Prefinished wood r a ready market

RE YOU keeping your customers in the dark or are you telling them the advantages of prefinishing?

"Yards often times get into a commodity mentality," says John Orlowski, owner of Builders PreStain, Loomis, Ca., for the last three years and a 2}-yeat lumbennan prior to gering involved in the prefinishing business. "And the time it takes to close a prefinish job will bog them down. The good prefinisher will handle builder calls for yards and provide information and samPles needed to complete the sale. The good yards do that and the tnowledgeable builders request it."

Factory prefinishing has been an industry for about 30 years. Almost from its inception, wood manufacturers, wood associations and the scientific community have seen it as a benefit.

According to Pat King, western market manager for PPG/OlYmPic Stains and Paints, there are three major advantages to factory prefinishing. "First it is the most cost effective way t0 back prime all wood. Secon4 in a controlled environment the coating can be applied to a proper thickness and allowed to dry and adhere to the wood before installation and exposure. And third, Prefinishing offers builders and architects standtrdizrd specs for the exterior coating on a project. You'd be surPrised at how many builders simPlY saY 'offwhite' when asked what their spec is for the exterior paint. Factory nnishing creates uniform standards and a paint and wood system that works."

However, the system is more than paint and wood. Sean White, operations manager for Beronio Lumber, San Francisco, Ca., believes, "It is important that the yard, prefinisher and coatings manufacturer be in sync. We all have lo do a Professional job representing and backing our products. And that is best accomplished with straight forward communication."

White remembers a builder who called to order 8,000 feet of Preprimed siding for a project. "We inventory pre-primed siding in our enclosed bins. So, the order was an easy one to fill and I could have left it ing certain grades of woo( especially all white wood (fir and sPruce), increases its yrdability. "

Because the building industrY is competitive, it is difficult to ignore cosl Orlowski t€calls, "I was visiting a builder who had insalled siding we had pre-primed for one of our Yard cuslomers. Since his paint contractor was there, I asked him how much he would have cbarged to prime all sides of the wood. He said about $6,000. Our customer onlY charged the builder $2,8m. In addition, the paint contractor liked working with the product because he could move on to otherjobs quicker."

It boils down to taking the next logical step, Orlowski points out. First certain grades and types of wood not likely to have a natural finish, at that. But" I lnew that primed lumber should not sit on ajob site too long before being installed and top coated. I asked our c-trstomer, 'How much do you expect o get up in the next few days?' When he said about 4,000 feet, I asked if I could send that amount now and the remainder when he was close to installing it. Anything you cirn do to help your customer and maintain the integrity of your product should be done."

Scott Berry, market director of a Loomis wood manufacturer, Lausmann Lumber, points out that when wood is prefinished, the Product is closer to industry standards and recommendations. "Prefinishing gives the builder an added time benefit and it moves the wood one step further down the wuk chain. And Pre-Prim- such as finger jointed redwood and cedar and white woods, should be pre-primed. Beyond that, dealers have the abitty to do a custom finish for the builder. He recommends You ask, when looking at plans and figuring the take-off, "What color would you like your siding to be?" He guarantees it will set your company apart

Story at a Glance

Some say there's strength in numbers. In this case, the number is two. COMPLY Sturd,l-Floor and l-Beams. Both are engineered to offer better performance. When used together, they create a system of flooring that's virtually unbeatable.

COMPLY Sturd-l-Floor is a solid-core 5,ply panel produced from three layers of veneer and only the highest quality wood fiber. Which in turn creates one of the stiffest panel products available. What does that mean to Mr. and Mrs. homeowner? It means a stiffer, less springy floor. What does it mean to you? Fewer call-backs. And with a bigger choice of joist span options, you could save time and monev on materials.

When you stop to think how important the flooring is, it's nice to know that when you put down COMPLY Sturd-l-Floor, you're putting down the best.

For more information on COMPLY or a copy of our warranty, write to Oregon Strand Board Company, 34363 Lake Creek Drive, Brownsville, OR 97327. Or call (5031 466-5177 ln the western states call | -800-533-337 4.

DROP.ER racking. storage and prof tection are essential to assure optimum perfonnance from glulart beams, cautions APA - The Engineered Wood Association (new name for American Plywood Association). Beams are commonly Protected with sealants, primers or wrappings when they leave the mill. Sealants help guard against moisture penetration and checking and should be reapplied to the ends after trimming. Surface sealants can be applied to the top, bottom and sides to resist dirt and moisture and help control checking and grain raising. A penetrating sealant should be used if beams will be stained or given a natural finish.