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Photo by HempWood

Is it high time for Engineered Hemp Products?

The continUing volatility in wood prices may finally be creating an opening for a new generation of engineered lumber products that aren’t lumber at all; they use hemp in place of wood fiber.

COUNTERS, SHELVING, cabinetry—you name it, hemp-based particleboard reportedly can be used in all MDF applications. (Photo by CannaGrove)

For more than 30 years, manufacturers have been trying to turn hemp and other agrifiber composites into substitutes for wood boards and panels. The most successful results have used wheat straw, but there have also been attempts that employed rice straw, grass straw, cotton stalks, soybean stalks, kenaf and hemp. The plants are all plentiful, adaptable and lightning-fast to grow. Hemp, for instance, can grow from seed to harvest in three to four months.

In fact, hemp—the non-psychoactive form of the cannabis plant—is a natural as a building material. It has been used for thousand of years for rope and continues to rise in popularity in insulation (either as pressed coreboard or hemp wool) and as a concrete substitute (called hempcrete). Traditionally, the biggest limitations have been legality (a problem solved with an amendment to the U.S. Farm bill in 2018) and cost (hemp insulation and hempcrete can cost more than the products they replace by 50% or more).

Recent wood price spikes, however, have made hemp-based lumber substitutes considerably less expensive. Typically, the substitutes are produced in ways reminiscent of the production of traditional engineered wood products, including MDF, OSB, I-joists and LVL. The first of them came in the early 1990s, when C&S Specialty Builders Supply, Harrisburg, Or., imported regulated bales of hemp to develop its own MDF, with an assist from researchers at Washington State University Wood Materials & Engineering Laboratory. They claimed their product proved to be two-and-a-half times stronger than MDF composites.

In 2018, CannaGrove, a division of Hemp Traders, Paramount, Ca., introduced CannaBoard particleboard, which incorporates hemp fibers and a non-toxic, formaldehyde-free resin as a binder. It reportedly can be used in place of all MDF applications, from furniture to subflooring.

The company partnered with a manufacturing facility in Idaho to produce limited quantities and was about to go to wide production in 2000. Then the pandemic—and resulting boom in demand for construction products—forced the plant to focus all of its capacity and resources on its core products, leaving CannaGrove without a production partner. CannaGrove is hopeful it will find a new facility and resume production in the second half of 2022.

In 2019, Fibonacci, Murray, Ky.,

launched HempWood pressed-hemp boards and blocks. The aim is to recreate the stability, hardness, density and workability of oak.

HempWood is now offered in 1x10x40 and 1x10x48 panels, 4-ft. boards (5/4x1/4, 2/4 and 4/4), and now 6-ft. boards (5/4x1/4, 2/4 and 4/4).

Reel Lumber Service, Anaheim, Ca., stocks the 4/4 boards, including the new 6 ft. lengths, and also has a local woodworker stabilize the product and dye it various colors for turning on a lathe.

Reel’s Danny Clark says major improvements accompany the new size: “The 6-ft. blocks are manufactured in a new press that has been mechanized and allows for a much better consistency of density in the boards. The adhesive strength and water resistance has also been greatly improved and these boards are also carbon negative.”

While the hemp plant is resistant to mold, it’s highly absorbent of water. Consequently, hemp-based products are most frequently used in interior applications, such as flooring, cabinetry, millwork and furniture.

PlantD, Durham, N.C., would like to see engineered hemp products expanded to structural applications. It

ENGINEERED flooring,paneling, cabinetry and furniture are among the primary uses of HempWood. But as the products become more resilient and moisture resistant, hemp-based products could be destined for more outdoor and structural applications. (Photo by HempWood)

has developed a prototype hemp-based OSB. The company hopes to build “microfactories” across the nation, using equipment and technology said to be far less expensive and far more mobile than traditional OSB operations. PlantD is also developing hemp-based laminated veneer lumber for framing and hemp I-joists made from its OSB and LVL components.

Still, no hemp-based materials appear to have taken a noticeable bite out of the market. But if lumber supplies and prices remain unpredictable, it may only be a matter of time before construction professionals turn to agrifibers like hemp.

• Full Service Pressure Treated Lumber & Plywood • Cedar Deck Accessories • Specialty Decking Products

Tacoma, WA 800-426-8430

Rapport builders

Rapport is to selling what downstream is to swimming. Can we swim upstream, sure, but it’s a lot more difficult. When we create rapport with our customers, they are much more likely to listen to us and give our proposal serious consideration even if we don’t agree.

There are many small/simple things we can do to build rapport with our customers. Some of them are “obvious” but obvious or not when we do them we have a competitive advantage because most sellers don’t. Many sellers are so nervous and/or unprepared they can’t concentrate enough to read their customer’s body language and voice tones to get in sync with them. Other sellers just don’t care; they are just there for the order.

Rapport Builders

Smile. Many of us are not natural smilers; I am not, nor are many of my students. I am not talking about a “Bozo the Clown” smile. Just a slight smile is best. As sellers, we need to project the feeling that we enjoy what we do. No one wants to push a bag of rocks up the hill with us, but many sellers treat the sales process as if it were as much fun. Is it tough to smile after 10 NO’s in a row? Yes, but smile we must.

Slow Down! I’ve been coaching sales for over 20 years and never have had to tell a student to speed up their speech. Many of us talk too fast. When we talk too fast, it’s hard for customers to understand and more importantly for rapport, to relate to us. The phrase “fast-talking salesperson” came from somewhere. When we talk too fast it means we’re hiding something, that we don’t care, or both.

Compliments. Most customers will sense false flattery. Don’t do it. Sincere compliments, on the other hand, are powerful. Once we make it a priority opportunities to give compliments abound. Often customers will have pictures of their favorite hobby, adventure or pictures of their family posted in their office.

Humor. Humor is a power tool and, just like all power tools, must be used with care. Humor shows confidence and helps customers relax. Without relaxation rapport is impossible. People want to have fun while they work. Great salespeople help them do that and are rewarded accordingly.

Questions and Follow-up Questions. Most salespeople talk too much. The person asking the questions is the one who is controlling the call, in any case. Master Sellers ask good questions and more importantly, they ask follow up questions. When we ask a single question only and then dive into our proposal, it sends the message that the first question was insincere.

Pace, Tone and Demeanor. We should do all our best to match the pace, tone and demeanor of our customer. If our customer is a taciturn, quiet communicator we should match their style. If they are a little bit more of a joker, we can loosen up with them. Customers will always be more comfortable communicating in their style, so as professional communicators, we match. When in Rome, speak Italian; when in Germany, speak German. Treat each company and customer as their own private country and speak their language.

Body Language. The same as with pace and tone. We match the body language of our customers.

The “We” Mode. If we want our customers to treat us like a partner, we need to speak to them like a partner. Most of us will need to train ourselves to speak in the “We” mode. Asking, “What do we need to be looking for?” vs. “What are you looking for?” makes a huge psychological difference in our communication with our customers.

Caring and Curious. Most sellers are so wrapped up in their own proposal, they don’t have the mind space or the empathy to even think about caring about the customer and projecting that in their speech and tone. Master Sellers treat their customers like family.

A student asked me, “What if I don’t really care?” I said, “Well then you’ll have to become a better person to become a better seller. I did.”

I sold without rapport for seven years. I made a living, but when I started to care about my customers, I had more fun and sold a lot more.

James Olsen

Reality Sales Training (503) 544-3572 james@realitysalestraining.com