Tag: lumber

Posted on

Poly-Ash and PVC Trim Provide a Ready Alternative to Lumber

Kleer trim on a custom coastal home

The COVID-19 pandemic presented the building industry with a number of challenges, from initial closures to the cost of safety protocols. But as those issues have been addressed, one challenge continues on strong: price increases, particularly lumber costs.

The NAHB reports that lumber prices have risen a whopping 180% since last spring, resulting in an increase in the average single-family home price by more than $24,000.

“According to Random Lengths, the price of lumber hit a record high this week and is up more than 170% over the past 10 months,” said NAHB Chairman Chuck Fowke in a Feb. 12, 2021, statement. “NAHB is urging President Biden and Congress to help mitigate this growing threat to housing and the economy by urging domestic lumber producers to ramp up production to ease growing shortages and to make it a priority to end tariffs on Canadian lumber shipments into the U.S. that are exacerbating unprecedented price volatility in the lumber market.”

Luckily, for trim applications, builders and remodelers have several manmade alternatives that offer the authentic look of wood.

TruExterior Trim, for example, is made with a proprietary blend of polymers and fly ash. Fly ash is a byproduct of coal energy production, so it’s sourced near the manufacturing facility. And unlike wood, TruExterior Trim provides a high level of dimensional stability along with durability for resistance to warping, cracking, and splitting. It can be used in ground-contact applications.

Despite these distinct differences, TruExterior Trim offers the workability of wood, so it can be routed and milled into endless styles of decorative molding and trim.

TruExterior poly-ash trim at a custom home in the Chautauqua Institution artist community
Seen here on a custom home at the Chautauqua Institution, TruExterior poly-ash trim can be milled and routed just like wood.

Another wood-look alternative is Kleer Lumber trim (pictured above), made with expanded cellular PVC. Kleer trimboards resist moisture, insects, splintering, rotting, delamination, and swelling. Kleer trim can be installed in contact with the ground. Like TruExterior, it’s made in the USA in Westfield, Mass.

In addition to trim, TruExterior and Kleer can replace lumber for other non-structural applications such as flower boxes and pergolas.  

Cellular PVC trim in a flower box application
Kleer cellular PVC trim can be used in ground-contact applications on or off the house.

Ready to be inspired? Check out our Instagram page for projects and applications.

Posted on

Concerned About High Lumber Prices? Poly-Ash and PVC Trim Offer a Durable Alternative

lumber stack, lumber prices

The housing industry has thankfully been one of the rare economic strongholds during the pandemic, seeing steady or rising numbers across multiple datapoints. But the supply challenges impacting various industries around the country have hit the residential construction market too: The NAHB reports that supply shortages are leading to skyrocketing prices in wood products, including a 120% increase in lumber prices since mid-April and a 138% increase in OSB versus a year ago.

The impact has become so severe, the association sent a letter to the Trump Administration urging it to intervene to encourage domestic lumber producers to increase production and work with Canada on a new Softwood Lumber Agreement that would end the ongoing tariffs.

But with the construction and home improvement markets booming, many builders and remodelers don’t have time to wait for lumber prices to decline and supplies to refresh. Non-wood trim products, such as TruExterior Trim and Kleer Lumber, can offer immediate relief, with ready supply and U.S. manufacturing—along with high-performance attributes that eliminate some of the drawbacks of natural, moisture-prone materials.

Made with Boral’s proprietary blend of polymers and fly ash, TruExterior Trim combines authentic wood looks with high performance and low maintenance. TruExterior Trim provides a high level of dimensional stability along with durability for resistance to warping, cracking, and splitting. As a result, the trim requires no sealing of ends or cuts in the field, it can be used in ground-contact applications, and it can be painted any color, including dark hues.

TruExterior trim is a solution to rising lumber prices
TruExterior Trim

And because TruExterior is made in Salisbury, N.C., with raw materials sourced locally, it’s not facing the supply chain issues of some wood species.

Kleer Lumber’s trim line is made with expanded cellular PVC and, like TruExterior, offers the premium look of wood but without the concerns about the effects of moisture or insects. In fact, it’s backed by a limited lifetime warranty against splintering, rotting, delamination, and swelling. Kleer trim, which is sold in eight trim widths and in sheets, can be installed in contact with the ground. Kleer Lumber is manufactured in Westfield, Mass.

Kleer Trim is a solution to rising lumber prices
Kleer trim.

Both Kleer and TruExterior offer easy workability for a range of uses, from traditional trim applications and decorative millwork to pergolas and flower boxes.

Explore the possibilities on our Instagram page.

Feature image: antmoreton from Pixabay