ACROSS THE BOARD

WAIT FOR THE DUST TO SETTLE

------------ BY PATRICK ADAMS

I’M SITTING ON the couch with my wife and she gives me a quote that she’s become famous for that usually creates an interesting “discussion” due to our differing philosophies on the subject: “Maybe we should wait until things calm down.”

The breaking point this time was the opportunity for a new puppy that landed in our lap. We had discussed the idea of another household member for some time. I put us on a lengthy waiting list and when our time came, she felt that it wasn’t a good time. Now a few months later, we have this opportunity and away we go in discussion!

I bring this up not to out my wife (even though that hole is likely already dug at this point), but that I’ve found as I’ve gotten older that most people do not operate like me. Most it seems seek out calm water. My father-in-law during his time was the master of patience it seemed to me. I still hear his words with his Texas accent, “Patrick, just be patient and it will all work out.” Almost always, he was right. However, as I’ve gotten older and perhaps wiser, I now realize something.

Control is an illusion and unpredictable chaos is a constant. You can’t plan for “calm” and, for me, you can’t wait to move forward on the opportunities that happen to present themselves only during calm times. There are many quotes that come to mind to support this, but I happen to like “History favors the bold.” In the military, our Special Forces are trained and taught “Improvise, Adapt, Overcome,” and I think that is a principle that has become ingrained in me living a life that was never easy. Not only do I never expect calm times, but they’re a little unsettling to me the rare times they do arrive.

As we enter the final quarter of 2022, I don’t see anything other than dust from the chaos. It is becoming a landscape that is exceptionally hard to “read.” Interest rates are screaming skyward while the stock market feels like a daily roller coaster that forgets what the “news” was the prior day. It remains tough to hire people, the people you do have cost more, and the international landscape is full of uncertainty on many fronts. And yet, business is exceptionally strong, margins are healthy, and forecasts are cautiously strong in spite of this chaos swirling around us.

I have had conversations with some (usually very large corporations) where they describe growing concern and hesitancy and are planning slow downs and cutbacks. And, I have had many conversations with small and mid-sized companies that are full throttle and planning for some of the best years in their businesses along with expansions and growth strategies. How can everyone see the same landscape, with the same data and react so differently?

This brings us back to the couch and the puppy. Yes, things are beyond crazy. The kids just started back to school and sports requiring us to basically wave at each other on the highway as we shuttle back and forth. Travel is picking up and between our publications, events and our newest experiment with a consumer lifestyle magazine, we are busier than ever before! I just returned from south Georgia, leave for Boston, then New Hampshire, then am home for the weekend before I check in for surgery and a hospital stay (to fix my little “emergency” from April).

So I look at my wife and ask, “In 30 years together, when has our life ever been ‘calm’?” If we were the type of people who waited for calm, well, we’d be waiting a long time! I am thankful for the chaos as it keeps me moving and keeps me thinking, and I keep adapting, improvising and—most of the time—overcoming. This to me is the secret of “success,” which I define as living a full life, trying to do better than I did yesterday, and trying to be a person known as able to be counted on.

So, on the Saturday after I return from New Hampshire, but just before I go into surgery on Monday, “Winnie” (kids say it’s short for Winnie The Pooh… it’s actually short for Winchester!) the puppy will take its place in our home full of chaos, and love, and laughter, and memories.

I hope your summer has been full of the best kind of chaos and that in your own way, you are planning on more of it in the months to come. As always, serving you and this great industry is an honor that I never take for granted.

TROPICAL HARDWOOD RAINSCREENS

------------ BY KEATON SMITH

DEALERS, BUILDERS TURN TO IMPORTS FOR BEAUTY AND AFFORDABILITY

DRIVEN BY its availability, durability, energy efficiency, and aesthetic appeal, the rainscreen marketplace in the U.S. is expected to surpass the $30 billion mark in 2022.

Utilized in different forms around the world for centuries, rainscreen siding protects the underlying walls and the outer cladding of buildings from both water and moisture damage. This protection is achieved through the formation of double-wall structures built to drain water from their intermediary cavities, while ventilating the residual moisture and equalizing the system’s air pressure.

Innovation has led to today’s rainscreen siding options being far more advanced and incorporating aesthetic, budget and climate elements in their design and specification. Recent advances have seen wood siding make a dramatic comeback in an industry most recently dominated by

IMPORTED HARDWOOD rainscreens are rising in popularity due to their high marks in performance, beauty and availability. (Photos of batu with Natural ExoShield finish courtesy of Nova USA Wood) other materials. While metal siding can dent or fade over time, vinyl can crack easily on impact, and fiber cement can be prohibitively expensive, there are a variety of wood species that can provide beautiful, lustrous results, while providing their surroundings with a warmth and comfort, no matter the location or weather conditions.

