Builders speak out on treated wood

A NEW study from Louisiana State /A.University reveals that 437o of home builders were not aware of the EPA's announcement that CCA treated wood will be phased out for residential applications by Dec. 31.

The study queried I 16 home builders on their perceptions of pressure treated wood.

Sixty-one percent of builders feelthat treated wood is safe for people in outdoor applications.

When it comes to building materials in general, the study found that cost is the most important factor for respondents when building a new home. Various other economic factors, energy efficiency and resale value were ranked in descending order. In the South, resistance to termites was the highest ranked factor.

Concrete was singled out as the best building material for weather resistance and durability, followed by steel, then wood species such as cedar and redwood. Treated wood was ranked fourth in the I l- to 25-year durability category.

Nearly two-thirds of builders believe that treated wood will last 11 to 25 years in exposed conditions; 757o also indicated that species is a concern in new home construction.

When it comes to treated wood, only 5Vo of respondents had a negative perception of the product, with 38Vo having a somewhat positive perception and nearly a third a very positive perception.

More than half (53Vo) of builders said they had concerns about using treated wood in the homes thev build.

Their greatest concern was the perceived health risk, followed by concern over long-term exposure to treated wood.

Asked how they'd developed their opinions on treated wood, builders ranked "other" first, followed by friends, trade magazines and other builders.

Other builder responses about treated wood:

. 667a said they understood the concept of wood treating,

. 22Vo believe that using treated wood can reduce deforestation, 397o trust safety claims made by treated wood manufacturers,

. 5lVo would recommend their clients pay a premium for treated wood over non-treated alternatives, and

. 30Vo believe that their clients would pay more than a 57o premium for treated wood products over the non-treated alternative.

When it comes to information on the safety of treated wood, builders cited the National Association of

Home Builders as their most trusted source.

More that half of those surveyed (6l%o) feel that treated wood is safe for people in outdoor applications and 427o percent believe it is safe for outdoor children's play equipment.

Nearly a third of builders think that some types of treated wood are safer than others: 53Vo are unsure.

Treated wood brand recognition among builders was low. Many of the "brands" listed were not brands at all. When asked about particular wood treating chemicals, 60Vo of builders said that arsenic posed a significant risk to human health. The perception of health risk dropped sharply for the remaining chemicals.

Nearly half (497o) of builders did not know what effect the switch to "new generation" preservatives would have for them and their clients.

When it comes to insect protection, treated wood was well regarded by builders, with just over three-quarters believing it protects against such foes as Formosan termites.

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Sears reportedly:hx put 82-unit Orchard Supply Hardware, San Jose, Ca., up for sale ...

Homer T. Hayward Lumber Co. has signed a three-year agreement with the city of Santa Barbara, Ca., to lease a 6,327-sq. ft. building and 7,200 sq. ft. of paved cpace at the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport ...

Bend Lumber Co., Bend, Or., has been renamed Pacific Lumber Co. after being acquired by Pacific Lumber & Truss, Portland, Or.

Lewis Mercantile True Value Hardware has relocated to a new location in Bayfield, Co.

Lowe's Cos. opened new stores June 5 in W. Spring Valley (Las Vegas), Nv. (Terry Arvin, store mgr.), and June 20 in Hawthorne, Ca. (Martin Gonzonlas, mgr.) ...

Lowe's wants to build a 160,000-sq. ft. store on 14 acres in Yucaipa, Ca. the chain is on a pace to open 130 stores this year and anticipates opening 140 more next year

Home Depot this month opens new home centers in Hobbs, N.M.; Tumwater, Wa.; Bullhead City, Az., and Porterville, Ca.

Home Depot is considering a site in Sequim, Wa., and has extended its lease option on a for-

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Have a notice of your recent expansion, promotions or other company changes published in the next issue of The Merchant Magazine Just Fax vour news to 949-852-0231. (a mer Big Kmart building in Kenai, Ak., to better evaluate the site and market ...

Habitat for Humanity has opened a ReStore in Stockton, Ca., that stocks donated building materials; Andrew Lopez store mgr. ...

Pro l*mber,Flofence, Or., won a Retailer of the Year awards from Pro Grdaplr.,,Dsnver, Co., for customer serVice and a recent store retrgf;i ... ,

Aso Lumber, Ferndale, Wa., was recognized as Business of the Month by the local Chamber of Commerce...

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TruServ is considering forming a new LBM business after terminating its contract with Builder Marts of America, which acquired TruServ's LBM division three years ago; Ace Hardware, which sold its LBM division the vear before. has also broken off its deal with BMA ...

.International Paper has closed its Slaughter Industries lumber distribution center in Portland, Or., due to weakdgmand.

Ahlander Whole sale Hardw are Co., Provo, Ut., has closed after 109 years in business

Rayonier International Wood Products, Lake Oswego, Or., has expanded and relocated to a new location in the city...

Stimson Lumber Co. auctionid off equipment from its shuttered plywood mill in Libby, Mt.

Roseburg Forest Products, Dillard, Or., will close its plywood facility in Green, Or., Oct. 1, reducing the company's softwood plywood production by 200 million sq. ft. per year; Roseburg, which has no immediate plans for use of the plant site after the closure, attributed the move to oversupply in the plywood market and competition from competing products such as OSB ...

