We have just introduced our newest web page.  We have done a review of composite decking and composite decking manufacturers.  Included you will also find reviews of other non-composite products like pressure treated, cedar and Timbersil.

You can find the link at www.BuildingSupplySearch.com/compositedecking.

We appreciate any feedback you may have about our new site.

I recently ran into an issue that I thought was important to write about.  

We had a someone call us (Buttolph Lumber) about getting pressure treated lumber. We were also given the specs that the architect was authorizing for the job.

The specs said: 

1. Preservative Treatment Standard: American Wood Preservers’ Association (AWPA) “C2″

2. Preservative Material: ACQ, alkaline copper quaternary

In addition, we got back remarks from the architect asking for “additional documentation indicating compliance with AWPA C31, AWPA C20 and/or AWPA C27.”

So… what is the big deal?  We see this type of spec all the time.  There are a couple of issues here; some specific to the job, others specific to the industry.

1. For this job we are only able to find material using the Osmose Lifewood product (you will have to trust me on this).  This is the new Micronized pressure treatment that is being used by many treaters.

a. The issue is that Osmose will not let the AWPA (now American Wood Protection Association) certify their material to their standards because they are unwilling to “pull back the curtain” on their proprietary process.

b. But… this doesn’t mean that Osmose has not been certified that their product works.  They use a different agency that allows them (I have to assume) to keep their proprietary technology secret.  Lifewood is covered under the ICC ESR 2840 report from  ICC Evaluation Service.

c. The biggest problem comes from the fact that most architects use the AWPA Standards Book as their bible when writing their spec documents and now, the hottest new product out there (or at least it seems that way when a lot of the big treaters are moving to it) isn’t in that book.  There may be an issue with trying to convince an architect that they have to use a standards system (ICC-ES) that they may not be familiar with as the basis for writing their pressure treatment specs.

2. The second issue with the spec as it is written is that it uses the “C” codes as a reference.  The AWPA no longer recognizes these codes in their standard (they have been recently deleted).  So, if you have an architect (or are an architect) specifying these codes in their documentation follow this link to buy the new AWPA Standards Book or visit the AWPA web site to learn more about their publications.

a. The AWPA now recognizes Use Categories (UC) in their standard.  This is what the AWPA states as the purpose of use categories:

“The Use Category System provides a simple way of using the AWPA Standards.  The system was introduced in 1999 and defines Use Categories, or biodeterioration hazard levels, for treated wood products.  The UCS assists specifiers and users in the selection of the appropriate treatment for the end use of the product.

The advantage of the UCS is simplicity.  All treated wood products can be placed into one of five use categories, based upon biodeterioration hazard and expected product performance.  Fire retardant treated products are placed in their own unique use category class.”

b. The Use Categories that Lifewood is certified for are:

UC1 - Interior construction, above ground, dry

UC2 - Interior construction, above ground, damp

UC3A - Exterior construction, above ground, coated (I think this means painted) and rapid water runoff

UC3B - Exterior construction, above ground, uncoated and poor water runoff

UC4A - Ground contact - general use

UC4B - Ground contract - critical structural 

c. The Use Categories that Lifewood is NOT certified for are:

UC4C - Exterior, ground or freshwater contact, very severe conditions, or very critcal structural components

UC5A - Saltwater exposure - north of San Francisco and New Jersey

UC5B - Saltwater exposure - south of San Francisco on West Coast, New Jersey through Georgia on Ease Coast

UC5C - Salwater exposure - south of Georgia, Gulf Coast

UCFA - Fire protection, weather-shielded

UCFB - Fire protection, exterior

d. As a note: Even though the Osmose company doesn’t use the AWPA for their standards the ICC-ES does reference and certify the Lifewood material to the different Use Categories that the AWPA has set forth. 

In doing reseach for my search engine I stumble upon some very usefull web site.  Here is some information on two of those sites:

www.DoingBusiness.org

Here is a quick blurb on what they do: “Doing Business provides a quantitative measure of regulations for starting a business, dealing with construction permits, employing workers, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and closing a business - as they apply to domestic small and medium-size enterprises.”

One of the things I found interesting on their site was that it is easier to do business in Singapore (#1) thasn it was to do business in the United States (#3).

If you did need to figure out how to start a business in a foreign country there is a lot of great information for you on who to call, what agency to contact (online vs in person), how long the process will take to complete and what any associated costs would be.  There are also some great notes that go along w/ each procedure to help you on your way.

I highly recommend checking out this site if you have your eyes set on starting a new company (or expanding) into a new country.

www.ReedConstructionData.com

Here is a quick blurb on what they do: “Reed Construction Data’s portfolio of products and services includes national, regional and local construction data, building product information, construction cost data, market analytics and advertising channels to construction industry professionals in the US and Canada.”

One of the great features of this site is it’s Building Code information.  They go state by state (including the major US cities) giving you contact information and applicable code info for: structural building codes, plumbing building codes, mechanical building codes, electrical building codes, civil building codes, accessibility building codes, zoning boards, planning boards, public works departments, the Fire Marshal and Parks and Recreation.

If you are having problems getting started with a project and don’t know who to call check out there buidling code section… it could save you a lot of time (www.reedconstructiondata.com/building-codes).

We were lucky enough to recently talk to another great Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified company.   Panel Source International Inc. has been FSC certified since 2003 (SCS-COC-00569).  They have always provided Buttolph Lumber (parent company of Lute Lumber) with great service and they always have a lot of material in stock.