Tropical rainscreen options

For years, true wood lovers turned to softwoods like Douglas fir, cedar and Alaskan yellow cedar to achieve beautiful and long-lasting rainscreen siding results. When the pandemic hit, the price of many domestic softwoods skyrocketed as demand spiked and availability shrank with plant closures.

As a result, dealers and builders nationwide turned to the durability, strength, beauty and value of tropical hardwoods. Today’s marketplace offers a wide variety of species which provide the exemplary endurance and aesthetics of exotic hardwoods such as: • Batu or Red Balau, which is known not only for its medium-red to deep red/brown color with purple tinges, but also its exceptional hardness and natural durability • Yellow Balau or Golden Batu, which is ideal for almost any outdoor application given its stunning mix-

ture of golden brown and red tones as well as the natural resistance to decay, insects and fungus. • South Pacific Redwood or Manilkara, which is an extremely strong hardwood with a brown or reddish-brown luster that will retain its structural integrity even under extremely harsh weather conditions • Basrolocus, a high-performance, caramel-brown hardwood with heartwood resistant to moisture absorption, makes it increasingly popular for marine and heavy construction applications. Other benefits include its medium texture, distinct subsurface luster and usually straight grain.

Fastening

The reality is that all wood products naturally expand and contract to a certain degree in response to the change in humidity and moisture levels. This is particularly true for rainscreen siding applications, where the wood will likely swell on rainy or foggy days and then shrink in dry weather.

This natural movement in service is why the proper fastening methods are so essential to the siding’s long-lasting results, especially when faced with highly-corrosive coastal weather conditions, temperature extremes, high-winds and frequentstorm environments.

Along with the traditional fastening options, today’s modern and convenient clip systems work equally well with both hardwoods and softwoods. In addition to enhancing the insulation, resilience and speed of rainscreen siding installations, these new clip fastening systems were designed to reduce the possibility of cupping, warping, and swelling by expanding with the boards when they swell and then compressing as the boards shrink in drier conditions.

Other benefits include eliminating the need to buy, cut and install furring strips given the clip system’s 3/4” stand-off, which can be drilled right into the studs, through the sheathing, over the housewrap.

Durable, sustainable, certified

Forest-related legal oversight may differ from country to country worldwide, but the goal is gener-

BATU from Indonesia is known for its exceptional hardness and durability.

ally the same: sustainable forest management. Sustainability is an approach to forest management that encompasses not just timber, but many other forest-related considerations including wildlife, biodiversity, soils, water, resource-dependent communities and scenery. That’s why the exotic species obtained from reliable sources like Nova USA Wood Products are produced through the forest management programs of governments looking to ensure the integrity, legality and sustainability of their forests.

For instance, batu and South Pacific redwood are just two of the exotic species typically harvested according to the Lacey Act, which is one of the United States’ oldest wildlife protection laws, and then distributed with a V-Legal Document license, which is at the heart of Indonesia’s timber legality verification system. These two initiatives are among the many international programs designed to further the social, economic and ecological initiatives necessary for fostering the planet’s well-being and the sustainability of forests worldwide.

Choosing the right alternative

Given their availability, durability and cost-effectiveness, tropical hardwoods have become the perfect alternative for rainscreen siding projects looking to combine a beautiful mix of colors, tones, and intricate grain patterns with a natural sense of peace and serenity. This is certainly true for the numerous resorts, luxury homes and other high-end applications looking to overcome today’s setbacks and pricing issues with truly spectacular, long-term results. MM

KEATON SMITH

Keaton Smith is wood systems product manager at Nova USA Wood Products (www.novausawood.com).

CHOOSING THE RIGHT HARDWOOD PLYWOOD

------------ BY DAVID KOENIG

HARDWOOD PLYWOOD is a wonderful option for interior, non-structural applications such as cabinetry, furniture, paneling and flooring. Your customers get the aesthetic and tactile benefits of real hardwoods at a fraction of the cost.

Yet all hardwood plywood is not created equal. Make sure you steer your clients to the best product for their application, preferences and budget.

