What customers want when they buy moulding

LlENERALLY speaking, mosl moulding customers fall lfino one of t*o Oi.ti*t categories - the builder/contractor or the do-it-yourselfer - with the needs of each addressed sepamtely.

Finger joint pine/paint grade mouldings have comprised the largest sector of the nrarket, says Peter Spielman, PlyMould Corp., Newport News, Va. He estimates they have accounted for more than 857o of all mouldings sold with the other l54o divided between solid lineal mouldings for scain grade purposes, prefinished mouldings and hardwood mouldings, generally for stain grade purposes.

Contractors have generally been concerned with price and availability of long lengths, Spielman notes, while doit-yourself buyers are more concemed with the appearance of a moulding producl Do-it-yourselfers are generally less concerned with long lengths and are willing to purchase shorter, more convenient-to-handle pieces that fit easily into a vehicle for transporting home.

"Since both contractor and do-it-yourself custromers have become more aware of the shortage of wood and the eco. logical concerns facing our country," he adds, "engineered wood, a relatively new concept in the U.S. paint grade moulding market, has become more appealing to both groups as a long term altemative to pine and hardwood mouldings. Engineered wood utilizes in excess of 90Vo of the tree with the sawdust that results from producing the mouldings recycled into top soil and mulch applications."

Engineered wood moulding is either primed with a water based primer or has the engineered board substrate covered with a paint grade paper laminate. Engineered board is composed of wood fibers glued together with a resin system and pressed into sheets. After these sheets offiberboard are machined the profiles are wrapped with hardwood ven@rs, primed with paper or prefinished with paper, vinyl or heat transfer foil, Spietman explains.

By using wood veneers such as oak, maple or cherry as well as paint grade paper over engineered board, mouldings can be produced in fixed lengths, free ofall normal defects associated with solid wood mouldings, he says. Engineered board moulding that has been profile wrapped has a smooth surface appearance, no finger joints, no splitting and no warping. It can be cut and nailed easily.

Story at a Glance

Characteristics of moulding buyers .." product benefits each is looking for .." how engineered wood can satisfy environmentally conscious customers and meet the need for pine and hardwood substitutes.

Engineered board moulding is an ecologically sound alternative to both pine mouldings and solid hardwood mouldings, Spielman points out. "Europe has produced mouldings in this way for well over 20 years due to both the Iack of available wood and the ecological pressure put on producers by the environmencal movement."

To a large extent environmental issues as they relate to supply and demand will dictate the future of the moulding industry in this country. Ever more environmentally conscious customers will look to alternatives such as engineered board mouldings to fill their moulding needs, Spietnan maintains.