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LAMINATED decking, shown here in a new public library in Beaverton, Or., is becoming a popular specialty item lor retailers supplying cuslom homes and commercial buildinos.

IatOMMODITY Iumber is like

\-,bread and butter for most retailers, .but higher profit specialty wood products are the icing on the cake. One specialty product generating increased interest is laminated wood roof decking.

Lock-Deck laminated decking, a product invented in the early 1960s by Potlatch Corp., continues to thrive under new manufacturers. Classified in the construction industry as "heavy timber decking," the product enjoys increasing interest from architects and designers because the aesthetic appeal of wood combines with the structural characteristics of kiln dried lumber decking to make an attractive and cost competitive product.

Demand for laminated decking is growing, even though its initial cost is higher than solid sawn decking. Distributors, wholesalers, retailers and contrac,lors argue that in-place cost for the decking is, in fact, competitive with solid sawn heavy timber decking because:

(a) Lam decking is manufactured using kiln dried lumber with a lower moisture content than solid sawn timber. This means fewer rejects at the job site.

(b) The product's lighter weight and stability with tongue & groove and end-match configurations allow faster, simpler installation. Common