Treated

Sales Up

By Steve Ryan President Western Wood Preservers Institute

E WERE pleased to see from the latest industry data that there has been an overall 50/o increase in sales of pressure treated wood. For wood treated with waterborne preservatives, there was a 120lo increase. In round figures, three-fourths of the treated wood being produced is now being treated with waterborne chemicals.

This should be exciting news for dealers, as about 500/o of waterborne treated wood is utilized for decks reaching the market place through retail businesses.

Homeowners built over 1-l/2 million decks in 1987, according to

McGraw_Hill. an build l-3l4 million decks this vear. A and will probably burld mllllon year. A typical deck will cost about $4,000 for labor and materiali.

Not too long ago, most decks were made from costly cedar and redwood. But with the introduction of less expensive, longer lasting pressure treated wood. homeowners' attitudes toward building wood decks changed. Along with this came_changes in building codes requiring pressure treatment of exterior wood. and in construction and dealer practices.

Consequently, the market for pressure treated wood

AC?il, the.brighter side: back in 1978, the U.S. repair/ remodel market required only 440/o as much lumb6r as the new home market. By 1987, when overall consump- tion was breaking records, the ratio almost doubled wh6n it shaded 86%. This year, WWPA's forecast shows repair/remodel using 920/o as much lumber as new housing. Next year that figure will hit almost 930/0.

. The trend.is strong and carries enough momentum to show every indication that sometime late in the next decade (maybe sooner) repair/remodel lumber require- ments will actually exceed those of the new home-

The Western lumber industry will be providing about 39 to 400/o of the lumber going into America's horie construction and repair/remodeling markets. The industry's productive capacity, proven by easily meeting the record demand of 1987, should serve quite readily t6ose slightly reduced market needs indicated for 1988-and 19891 at the retail level continues to be impressively dynamic. In the early 80s, wood treating production increased by 25-300/o a year, due to the increasing acceptance ofpressure treated wood by consumers and builders- and increased remodgling_of existing homes due to sharply rising housing prices. Today this upward trend continu-ei.

In 1988, the best estimates of industry sources indicate that approximately 20 billion board feet of lumber. or 100/o of the total U.S. lumber sales, will bepressure treated. Strong consumer acceptance of treated wood. its durability, long -service life and increasingly a{Iordible price bode well for future markets.

Although there have been concerns about the environmental suitability of pressure treated wood. it is easy for the average homeowner to properly and safely utilize the waterborne preservative treated wood on the market today. The wood products industry has invested heavily in educating consumers on the proper use of pressure treated wood. It is important that dealers pass this information on to their customers. since the most recent survey shows an information gap at the retail level.

Story at a Glance

Pressure treated wood sales up So/o. nearly 2 million decks to be built in 1989. dealers must close consumer information gap.