Tleated industry eneourages new residential applications

! HE greatest uses of pressure treated I wood are decks, fences and landscaping, but this could change over the next decade. There are other residential applications, currently unexploited, where preservative protection makes sense; some industry officials and building material suppliers foresee big sales opportunities in these nontraditional applications.

The same conditions that make decks vulnerable to termites and rot are faced by softwood used for soffit, fascia , porch steps, shakes, siding, deck fumiture, decorative trim and other weather-exposed uses. There are also interior applications, e. g., plywood underlayment

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and lumber framing near water pipes, where treatment extends wood life. Furthermore, the number of Permanent Wood Foundations continues to grow, though slowly.

"I think we've only seen the tip of the treated wood iceberg," said Jack Nunn, president of Beacon Lumber Co., Elijay and Jasper, Ga. "People are beginning to explore new markets."

The Southern Forest Products Association has ads promoting nontraditional uses and Hickson Corp., producer of Wolman CCA and licensor of the Wolmanized brand, recently printed a brochure on the subject.

"The deck market is far from exhausted," said Huck DeVenzio at Hickson ,"but these other markets represent significant sales potential for dealers. Twenty years ago, few decks were built with treated wood. Now 78 % of decks are. The situation is similar for the new markets.

"I don't expect these markets to develop ovemight, but we feel it is a good time to start the ball rolling by informing dealers, builders, homeowners and code officials of the possibilities."

Jeff Williams, a professional builder and host of the syndicated radio show "The House Doctor," sees an expanding market. "For some uses, such as sill plate, treated wood is required. In the future I think there will be mandates for treated wood in other applicationsand there should be."

Williams recently built an architectdesigned garage for a homeowner whose primary concern was that the structure last a long time. Treated lumber and plywood were used throughout for studs, joists, and sheathing.

The House Doctor Offers Prescription to Dealers

"There's an untapped market out there for dealers," explains Jeff Williams, a professional builder who is also contributing editor to Popular Mechanics and host of the national radio show "The House Doctor."

"On just about every old home, the decorative wood trim has rotted. Very few contractors and d-i-yers realize that tdm and moulding and almost any softwood product can be pressure treated."

Williams thinks dealers are missing sales and homeowners are settling for unsatisfactory alternatives.

Though a dealer may not stock treated trim, Williams recommends a sign or display pointing out that such products are available by special order.

"If a dealer would let customers know that they can have treated accessory products, he would get sales."

"the remodeler has to tear up the floor and replace the underlayment. With treated plywood this would not be necessary."

In some parts of the United States, the new markets are not new at all. Nick Cleghorn of Honsador, Inc., a contractor-oriented dealer with yards on three Hawaiian islands, said few Hawaiian homes are built with any untreated framing.

BATHROOMS and utility rooms, which often have problems with condensation and moisture, are good places to use pressure treated materiats.

Another interior application generating comment is in bathrooms and utility rooms where condensation and leaks from water pipes cause wood to become damp. The resulting conditionswoodfiber, moisture, oxygen, comfortable temperatureare ideal for decay-causing fungi.

"In probably 99 out of 100 bathrooms that are re-done." says Jack Nunn.

"It's not because of codes," explained Cleghorn. "Inground use and sills are the only places where treated wood is required by code. Our customers demand treated wood. Homeowners want termite protection and the architects specify treated wood."

The economic practicality of treated wood and pressures on the supply of forest resources should promote greater use of treated wood in the years ahead. Meantime, only 24% of homes have decks, so the future of treated wood appears bright.