Grades

Hardwood plywood is graded based on the quality and characteristics of its face veneer and back veneer. Faces are graded A (best), B, C or D (worst). Backs are graded 1 (best), 2, 3 or 4 (worst). Frequently, faces grade higher than backs since so many applications require the face to be more visible than the back. • A1, A2, B1 and B2 would be higher- tier products meant to be seen from both sides. The back side would have a few more blemishes than the face. Cabinets and furniture are top uses. • A3, B3 and C3 plywoods will be seen from one side nearly all the time. The back, however, must be clean, with some defects acceptable, such as stain, discoloration, splices, etc. Applications include dresser sides, drawer sides, and shelving. • A4, B4 and C4 are meant to be seen only from one side. Backs can have knots (open or filled), poor veneer joints, or seams. They are used for drawer bottoms and paneling.

HARDWOOD PLYWOOD comes in a wide range of appearances and capabilities to meet a full spectrum of interior non-structural applications. (Photo courtesy Timber Products)

Cores

Most decorative hardwood plywood panels produced in North America have cores made of wood veneers, peeled from basic logs and glued together by alternating the direction of their grain at right angles. Wood veneer cores are usually the strongest, lightest, and best screw-holding capabilities. Wood can, however, lead to panels of variable thicknesses.

Cores are also commonly made from MDF and particleboard (or in combination with veneers). Both MDF and particleboard offer a smoother surface, uniform thickness, and adequate screw-holding, but are heavier, weaker and look less like real wood.

The cores can also use thicker strips of solid lumber, rather than veneers, for pricier applications requiring extra stiffness.

Species

Hardwood plywood is available in a near limitless choice of species. From domestic stalwart oak to imported exotics, each species offers a different look, properties and price range. For example, some woods, like birch and maple, are trickier to stain. So keep the final application in mind when making your choice.

Among the most popular North American species for hardwood plywood are alder, ash, birch, cherry, hickory, mahogany, maple, red and white oak, and walnut. MM

CANARYWOOD epitomizes the claim of fine hardwood that it’s “artwork on your floor.” (Photos courtesy of Elemental Hardwoods)

IMPORTED HARDWOODS MAKE THEIR MARK IN FLOORING

------------ BY JOHN McGLOCKLIN

WHAT ARE THE latest flooring trends? Depending on the source, study or publication, it’s anything from the specification of muted taupe and gray stains on oak to tropical hardwoods displaying a natural rainbow of color expressions.

The final answer still lies in the eyes of the beholder along with the numerous everyday advantages that come with the installation of real hardwood floors. For example, hardwood floors reduce the accumulation of allergens since they are far easier to clean and maintain than either rugs or carpets.

Wood floors will also last for decades or even centuries with the proper care and maintenance, while offering a range of unique, one-of-a-kind expressions from an environmentally friendly, renewable resource—trees.

Another key benefit to real wood flooring lies in the value it adds to any home. Quite simply, hardwood floors not only increase the resale value of homes by 3-5% as reported by CNN, but also make them more livable. This is in addition to the 2022 Remodeling Impact Report that recently found that “64% of those polled answered that they have an increased sense of enjoyment when they are at home now that their hardwood flooring is installed. Another 64% said just thinking about the completed project gives them a major sense of accomplishment.”

In short, real hardwood floors are long-lasting, beautiful and natural works of art entailing a wide array of naturally-beautiful colors, variations and characters. This is especially true of tropical exotic hardwoods, which are also typically harder, less expensive and more stable than domestic species.

Tropical hardwoods when viewed through their full range of magnificent blend of colors, grains and patterns, can effectively offer something for everyone and in their natural condition, no stains required. Examples of these gorgeous woods include:

• Black Mesquite: Also called algarrobo, this is a beautiful, rare wood species that’s sustainably harvested from Chaco forests and perhaps the most naturally-stable wood milled to flooring on the planet.

An excellent choice for challenging environments, black mesquite is also a very hard wood with a silky texture, wild grain and, depending on the finish, ranges from lustrous medium-brown and gray-brown colors to a darker brown with hints of burgundy and deep swirling grains. It’s also a great choice for residential and commercial installations as well as nail- and glue-down applications wherever a walnut/brown wood is desired.

Similar options in this category include ipé/Brazilian walnut (rich medium to dark brown) and cumaru/ Brazilian teak (lighter carmel browns). • Canarywood or Tarara Amarilla: This wood has been used for centuries to design everything from cabinetry and furniture to musical instruments. A naturally stable wood with hickory-like hardness, canarywood epitomizes the “artwork on your floor” cliché. This is due to its rich-flowing rainbow of golden to purple colors, which “carmelize” over time.