Boise has begun production of wood polymer HomePlate siding at a new, 260,000-sq. ft. plant in Elma, Wa.; annual capacity is 100 million sq. ft.; the product is being initially marketed in Alaska, northern California, northern Nevada, Oregon, and western Washington...

Wey e rhaeuser C o. pennanently shuttered its wood finishing plant and dry kilns in Snoqualmie, Wa.; the 85-year-old sawmill closed in 1989 Weyco's last sawmill in t}e county, in Enumclaw, closed a few weeks earlier

Colville Indian Precision Pine Co., Omak" Wa., has installed rebuilt dryers and started peeling, drying and grading veneer ...

Do it Best Corp., Fort Wayne, In., recently received the Half Century Business Award from the state of Indiana for the company's 58 years in business to Cleveland Properties of Texas, LLC, Macon, Ga., for $35.3 million. and 27.000 acres in San Augustine County, Tx., to San Augustine Properties of Texas, LLC for $18.2 million ...

Finyl Vinyl Building Products ft,1c., Huntington Beach, Ca., has opened a new manufacturing facility in Greensboro, N.C. ...

Simpson Strong-Tie Canada Ltd., a division of Simpson Manufacturing Co., Dublin, Ca., has acquired Canadian connector manufacturers MGA Construction Hurdware & Steel Fabricating Ltd. and MGA Connectors Ltd. for $9.8 rnillion in cash ...

Louisiana-Pacific Corp., Portland, Or., recently completed three timberland sales----of approximately 34,500 acres in northern Idaho to Grouse Peak, LLC and Patriot Investments, LLC, Boston, Ma., for $21 million: 53,000 acres of timberland near Cleveland. Tx..

Nexwood Industries has doubled the capacity of its Ontario, Canada, composite deck manufacturing facility ...

Plum Creek Timber. Seattle. Wa., received the American Forest & Paper Association's Wildlife Stewardship Group Award in recognition of its Swan Valley Grizzly Bear Conservation Agreement for Montana

U.S. Tile, Corona, Ca.,30th... Universal Forest Products ranked 769 on the Fortune 1000 list of most profitable u.S. firms

Roseburg Forests Products, Roseburg, Or.; Hy Mark Wood M anufacturing, Spangle, Wa. ; Weyerhaeuser Co.'s Dallas, Or., sawmill; Warrenton Sawmill, Warrenton, Or.; Lebanon Lumber, Lebanon. Or.. and FairviewBauman Sawmill, Lebanon, recently joined the Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau

Columbia Flooring has joined its parent company Columbia Forest Products, Portland, Or., as benefactor of the Hardwood Forestry Fund

Conrad Forest Products, North Bend, Or., is now distributing CorrectDeck composite decking.

Disdero Lumber Co., Clackamas, Or., is now distributing C e rt ainTe e d' s B oardw alfr composite decking...

PrimeSource Building Products DCs across the U.S. are now distributing Porter-Cable's complete line of power tools

Anniversaries: Helliesen Lumber & Supply Co., Yakima, Wa., 100th ... Lumber Products, Portland, Or., 65th ... Leight Sales Co., Carson, Ca., 60th ... Alpine Lumber Co., Denver, Co., 40th ... LeggettWood, Langley, B.C., 20th .., Performance Coatings, Inc., Ukiah, Ca.,20th ... Plywood &

Lumber Sales, Emeryville, Ca., 20th ... Crown Pacffic Partners, LP., Portland, Or., l5th...

Housing starts in May (latest figures) jumped 6.l%o to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.732 million single family starts rose l.5Vo to 1.378 million; multi-family (5+units) were at a pace of 328,000 permits rose 3.7Vo to an annual rate of 1.788 million.

Depot To Get Data Hook Up

Home Depot will begin implementing an item registry and synchronization services for its more than 1,500 stores.

Depot is requesting its suppliers subscribe to UCCnet and its data services. The chain will register location data in the UCCnet Globalregistry, an industry-supported repository for standardized item, location and trading partner data.

Once registered, UCCnet checks the data for compliance to industry standards. Data will then be synchronized with its suppliers, ensuring that all vendors are using identical, up-todate, standards-compliant data.

Crown Pacific Fi}es Ch. 11

Crown Pacific Partners, Portland, Or., has filed filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after balance sheet restructuring Et&s,&iled.

, r,,rThe company had for several ,moaths been in recapitalization :t8,lk; with its bank lenders and .@{,!olden as sales dropped.

,'',:.,.,Crown Pacific and its subiidiaries filed for protection from creditors,,listing $601.3 million of assets and $596 million of debts. The company listed $53.6 million of assets and $1 .1 million of debts.

The company said the Chapter 11 filing "is in the best long-term interests of all its stakeholders."

Chief executive Peter Ston said the company will keep operating as normal during' the,Chatf€ir. 1 I process and expects iic,egwge llx.a stronger, more flexibl€ Company."

Crown Pacific shareshave fallen 947o in the last year, closing June 21 at 3O cents. The company moved to the over-the-counter bulleti*,board from the New York Sioeli Exchange in March.

DOMESTIC SALES:

Jerry Long, Michael Parrella, Bruce Keith, Janet Pimentel, Pete Ulloa, George Parden, Vince Galloway, Steve Batick.

INTERNATIONAL SALES: Nestor Pimentel, Oscar Portillo.