Sizrng up nolr-standard-sized OSB

|r\SB PRODUCERS coNrrNUE to go \-fbeyond the standard size-4 ft. wide and 8 ft. tall, atJ116" thick-to solve a variety ofbuilding challenges.

Each non-standard size has its advantages. Extra-thin panels-as little as ll4" thick-are lighter and less expensive, so they are suitable for underlayment and other applications. However, most structural uses require thicker panels.

Most manufacturers also offer panels up to l-l/8" thick. "Common applications for thicker panels are performance-rated sheathing and floor panels, which are typically produced with tongue-and-groove edges for easier installation," says Marilyn LeMoine, market communications director at APA-Engineered Wood Association. "Thicker panels are also used as sheathing for engineered shear walls and horizontal diaphragms designed to resist high wind and seismic loads."

Longer and wider panels are becoming increasingly popular. Georgia-Pacific can supply custom panels up to 8 ft. wide and 26" long, which are used in structural insulated panels (SIPs), panelized roof systems, modular floors, and in the manufacture of recreational vehicles.

The larger panels can be manufactured at the former Grant Forest Products mills in Earlton. Ontario. and Allendale, S.C., which G-P acquired in May 2010, along with an unfinished OSB mill in Clarendon, S.C. Once market conditions improve, G-P hopes to complete the unfinished construction and begin operations there.

Ainsworth also hopes to increase its offering of taller panels, once it acquires the remaining 507o interest in the Footner mill in High Level, Alberta, that it co-owned with Grant Forest Products. Although the mill has been shuttered for the past two years,

Ainsworth hopes to reopen the mill when the market improves.

"Once the deal is approved, we would still need to hire crews and ramp up production," says John Murray, manager of marketing and communications at Ainsworth. "The mill has the world's largest single-line continuous press, which means it could manufacture larger panels with far less waste."

More common, particularly with the trend of higher ceilings in residential construction, are 9' and 10' long panels for wall and roof sheathing. LP Building Products has been producing taller panels since January 2009.

Named LP Longlength, the panels are installed vertically instead of horizontally so the sill plate can be tied to the top plate with only one panel. The result is sturdier walls, fewer seams, less opportunity for air infiltration, and no need to cut and install fillers or blocking materials.

"With LP Longlength, builders can use one solid piece of OSB vertically. which means construction is simpler and the home is stronger," says Judy Musgrove, LP's OSB marketing manager.

According to APA's LeMoine, taller panels have also become popular in regions where high-wind exposures require engineered shear walls to also resist wind-uplift loads. "These panels can protect structures against airborne debris and provide code-mandated resistance to wind pressures on exterior walls."

RoyOMartin supplies one such product, named WindBrace, which is a full 1-118" taller than standard OSB panels. The extra height eliminates the need to install metal connectors, threaded bolts, and blocking and filter strips - substantially reducing material and labor costs.

Stronger, more stable walls are also a plus in seismically actives areas. To meet these challenges, RoyOMartin's StructWall and StructWall XL are designed to minimize racking and shifting during seismic activity, and flex and absorb shock under extreme conditions. StructWall XL comes in 8' 1-1l8". 9' 1-l/8". and l0' l-l18". That extra l-l/8" allows one continuous panel to connect each walls' bottom plate to the top plate.

When constructing walls higher than one-story, taller sheathing adds rigidity. Next to large window and door openings, it allows wall-bracing segments as narow as 16"-without the use of any special components or connectors.

84 Lumber Gloses Yards, Trims Staff, While Vowing to Expand

Even as it was closing yards in other states, 84 Lumber Co. received $20 million in federal loan guarantees for debt restructuring, with the promise that it would enable the chain to add 400 jobs in its home state of Pennsylvania over the next three years.

Within the same week, 84 Lumber announced the closing of stores in St. Augustine, Fl .; Waveland, Ms.; Oklahoma City, Ok., and Toledo, Oh., and the temporary mothballing of its truss plant in Chandler, Az. The chain also cut five positions at its headquarters in Eighty-four, Pa.

The loan guarantees were part of a $45-million package that includes a $20 million loan from Wells Fargo Bank, $5 million from Pennsylvania's Washington County, and $5 million from 84 Lumber owner Maggie Hardy Magerko. The money will be used to pay off a l7-year-old, higherrate loan from Cerebus Capital.

Company spokesman Jeff Nobers said the company plans to add jobs to its new business units as they continue to grow. The new units include installation services for windows, insulation and siding, and commercial construction of college dorms, apartments, and shopping centers.