Other woods in this lighter to medium color range include tauari/ Brazilian oak (light in color, easily stainable and harder and more stable than domestic oak), amendoim and timborana/Brazilian pearwood. • Santos Mahogany: Noted for its light, perfume-like smell, this reddish-brown wood has become a market favorite due to its swirling tight grain, great natural stability, and high Janka rating of 2,200.

It also falls into the rich redbrown category of woods that includes jatoba/Brazilian cherry, sirari/tiete rosewood (a lighter rose colored wood with silky grain), tarara colorada/Bolivian santos (a lighter spice-colored wood with real rosewood-looking grain), kempas/Asian cherry and Patagonian rosewood (the hardest wood regularly milled to flooring).

However, even the most stunning installations require the appropriate planning. When it comes to flooring this means carefully considering everything from the home’s environmental conditions to the flooring’s board sizes.

Moisture & Humidity. Real wood has a cell structure similar to that of a sponge and will expand and contract when taking on or giving off moisture. Accurate moisture levels and measurements of flooring and subfloor and RH environmental controls are critical to the long-term performance of any wood floor.

Board Size: The simple physics of wood expansion/contraction means that a narrower solid 2-1/4”-wide board will move less than a wider 5” board. Difficult environments with the potential for larger seasonal RH swings and/or limited environmental RH controls are best served by the installation of narrower boards in solid flooring for stability reasons.

Engineered wood flooring may be an option, but in very dry conditions engineered boards run the risk of catastrophic failure in the form of face checking and delamination— issues that commonly void warranties when excessively dry conditions (below 35% RH) are determined.

A Beautiful Array of Exotic Hardwood Species

Given the many challenges plaguing today’s lumber industry, it’s become increasingly important to educate contractors and distributors alike about the many benefits provided by the beautiful array of tropical woods available in the current marketplace.

This includes the value of imported woods like black mesquite, canarywood, and santos mahogany, which are typically harder and more durable than many of their domestic wood counterparts—all advantages for reducing call-backs, increasing referrals, and delivering better performances in challenging climatic regions. MM

– John McGlocklin is the owner, founder and president of Elemental Hardwoods. The company was founded in 2000 to provide flooring specialists, distributors and their customers with an exotic mix of beautiful imported hardwoods, some of which are not available anywhere else in the country.

For more information, please visit www.elementalhardwoods.com.

BLACK MESQUITE is a great choice for interiors that is reminiscent of exterior favorite ipé.

NEW SITE MAKES THE CASE FOR REAL AMERICAN HARDWOODS

THE REAL AMERICAN Hardwood Coalition, a domestic, industry-wide promotion initiative for Real American Hardwood products, has unveiled what it envisions as the “cornerstone” of its marketing efforts—a best-in-class designed to inspire and educate consumers.

The site, which can be visited at RealAmericanHardwood.com, “takes visitors on a digital journey to learn how and why they should choose Real American Hardwood flooring, cabinetry, millwork, furniture, and other goods for their homes,” explains Michael Martin, president and CEO of the National Wood Flooring Association.

Martin notes, “Today’s consumers are overwhelmed with product choices and often believe they’re buying natural and renewable hardwood products, when in fact, they’re buying lookalikes such as vinyl and plastic that are manufactured from non-renewable resources. Now, the industry has an informative tool that’s setting the record straight and separating fact from fiction— backed by research and science.”

Designed by CANVAS United—a high-profile agency known for its exceptional creativity, impressive project portfolio, and extensive experience in promoting commodity and agricultural goods—the website educates consumers on the advantages and benefits of Real American Hardwood products in ways that make emotional connections. Inter-

AS THE CENTERPIECE of the Real American Hardwood campaign, the new website uses powerful visual imagery, peppered with few words, to augment the natural look and feel of hardwoods with a message that your family is better off walking, playing or resting on a floor made of hardwoods.

active site modules engage consumers and compare the appearance, durability, value, home health, and environmental attributes of real wood products to faux, wood-look alternatives. The site also serves as a hub for project inspiration, maintenance tips, and environmental facts, and explores how hardwood is influencing lifestyles and culture in the modern world.

The coalition says the agency had two directives: to touch consumers’ hearts by portraying hardwoods as the healthiest choice (while stressing that their choices do matter) and to make hardwoods cool, especially to buyers from younger generations with purchasing power and a modern sense of environmental responsibility.

“Our industry has rich history and compelling stories to tell,” says Dean Alanko, VP of sales & marketing, Allegheny Wood Products. “The website spotlights the generational, family businesses that make up our industry. I’m proud of how the website tells these stories and presents information that can make a difference in consumers’ lives and benefit all industry stakeholders.” MM