Story ataGlance

Declining standards in grading and limited product knowledge ate charged by Thim as he decries the use of hucksterism to move products of questionable value.

inherited by the uneducated who purchase the product with no knowledge of its strengths or weaknesses, tools needed to blunt the blemishes and immobilize the imperfections, or finishes to cover the consequences.

New and innovative grades have been invented, devised and dreamed up to cover a multitude of sins and a ton of travesties. To those with good memories, wasn't it nice when Std & Btr took care of the upper grades of commons, B & Btr was still a grade of Clears, and when Utility and Economy represented a usable product, rather than the equivalent of ship's dunnage and migrant workers' shacks and shanties.

It is embarrassing, to say the least, to see where a fading set of values, a rise in inflation, a decline in morality, a lessening of consciousness and an allied decrease in productivity, a lowering of living standards, a century of wanton waste of our natural resources have led us.

Terminologies such as Stud Grade; Thrifty; Appearance Grade; Construction Quality, etc., are a cop-out, a con job, a manufacturer's excuse, a vendor's delight. These and other ad writers' fantasies are an aberration, a distortion of the truth. They are compounded by the concept of d-i-y lumber as short as three or four feet and no longer than six or eight feet. Change in a piece of lumber from its original grading length or width, i.e., cutting to shorter lengths, ripping or resawing to narrower widths and diminished thicknesses, will distort the quality of one or more of the resultant pieces.

Visits to the upstart and widespread " do-it-yourself-and-saveand-prosper" retail outlets are a confirmation of the above and, not necessarily the ignorance of the consumer, but the merchandising efforts of a galaxy of promotional artists have led a host of innocent customers astray.

There are a lot of floors you wouldn't walk across, ceilings you wouldn't stand under, walls you wouldn't lean on if you knew the quality of the material that went into the construction of the add-on, remodel project.

Grade books are still available, of course, to those who desire a knowledge of the guidelines to grading species. But one must remember that any change, or alteration, from the original is a change in the stamP of quality applied to the original product.

There are still people in the industry who handle a quality product, in its original state, and who are qualified in the skills of our trade. You know who you are and your efforts to retain the standards of our business are hailed and respected.

September, 1983

Home Center Hall of Fame

Sreerins r'ommiltee mcmbers Ior the establishment of a Home Center Hall of Fame and a Home Center Leadership Council have been selcctcd in anticipation of inducting the f irst members at the National Home C'enter Show, March I 1- 14, in C'hicago.

William W. Adams, group \.p., Arnrstrong World Industries, Inc.; Carl Bicking, v.p., sales, Ace Hardrrare C--orp.; Ray H. Coonel', pres., Scotty's, Inc.; Blaine W. Elans, v.p.-rnarkcting, Abitibi Corp.; S.E. Feinstein, pres., Eclipse lnclustries, lnc.; Williarn Fisliman, pres., Marketing Serr.ices. Inc. and a columnist for this rnagazine; \\'illiam Camble, r'.p., sales and scrvice, N{cCulloch Clorp.; R.E. Lundgren, pres., Palmer Cl. Loris Co.; E.L. Ne*kirk, pres., Chancller [-urnber Co.: Drright Parduc. creetttirc r.p., Loue's Companies, Inc., rvill review council membership and coordinate tlrc Hall ol'Fame 'eleetiort nr()ce\\.

Gray Breaks Color Barrier

(,ra1' hues are predominating the 198.1 Western palcttc of color selections, accclrcling to John CIeason, a rncrnber of thc Environrnental Forecast Cornnrittcc o1'thc Color Association of thc Unitccl States.

Hc preclicts a trclid to*ards more gray and blue hLres. Thc ncw prevalcncc of'srerv hLlcs in thc \\'est cart bc sccn in the builcling proclucts, areiritee tttral ri,rrk lnd ..lr't'cl)t plrr.icrlr r.r'hich usc a lot of solar gral', a color ri hich is practical in hclping tct decrease a builcling's en.rg)'ttsc, hc points out. In addition, paittt colors Iike slate neutrals, untber tteutrals, gra) greens and gral' blues arc cluicklr ascending in popularity l'or intenors.

(iray s have become so predotninant that thc fire top-selling colors, allon thc gral side, are smoky peach, clustt rose, gray green, gray blue and gray itselt'.

Thc last, ancl still current, color trcrr.l \\ il: in blrrcr. A riltrr etnertt itt blLrc colors "vith bltrcr rccls and bluer grccns bccanrc popular in 1982 and has since bcconrc cstablishe clin 1983'-r palcttc ot' color sclcctiorts. "Bluc hrrcs rct'lccl a clcsirc lirr tntrlition. tirr loots ancl lr'rt A sartst-'tlt hclortgirtg," (llcason saicl. "as gral clor':, blLrc surlgL-\ts tr-ancluilitr ltrrcl l'rt'acc ill a tinte o1' Anrc-rieatt rrnccrttttntr "

SPECIALIZED TREATMENTS NOW AVAILABLE

. Wolmanized Lumber

. Dricon Fire-Retardant Treated Wood r All Weather Wood FoundationsAWPB"FDN Stamped for Quality Control r Heavy Oil Penta r Waterborne Penta

PRODUCTS AVAILABLE r Cedartoneo

. Landscape Timbers r Railroad Ties

. Poles

. PoStS

For intormation on quick service (two to four weeks) eall the treating experts! and Hermiston, Or., rlirmbs Cb., Ffcdedt' Or., expanding their holdings to t I stores in six rilestern states . tractors as well as to fences. and customer

Manvil b€en ftra ility and Loguna Lumber C Beach, Ca., recently its semi-annual factc anticipatedi lawsuitr stration day granted nervlaw no longer in business

The year old govern ment ban o n fo rmalde hy d e Ioo m in s u la t io n has hen allowed to lapse. . .The Fir & Hemlock Door Association has retained Matthews ,4sso- :',&es, Seattle, Wa., to handlE building code and regulatory matters...

:.';';;;;;:;;',$i|p,sse Depat, Atlanta, Ga., based operation, is negotiating to take over two ex-Woolco buildings and a Price Club location in the Greater Phoenix, Az., metro area for three warehouse type home improvement stores Notional Lumber, Santa Ana, Ca., operator of 12 stors in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties, has filed with the SEC for a public stock offering . .

FHA dropped its mortgage rate downfromlSVz%o to 1390, qualifying an additional I million families for new homes . . . new nc., Ar: :ifu,,..'611 ho-

Cantact Lumber Co. has settld into new offices at 2525 S.W. lst Ave., Portland, Or. R.8. Lumber, 2600 S. Susan, Santa Ana" Ca., has been formed by "Bud" Byard and Ron Osbrink to provide redwood and cedar fencing lumber to fencing con-

,.;,, ion contracts were off l09o in July, after setting records this summer . U.S. home resalesld/4.490 in July.