll find an instore wall display of various patterns and colors will go a long way in attracting customer attention. Displays of the product application can be fronted by bins or shelves where customers can select the paneling by the piece or by the package.

To complete the display, and the sale, a stack of how-to literature can help guide the unsure do-it-yourselfer.

OST do-it-yourselfers rely on magazines for their home project ideas and have at least some carpentry experience. In addition, 840/o of those responding to a project information offer are serious about completing a project.

A mail-in survey taken by the Western Wood Products Association polled a sample of consumers who had ordered outdoor project literature from March to May 1988. Some 122 d-i-yers responded.

When asked to indicate one or more sources of project ideas, about 7 5o/o of the respondents said they relied on magazines. How-to books were a distant second with 46%; newspapers and lumber retailers ranked third and fourth, with 2lolo and 17 o/o respectively.

Such figures show that dealers have an opportunity to be a better information source as well as a materials source. "lf the dealer puts idea literature into racks for consumers," said Ed Thomas, WWPA's director of products promotion, "he can stimulate added sales."

Skill levels also showed a distinct trend. Two out of three respondents indicated they had some carpentry experience at least; the remainder considered themselves experienced and inexperienced weekend carpenters.

Overall, the d-i-yers spent from $600 to $1,800 for deck building materials and $30 to $600 for deck accessories such as benches and steps. In addition, they spent from $10 to $200 for wood planter boxes made from dimension lumber.

In general, a greater percentage of the respondents bought Paints or finishes than either tools or sandpaper. However, tools ranked higher for those who worked on decks than for those who worked on planters or deck accessories.

The survey revealed a slight preference for building materials sources. Sliehtly more than half of the do-it-yourselfers went to a lumberyard for their materials, while 4lolo went to home centers,

When asked to list other projects they would like to have plans for, the respondents displayed a variety of interests. Seventy-four people wrote some form of individual response.

Of those 74, 20 indicated they would like more outdoor projects, ranging from deck plans to children's playground sets. Another 23 showed