"Single-family housing will continue to struggle," said Nobers. "You're constantly looking at how you're doing things, whether it's store staff or markets."

The company has 3l stores and 760 employees in Pennsylvania.

Price Remains Key to Acceptance of Green Building Products

While green homes are generally perceived as expensive to build or purchase, a recent survey found that consumers and builders believe that reduced prices on building materials will help these homes become more affordable.

According to the NAHB Research Center stnvey, 59Vo of consumers and 757o of builders indicated that the costs of materials and products for green homes must be reduced.

"It's encouraging for us to see that consumers and builders are taking a stronger interest in green housing concepts," said Tom Halford, general manager-contract sales & marketing for survey co-sponsor Whirlpool Corp. "We need a combined voice of manufacturers, builders and volunteer organizations to continue helping the general public see the benefits of green building. Their collective input is valuable to us as we work to overcome the hurdles that are pointed out in the survey."

Another change consumers claim is needed to make green homes affordable is an increase in incentives for sustainable building and remodeling. Of all respondents,53Vo felt that increasing incentives for homeowners would help with green home affordability, and 367o suggested increasing incentives for builders. Most consumers (69Vo) believe state and federal governments should both provide incentives for purchasing green products. Among builders,407o support incentives for both homeowners and builders.

The survey showed that 777o of consumers feel that green homes are at least somewhat, if not very, important to them, with their primary reasons being: the positive impacts on the environment, the long-term financial savings, and the health benefits for the family.

Ro-Mac Lumber & Supply, Tallahassee, Fl., is liquidating after 65 years.

The yard split off 25 years ago from five-unit Ro-Mac Lumber & Supply of Central Florida, which remains in business.

John Bentley Lumber Co., Garrison, Ky., was destroyed by a Jan. 10 fire of undetermined origin.

Mariam Supply Go., Farmingdale, N.Y., has acquired Building Materials Wholesale (BMW Inc.), Pelham, Al., adding seven locations in Alabama and one in Mississippi.

Ace Hardware, Boiling Springs, S,C., has been acquired by Charlie Patton, co-owner of Buford Street Drug & Ace Hardw?r€, Gaffney S.c.

Hilldale Ace Hardwar€, Madison, Wi., reopened Dec. 23, two months after a fire caused $500,000 in damage.

Ace Hardware, Farmington, Mi., has closed.

Best Ace Hardware opened its Sth location, a 12,000sq. ft. store with 18,000-sq. ft. garden center in Long Neck (Millsboro), De.

Nelson True Value Hardware, Prairie du Chien, Wi., is moving to a new building.

Ace Hardw?rg, Bearden, Tn., is relocating next month to a larger, 12,000-sq. ft. building.

Sears Hardware & Applianc€ is closing its Stow, 0h., store March 20.

Ashland Hardware signed a 1O-year lease to add a 23,541-sq. ft. Ace Hardware store in Ashland, Va.

Ace Hardware & Garden Center, Perry, Ga., was named Business of the Month by the local Chamber of Commerce.

Leonard's Family Hardware, Pownal, Vt., closed Jan. 14 after 23 years.

Aubuchon Hardware shuttered under-performing stores in Essex Center and Enosburg Falls, Vt., Jan. 18.

Home Depot will open a 657,000-sq. ft. dishibution center next year in Joliet, ll. Based at the new CenterPoint intermodal complex, the facility willemploy 200,

Lowe's opened new home centers Jan.21 in Quincy, Ma.; Jan. 7 in Paramus, N.J. (John Marzacca, store mgr.); Dec.27 in Bangor, Me. (Todd Monica, mgr.), and the following day in Bayonne, N.J., after a one-day postponement due to a blizzard (Joseph Santangeo, mgr.).

Habitat for Humanity opened ReStore discount LBM outlets in Overland Park, Ks. (Jason Thompson, mgr.), and at the former Erb Lumber building in Jackson, Mi.

Hutchison Lumber is searching for the cause of a Dec.25 fire that caused $1.7 million in damage to its truck repair shop in Manchester, la. The facility housed nine semis.

Turman Tye River is operating the mill and dry kilns at the former Tayfor-Ramsey iacility in Anington, Va.

Vintage Lumber, Libertytown, Md., suffered a Dec. 22 fire that claimed its lumber warehouse and all contents, including a huck, two forklifts, dry kiln, and inventory,

JFM International, Willis, Tx., lost its office and warehouse in a Jan. 13 fire.

