by Web Editor | May 25, 2016 | News
LP Building Products and Sherwood Lumber announce the distribution of the full line of LP SolidStart Engineered Wood Products to the distributor’s locations in Holtsville/Long Island, New York; North Bergen, New Jersey; and Palmer, Massachusetts. This increased distribution of LP’s products—including LP FlameBlock I-Joists—brings the building products to the Northeast.
“Because of their brand excellence and diverse product line, there is tremendous value in doing business with LP Building Products,” said David Gaudreau, senior vice president of sales for Sherwood Lumber. “We are excited to launch the LP program, providing our customers with some of the finest engineered wood products available to help grow sales.”
“Sherwood Lumber has a reputation for providing tremendous logistical and technical support to their customers, and we look forward to working with them in the Northeast,” said Jim Abbott, regional sales manager for LP. “Sherwood’s extensive relationships combined with our innovative products, solutions and sales support to the professional lumber dealer align well to aid future building industry growth within the market.”
From LBM Journal: https://www.lbmjournal.com/lp-building-products-and-sherwood-lumber-partner-on-engineered-wood-in-northeast/
by Web Editor | Apr 13, 2016 | News
Increased cabinets and furniture demand will continue to drive the growth of decorative laminates in the United States 2.5 percent annually, reaching 11.6 billion square feet —$6.8 billion — in 2020, according to new research by The Freedonia Group.
According to the Decorative Laminates study by the Cleveland-based research firm, the use of these decorative surfaces will grow concurrent with projected increases in domestic manufacturing of cabinets, furniture, retail fixtures, wall paneling and other products made from composite wood. Cabinets and furniture are the two largest markets for laminates in 2015, and through 2020, the cabinet market is projected to post the more rapid gains.
“Increases in the number of new homes built through 2020 will provide opportunities, since many of these new homes will include stock cabinets, which are often made using saturated paper and other low-pressure laminates on an engineered wood substrate,” says analyst Pamela Safarek.
Low-pressure laminates, which account for more than 80 percent of the market, will post the fastest average annual gains through 2020, Freedonia says, adding that “the cost advantages of these products outweigh the durability benefits of higher priced high-pressure laminates,” particularly in the cabinets and store fixtures market.
High pressure laminates are used in many horizontal applications, including flooring, countertops and desktops. “Sales of high-pressure laminates will continue to depend on their advanced performance characteristics, such as long-term durability and greater resistance to scratches,” Freedonia says.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/us-laminates-hit-68-billion-2020-cabinets-spur-demand
by Web Editor | Mar 18, 2016 | News
The Engineered Wood Construction Guide, APA’s comprehensive and widely recognized guide to engineered wood construction systems, has been updated and is now available on the APA website.
The 92-page guide features information on engineered wood products and recommendations for their use in a wide range of applications in residential and commercial construction. It includes information on plywood and oriented strand board (wood structural panels), glulam, I-joists, structural composite lumber, typical specifications, and design recommendations for floor, wall, and roof systems, diaphragms, shear walls, fire-rated systems, and methods of finishing.
The guide can be downloaded free of charge in PDF format or purchased in printed format for $12 at www.apawood.org/resource-library. The online offering has been enhanced with this edition to simplify the options for downloading selected chapters of the guide or the complete publication.
First published in 1962, this is the 33rd printing of the popular guide.
by Web Editor | Feb 24, 2016 | News
Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers, Inc. (AHMI), promoting the advantages of formaldehyde-free real, solid wood to public, are contrasting its natural qualities with the unsafe laminate flooring that had gotten Lumber Liquidators into trouble with consumers.
“Discount flooring companies selling imported laminate floors have been providing customers with products that can carry seven to twenty times the base amount of carcinogenic formaldehyde allowed by the EPA,” says the AHMI. “At these levels, formaldehyde secretes from the flooring and into the home’s air, becoming a high-level health risk, especially for children and pets who are most susceptible to its effects. Carcinogenic formaldehyde found in artificial wood has been linked to lung and nasal cancer, nausea, asthma, and other severe respiratory issues.”
Wood industry trade groups, including furniture and cabinetry makers, have been trying to separate their goods from the products made in China that contained high levels of formaldehyde. The Kitchen Cabinet Makers Association issued a statement last week saying that there is no risk of exposure to formaldehyde in cabinets that receive its Environmental Stewardship Program seal, because its program requires that engineered wood used in it must be CARB Compliant.
Other groups have questioned the validity of testing methods used to detect formaldehyde in wood products – such as flooring sold by online retailer Wayfair – tests that deconstruct the multi-layered sandwich that makes up laminate flooring. The Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Association estimates that “finishes of paint, lacquer, sealants, laminate, plastic or other material” reduce formaldehyde emissions of the underlying raw board by 90 percent.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/wood/pricing-supply/appalachian-hardwood-manufacturers-tout-formaldehyde-free-real-solid-wood
by Web Editor | Feb 22, 2016 | News
Oregon wood researchers hope to bring a new type of engineered lumber to market after tests to make sure it meets state building codes. Oregon State University has been notified that it will receive a $447,000 grant from the federal Economic Development Administration for the testing of cross-laminated timber, or CLT.
The testing will allow the development of manufactured wood products that meet state building codes so the products can be approved for the construction of large buildings, said Geoff Huntington, director of strategic initiatives for OSU’s College of Forestry.
“Our objective is to make CLT and other innovative uses of mass timber products technically feasible, economically viable and accessible alternatives for architects and developers seeking to use Oregon products to meet growing consumer demand for healthy, sustainable buildings,” he said. Plans for Oregon’s first cross-laminated timber buildings already are on the drawing boards.
CLT is composed of large wooden panels made with hundreds of pieces of wood, typically 2-by-4s or 2-by-6s laid perpendicular and glued together, Huntington said. The wooden panels are large, ranging from 10-feet-by-20-feet to 20-feet-by-40-feet. They can be used for walls, ceilings and floors, typically in buildings several stories tall, he said.
The product has been used in multistory buildings in Europe and Canada for several years, but the engineered wood hasn’t been approved for construction purposes in the United States, Huntington said.
From The Register-Guard: https://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/34077270-75/oregon-researchers-tout-potential-of-new-manufactured-wood-in-building-industry.html.csp
