Well, a full two weeks has eclipsed since the start of IBS 2010, and we’re still sifting through a lot of information that continues to come in. One thing is certain: There has been, and will continue to be, a lot of action in the world of deck building. Because I have no interest in delivering an epic IBS recap reminiscent of Tolstoy’s War and Peace, I’ll give you the highlights that I see will relate to 4 Quarters Design & Build this year.
First off, TimberTech dedicated a fair percentage of their display to their new ReliaBoard plank. I’ve already blogged about this product, but it’s worth noting again. Now that the building world has seen the product in a more proper context (i.e. a deck display rather than a sample piece) I can say, with much more confidence, that we have a very promising product here. While it lacks the flare and sex appeal traditional to many previous product launches from its maker, it should be a very solid performer at a very attractive price. More and more, I think this plank is the industry dark horse, and I won’t be surprised if it is wildly successful this year. This is primarily due to the fact that it bridges an enormous price gap between cedar and the XLM plank (or any of the XLM’s competitors). It even bridges the gap between cedar and the TwinFinish plank (and, of course, the TwinFinish plank’s competitors). Time will tell. . .
From a company standpoint, I predict that 4 Quarters will design and build fewer cedar decks this year because of the ReliaBoard, as a portion of our client demographic would like to go low-maintenance but opt for cedar due to budget constraints. Those in the aforementioned demographic won’t have to stretch as far with the ReliaBoard on the kitchen table.
In another corner of the decking world lives a company called Azek. Let me describe their 2010 product debuts in one word: Big. About a month ago in my blog, I asked TimberTech for an XLM plank in the dark brown Earthwoods Walnut color. While we don’t know when we’ll see such an animal from TimberTech, Azek has already produced, and a gorgeous animal it is. No, I’m not jumping ship; 4 Quarters is a TimberTech Premier Contractor for a reason. But on aesthetics alone, this is going to be a tough plank to sell against, especially for a deck builder that is very color and style conscientious. (Yes, I’m referring to myself, in particular.) To be honest, if a prospective client has their heart set on Azek Kona, I won’t even try to sell them out of it, even though I could probably do so.
Along with three very rich new plank colors, Azek diplayed some very nice composite railing profiles and large, bold newel posts to match. To all the consumers out there, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at many of these new offerings.
Shifting gears to talk about natural wood products, there seems to be some turbulence in the hardwoods market, particularly with Ipe. Talking with suppliers, there are some potential sourcing issues on the horizon. Some on the inside of the market apparently saw this coming which may explain why there were a few companies displaying alternatives to the traditional hardwoods that have historically dominated the market. Whatever is going on, the new players have some very attractive species they are trying to introduce. Once distribution has been figured out and testing and code compliancy has been addressed, we’ll know more. Fodder for a later post. . .
And the list goes on and on. I could write for hours and still not cover everything. We’ve got some great railing options looming on the horizon, but until the information becomes more clear and timely, I’ll save it. Suffice it to say that there are a lot of exciting things happening for us now, and it appears that it’s not going to slow down anytime soon. It’s interesting (and curious) to see all of this upward movement in a down market.
Until next time. . .