Nisly Wood Products' Kalona, la., sawmill suffered a Jan. 20 fire.

Firestone Building Products Go., Indianapotis, In., will close its roofing-membrane plant in Kingshee, S.C., in July, moving equipment and production to its facility in Prescott, Ar., which will also add 100 new jobs.

Rmax, Dallas, Tx., was chain-of-custody approved to use FSG-certifled wood for its nailable-base insulation products.

GAF Materials Corp., Wayne, N.J., is now offering a limited lifetime warrany on every GAF laminated shingle it sells.

Versatex Trimboard, Aliquippa, Pa., recognized TW Perry, Gaithersburg, Md., as its 2010 Dealer of the Year; Boise Distribution, Delanco, N.J., as Distributor of the Year; Matt Hubbard, Atlantic Forest Products, Baltimore, Md., Distributor Sales Rep of the Year, and Chris Hedlund, Regional Sales Manager of the Year.

Warren Trask Co., Stoughton, Ma., is now distributing Versatex Trimboard in New Enoland. and Weyerhaeuser Distribution, Gulfport, Ms.,is distiibuting the products in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.

ABC Supply has renamed six of its Bradco Supply units in the Midwest under the ABC banner-Alsip and Wauconda, ll.; lndianapolis, In.; Warren, Mi.; Hazelwood, Mo., and Omaha, Ne.

Owens Inc., Duluth, Mn., filed to liquidate under Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Koppers, Pittsburgh, Pa., agreed to acquire the Rail Joint businessfrom Portec Rail Products, Huntington, W.V.

Snavely Forest Products is now dishibuting prefinished ceilirig and wall products from Synergy Wood Productsi Winter Park, Fl,, in six re!ional-rirarketsPittsburgh, Pa.; Baltimore, Md.Mashington, D.C.; Greensboro, N.C.; Lakeland, Fl.; Dallas, Tx., and Denver, Co.

Kennebec Lumber Co. rras started up a solid flooring plant in Solon, Me.

David Mittlestadt, general mgr. of Kennebec's Flooring Division, oversees the plant.

Wolf Adds New England DC

Wolf, York, Pa., will open a new distribution center in Worcester, Ma., serving dealers in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and upstate New York.

The Worcester facility features one acre of outside storage and l0 dock doors, in addition to 60,000 sq. ft. of inside storage.

The move will create about 20 jobs and reportedly mark the completion of Wolf's two-year geographic reorganization, which included adding a DC in Lawrenceville, Ga., and moving to a larger facility in York-all to position itself to better serve 3,000 independent dealers on the East Coast.

Maine Sawmill Adds Lumber Store

Michael and Hilda Record, owners of Record Building Supply, Oxford, Me., opened a new retail business in Cumberland, Me., primarily to sell products from its own sawmill, Record Lumber of Oxford.

The 7,200-sq. ft. Board Barn lumber store sells pine and hemlock boards, framing lumber, posts and beams, as well as wood pellets for heating and wood shavings for horse bedding.

Mike Biskup is assisting with marketing, sales and daily operations of the store.

The business kicked off with a grand opening Jan.29.

Worker Killed by Falling Log

OSHA is investigating what caused a log to fall from a debarking machine at KyKenKee, Vance, Al., and fatally strike a 22-year-old worker Dec. 30.

"It appears the log came out of the piece of machinery and then it goes onto a ramp to be fed to another piece of machinery, and somehow it came off that and landed on top of him," said police sgt. Kip Hart.

He said the unidentified victim was walking by the machine when the log fell.

Alabama Sawmill Ramps Up Gradually Following Fire

Swift Lumber, Atmore, Al., restarted operations at a reduced level two weeks after a mill fire that caused several million dollars in damage to machinery.

According to v.p. David Swift, an electrical motor exploded Jan. 6, sparking a fire fueled by sawdust and wood debris.

The damaged equipment was hauled away for repairs, and temporary machinery moved in. Swift expected the repairs to take as long as a month.

Bookkeeper Cops Plea Deal

A bookkeeper convicted of embezzling from Alexander Lumber Co., Cortland, Il., was sentenced to four years probation and ordered to pay $29O65 to her former employer.

Carole Cardot, 50, pleaded guilty in exchange for agreeing to pay restitution, serve probation and 400 hours of community servce, and write a letter of apology to the company.

Investigators said she had been manipulating deposits and stealing money for at least two years, until the company discovered the irregularities after it laid her off in February 2010.

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