Panel Source International, Inc. focuses exclusively on the manufacturing and distribution of environmental forest products including products that are FSC Certified, Urea-Formaldehyde free, and manufactured with rapidly renewable or recycled fiber contents.

These products include:

1. Lumber - Hem Fir, Doug Fir, Spruce Pine Fir (SPF), Southern Yellow Pine (SYP) and Western Red Cedar (WRC)

2. Softwood and Hardwood Plywood

3. Particleboard, MDF, Door Core and Melamine Panels

4. Pressure Treated and Fire Retardant Lumber and Plywood

5. Pyroblock:  This is a proprietary product that they manufacture.   You can take any particleboard, mdf or plywood and give it a class A fire rating by applying Pyroblock to the surface. End users can then veneer or laminate to the surface, thus giving them the substrate with the environmental features required, as well as  Class A fire rated interior panel.

There are no minimum order volumes, and shipping is available to any location.  

Please contact them at: 1.877.464.7246 or check out their web site at www.PanelSource.net

Here is another company that we have done business with.  David and Colin of Altruwood helped Buttolph Lumber out with a difficult order of Fire Treated Cedar.  There were all kinds of odd sizes, dimensions and long lead times.  It all turned out beautifully.

AltruWood is a nationwide distributor of sustainable building products.  Offering FSC Certified (Chain of Custody #SGS-COC-1911), Reclaimed, and Dead Standing Douglas Fir Timbers, the AltruWood label represents quality and customer commitment. 

The main product offerings of AltruWood include:

FSC Certified: Western Red Cedar (siding, timbers, lumber),  Ipe Decking, FSC Certified Flooring

Reclaimed: Hand Hewn Timbers, Rough Sawn Douglas Fir Timbers, Reclaimed Flooring

Dead Standing: Premium Appearance Grade #1 and Better Douglas Fir Timbers

To contact AltruWood call 877-FSC-WOOD or visit them online at www.altruwood.com.

This is a new series where we will go through and pick out companies that are in our custom database and give you a quick profile on who they are and what they can do for you. This will hopefully help you get a better understanding of who you may bump into during your searches.

————————————————————————————————

This is a company that I have direct knowledge about. We have bought many different products from Dan, Andy and Rick at Certified Wood Products over the past year.

www.CertifiedWoodProducts.net

Since 1999 they have sold Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified material from their yard in Maple Lake, MN (Chain of Custody # SW-COC-000419). As an early adopter of FSC certified material they have become one of the largest stocking dealers in the country. They will ship anywhere in the country.

They sell a long list of FSC certified products:

a. Lumber - Hem Fir, Spruce (SPF), Hardwood (birch, maple, oak, poplar), Pressure Treated (acq, borate, Kiln Dried After Treatment - KDAT), Fire Treated (Dricon),

b. Plywood - Western Fir, OSB, Hardwood, Pressure Treated (acq, borate, KDAT), Fire Treated (Dricon)

c. Boards - Red Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Cedar, Radiata Pine, Doug Fir

Call them at 320.963.1500 for FSC certified material or check out their web site www.CertifiedWoodProducts.net

What do I need to do to get a good search result?

1. Start with a broad search

I am starting to see people start with searches like:

“2 x 10 Southern Yellow Pine FSC“

“10″ Eastern White Pine Primed in Yellow“

You have to remember… You are searching for terms on web sites and when you are very specific there is a chance that those words will not exactly fit any web site and you will get no results back.

Instead, try searching for:

“FSC Southern Yellow Pine“

“Eastern White Pine“

2. Use the Refinement labels

We have created 7 different labels that are applied to each site.  Use them when you are looking for a product that is served by a certain sector.

Example:

a. You are an individual that wants to do research on hardwood floors. 

* You would type in “hardwood flooors” into the search and then click on “Manufacturer” to find just companies that MAKE hardwood floors (versus sell or install).

Explanation of Each Refinement

Contractor: These are companies that build stuff.  They are the ones that you would call when you need earth moved.  There are commecial and residential contractors in this refinement.

Retail: This is made up of companies that sell to the general public, directly to contractors or sell over the internet (take credit cards).

Wholesale: These are the distributors of the world.  They sell to the retailers.

Manufacturer: These are the companies that make stuff, mill things, process items, pressure treat material, etc.

Architecht/Design/Engineering: Find the teams that create the world we live and work in.

Industry Services: Companies that help the building industry in their day to day lives are in this category (ex. software companies, transportation, rail, etc.)

Search for FSC Companies and Products: This refinement ONLY searches the www.fscus.org web site.  If you want to search whether a company is FSC certified, type in their name into the search and then click on this refinement label.  You can also look for companies that sell FSC products though this isn’t the greatest feature of this site and is mostly limited to searches for “lumber” “plywood” etc.

***Note: It is not always that easy to tell what a company does from their web site so you may want to check up/down the supply chain when looking for the information you need.

3. Dig Deep

We have over 6000 web pages associated with this site and all of them have something to do with the building supply industry. 

SOOOO…. don’t be afraid to dig into the results.  Where you rarely look past the first page of results in Google feel free to do it here.  Under a “lumber” search, you will find hundreds of companies that have to do with the lumber industry and they all can’t be on the first page.

4. Try other Tabs

We have built this search engine to segment out traffic.  If you are looking for “span tables doug fir” don’t be afraid to move off the Industry tab and get into the Associations or Knowledge tab.  They have lots of great information on them.

We will break down the other tabs in later posts.