Tracking Moulding Trends ln The West

An interview with Rob Maple, pres., Maple Bros., Brea, Ca.

For 42 years, Maple Bros., Brea, Ca., has kept a close eye on the moulding business. And never before was there any sign of the dizzying changes that have hit the West in the last few years.

"Prior to 1980, mouldings in the West were primarily utilitarian," says president Rob Maple. "The majority were used to cover up flaws in construction, where walls met floors and where the door was cut out in the wall. Mouldings were solely in the hands of the original builder, and his interest was not decorative; he just wanted to get the job right."

The shift changed how everyone in the marketplace would view mouldings. Maple says, "lt was started by consumers looking for ways to upgrade their homes and make them more attractive. They looked to the media, primarily maga- zines such as Sunset Magazine, and saw ways to use mouldings to give the illusion of both depth and warmth and to create shapes and designs. They went to the local lumberyard and were particular about what they wanted. And more and more, retailers started asking us if we had any of this stuff."

Maple attributes the phenomenon, at least in part, to the escalating housing prices of the late 1970s. "People sought more decorative uses of mouldings to make the homes look more like the price on the mortgage or appraisal," he explains. "They figured a house worth $200,000 should look like there's more to it."

The trend was most strikingly inaugurated by the sudden popularity of oak mouldings. Prior to 1979, Maple Bros. didn't even carry them. They have since become a substantial part of the company's business.

"The natural beauty ofoak offered the warm look they were after," Maple says. "And tastes have continued to move to wider, more decorative profiles."

Ironically, the most current design trend has been away from the natural oak look that started it all in the early 1980s. People are requesting painted moulding, in pastels and colors which contrast to those of the wall.

The new attitude toward mouldings has transformed not only moulding companies' product lines, but also their way of doing business.

Story at a Glance

A wide ranging interview on mouldings . .. where they are in the marketplace and how they got there. new develop ments that virtually eliminate mitering.

"Traditionally, we had passively responded and sold whatever had already been built. We followed. But then consumers began searching for something different, something stylish. And we took the approach that they were looking for more than a type of wood or a few new profiles," he says.

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Maple Bros. has responded introducing unique new lines mouldings. "The express purpose of our newest line, Maple Bay, is designa single design throughout the entire house," says Maple. "The line uses painted wood to recreate the 'California bungalow' era of design of the 1900s to 1930s. We took designs from old books, catalogs of companies manufacturing mouldings 60 to 80 years ago. In another case, we copied a profile found in an 1880s home in Whittier."

In establishing itself as a popular decorator item, moulding has literally moved out of the shadows. "From a retail standpoint, moulding has taken a front seat. Twenty years ago, moulding was found in a dark area of the lumberyard, in some back corner. Sometimes it was impossible just to find it," he says.

Unfortunately, many of today's retailers face severe space limitations. Moulding takes up a relatively large amount of space, since long lengths and a large selection of profiles are favored.

But Maple stresses that profits in moulding more than justify its space. "You just have to merchandise it properly," he says. "You have to give the customer an idea of what he can do. It's hard to visualize how it will look when it's done. Mock wall designs allow people to actually see them in use, in place, all together. They also help sell accessoriesputty, nails, wallpaper, paint, even window blinds."

As with most original trends, there is no history on which to base projections. Despite whether or not it will ever end, Maple is positive that this is just the beginning.

"One of the things that will influence the design trend is the economics of installation and making it easier to do-it-yourself," he says. "ln the long run, it will be important. Consumers are somewhat intimidated by mouldings, since installation requires a bit of carpentry. The trick is how to cut a 45o miterand have the ends come together cleanly."

To aid d-i-yers, Maple Bros. is putting the finishing touches on a line of "moulding accessories" designed to eliminate mitering. Stylized base blocks placed at inside or on outside corners and corner blocks for door casing require only a straight 90" cut. A special corner crown also eases the burden of installing crown moulding between the ceiling and the wall, perhaps the most difficult moulding to install since it requires a compound miter. The accessories reduce labor and all add to the line's decorative effect.

"Economy comes in making fewer mistakes," notes Maple. "But these accessories had been used years ago. They just became lost over the years."

Maple Bros. will also pre-prime mouldings in the factory to save d-iyers another step. After all, the key to perpetuating the trend seems to be making mouldings even more accessible to an increasingly aware audience.

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Ponderosa Pine Has High Value

Ponderosa pine plays a major role in the West's economy, providing the raw material for 4.08 billion board feet of lumber with an estimated wholesale value at the mill of $1 .716 billion in 1987.

"That includes $573 million from ponderosa pine lumber in Oregon," according to Fred Reseburg, director of the Western Wood Products Association's economic services division. "Compare that with the return on Oregon's world famous wheat crops last year, $143.5 million, and you can see ponderosa pine's significance to the economics of the west."

In California ponderosa pine returned $385 million in 1987 while oranges reached $442.5 million. Washington's ponderosa pine lumber generated $191 million with apples bringing in $312.4 million. ldaho produced $105 million with ponderosa pine and $348.2 million with potatoes. Arizona's ponderosa pine production was valued at $155 million and South Dakota's at $108 million.

"ln spite of its dollar production," Reseburg said, "ponderosa pine actually ranked just No. 3 in production volume in 1987 among western species."

Douglas fir at 10.68 billion board feet was 160% more but only 46%r higher in dollar value at $2.515 billion. FIemfir was No. 2 with an aggregate of 4.41 billion board feet (70/o higher than ponderosa pine) and a $982 million value at-mill.

TOTAL: $1.716 BILLION

Ponderom Ptne lumber le produced ln every state In the U.S. Weet. Here are the 8lx ctates generatlng rcre than 3l0O mllllon ach lrom thla cpecle durlng 1987.

PUll{S for the 1990 National Home Center Show, March 1t-14 at McCormick Place Complex, Chicago, ll., are discussed by John Berry, v p /director, trade show div., Vance Publishing Co.; Hal Smith, chajrman, ceo/pres, Ernst Home & Nursery, Seattle, Wa.; Anth0ny DeMiro, senior v.p., Behr Process Co. Show will be biggest ever with a half million net square feet of exhibits departmentalized into 12 broad product categories