Profiting from treated wood

By Dennis Hayward Executive Director Western Wood Preservers Institute

1f, S WP see the frst signs of ecorF nomic recovery inthehome building market, combining an understanding of the product witha recognitionof consumer needs is key to success in selling pressure treated lumber and plywood. Consumers are more careful with their money, demanding quality, performance and dependable guidance from dealers. The feat is to meet the consumer's expectations and still tum a profit.

You should recommend pressure treated wood any time the lumber will be subjected to an environment which breeds fungus and decay or invites termites. Direct ground contact or exposure to moisture demand treated wood. Pressure treating for fire retarding characteristics also offers valuable market opportunities.

While sales for traditional uses, decks, fencing, landscaping and sill materials continue, you must develop sales for new or less comrnon uses. Today's buyers want a product that will last. Remind them that using appropriately treated lumber and plywood for constructing floor and wall systems in kitchens, baths or laundry rooms is cheap insurance against future expense of dry rot repairs.

Failure of expansion joints in driveways, patios and walks is another common risk you can eliminate for your customers by recommending that they buy pressure treated wood. Of course, you will always recommend pressure treated wood for outdoor furniture and playground equipment projects as well as decorative fencing.

As in any other building product, high quality treated wood meeting standards is on the market as well as garbage. Selling garbage can mean product failure in a short time, unhappy customers, liability and decreased demand in the long term. Quality products treated for structural purposes carry eithera quality markoramanufachrrer's tag indicating the material has been treated to appropriate industry standards for above ground use or ground contact. Appropriately stamped material is important to assure the requirements of the Uniform Building Code and local regulations ate met. Decking material may not be incised, but it should carry a manufacturer's tag on the end of the board indicating suitability for above ground use and the producer's warranty. Western Wood Preservers lnstitute recognizes this as equivalent to a quality stamp.

Be wary of unstamped or unwarranted construction lumber or plywood. Posts or landscape material may not be stamped and you should checkwiththe producer to ensure treatments are adequate for the intended use. Watch out for bogus or meaningless quality stamps that say "Treated to Refusal." Some species do not treat well with certain preservatives and may not accept enough of the chemical to meet the preservation objectives and standards.

Treatments vary, depending upon species, desired standards and purpose. Treatment levels and technical jargon can be confusing, but the salesperson who is educated about the product will be more successful in serving the customer.

An old saying goes, "The only stu- pid question is the unasked question." This certainly holds true for the sale and distribution of treated wood. If you have a question, the producer should be happy to assist you and if he can't answer your inquiry, the Westem Wood Preservers Institute is only a phone call away at (206) 254-0957.

At no time or place in history have people been more conscious of and concerned with environmental and health impacts than they are in North America today. Whether it be paints, stains, adhesives or treated wood, justified ornot, people are increasingly concerned with chemicals. Conversely, never before has there been so much research, study and attention by the industry to the environmental soundness and safety of our products.

Only EPA approved and accepted chemicals are used to treat wood with the process meeting the stiffest federal and state regulations. When used as intended, pressure treated products do not present a health risk to the consumer. You can recommend them with no hesitation. Your customer is in greater risk driving to the store to make his purchase.

A common concern is whether the chemicals inpressure treated wood will affect plants, garden areas or family pets. The answer is no. The pressure treating process "fixes" the chemicals to the wood cells and they will not leach from the material in any level of concem to the environment.

Probably the best example of the safety of treated products is Hawaii where essentially every stick of lumber, plywood and engineered wood used mustbe treated. Withouttreatment, even if used several stories in the air with no ground contact, wood will be attacked and consumed by termites. With the state's entire population essentially surrounded by treated wood, no negative health effects have been found.

As with any product, it is important to stress appropriate conmon sense guidelines be followed in selection, use and disposal of treated wood. This in-

Story at a Glance

formation is provided for each preservative in Consumer Information Sheets (CIS) available from producers. Just as you wouldn't sell an unlabeled can of paint, you should not sell treated wood without a CIS. The guidelines cover everything from using proper safety equipment for sawing and nailing to applying sealers in some applications.

Pressure treated products are increasingly recognized as a viable choice for those concemed with the conservation of our forest resources. Pressure treating extends the useful life of wood in insect and fungus threatened environments. Lumber and plywood from second and third generation managed forests lends itself well topressure treating. Using treated wood reduces the urgency to harvest old growth or slower growing redwood and cedar forests or to utilize wood from the world's tropical rain forests. All these are matters of concern to a significant portion of the consuming public and your customers.

Knowledge can mean profi t in heated wood. Know your products and their applications. Be aware of standards and quality. Be prepared to address the value system of your customer. Put it all together and it can mean profit even in tough times.

The possibility of proceeding with 16 timber hamests wuth $30 million to the logging industry came with the Supreme Court's decisio'n that Congress has the powet to block lawsuits challenging govemment plans to allow logging in parts of the Pacifi c Northwest spotted owl habi-

I{o&a^&asa (fqrypr[y Ho me C lub} opened gerry,tsasties in Silverdale plywoodshed. BarrL,ttmber,l-os Alamitos, Ca., teceived city council approval to purchase its location ftotnsoathern Pacific RR.

Co.;Tacoma,'Wa, fiezone to allow a re,i&qxis$ng l2,3OO sq.,,ft,,,i.s ffe. closed Handy

.dnr&.{gante,. eas.!h$,ho**peetb ter, but anslectranieq$ 4ryliance

yeat...

Builders Emportum is renrodeling four of its Oleb units in l,as Vegas, Nv., upgrading them to the caliber of the fifth L.V. Ole's opend last year.

The Temy Companies' new kirchen and bath showroom at its Los Angeles, Ca., stofe, staffed by certifi ed architect Vemon Applegate and kitchen designer Howard Gearhart, will be relocated to the Sash & P,oor,div. in:*rc Terty a& ministration building.

Homestead Supplies opened a 10,000 sq. ft. pre-hung doot mfg. facility adjacent to ib Apple Valley, Ca., stofe,''mmifigl','''ii",'t',*te Door Shop . . Meeks Building Centers opened its largest unit, a 15,0(X) sq. ft. showroom qsd 16,000 sq. ft- &ivethrough warehouse in Enterprise, Ca., replacing a smaller store damaged by fire last year.

tr417*nnO, " Lumb e r plans a major @atsion in Milwaukie, Or., add' ,bg,trw inventory, equipment md a

'',

A lIg e i e r C o rnp ut e r C orp.,Ttts{tn, Ca., has opened a Belleville, Il., sales office staffed by Gary L. Vogel.

.,:,',Agtgri l{l'.;',,,P bd Association &ob, Oosry& Sveneerplatrt, lMillarnina, Or., tlrc sfbst veneer &, speeialf plant for 1991; tlre ,Indet pendence,Or., veneet plant teceivd the three year safefy aw.a li.l&'{ lott"e-; Irrdu*i*t ratn€!*o;Cl;i:.lsliii Sales, Ittci;.i.l stnele,fr.rc&|t inFeb'0e&*lfi$* starts up ':9;:6 l::li

| ttrird time.

We for Utah, Nevada, Idaho: have a name your customers

In CCA-treated wood, the name is rrWolmanizedrr.

. Best known brand

For fire retardant treated wood, ifs rrDriconrr.

. Proven nationwide

. 1o-vealJ.gieneclive u*" mt

. 2x4 - 2x12 lumber c 112' & 3/4" plywood Fire Retardant Treated Wood

Our name is Utah Wood Preserving.

We serve retailers, utilities, mines and industry in Utah, Nevada, and Idaho. For treated products that will give you a good name, call 1-800-666-2467