Teak Future is Simultaneously Sunny and Cloudy

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Teak Distribution Yard

The Teak market has been all abuzz about the the trade sanctions being lifted against Myanmar. Being able to buy “genuine” Teak direct could be very good for the market. The realities we are discovering is that we are far from answers on the legalities of the lumber, concerns about quality control have been raised, and a looming log ban will essentially drop inventories to zero. The already climbing price for Teak is about to get a boost and one has to wonder just how much higher it can go before the species gets abandoned. Like I said, there is [...] Read more »

Plywood Prices Increase, How to Respond

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hardwood plywood dealer

Recently the US Department of Commerce approved a 23% Countervailing Duty on hardwood plywoods that are imported from China. This is an effort by the US government to “protect” domestic manufacturers from import products that are subsidized by foreign governments. So import plywood prices have gone up at least by 23%. What no one seems to be talking about is the response from the domestic manufacturers that are raising their prices accordingly like a gas station across the street in order to keep everything in balance. Add to this an impending decision from Commerce on an Anti-Dumping margin that could [...] Read more »

Tips for Buying Spanish Cedar

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Spanish Cedar windows

In my last article the case was made that the Spanish Cedar market has permanently changed and lower availability is the new normal. Spanish Cedar is still trickling out of South America but it is also now being grown on plantations in Africa. While still technically the same genus and couple of species, Cedrela odorata, fissilis, huberi, the quality and properties are not quite the same. This time I’ll provide some tips to help you buy Spanish Cedar today to ensure you get what you actually need, and I’ll discuss some better alternative species that you should consider instead. How [...] Read more »

Spanish Cedar Is Regulated Out of Fashion

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Spanish Cedar Door

Spanish Cedar has been a popular species for a long time. Humidor makers actually call it “Cigar Wood” for its excellent properties in humidor building. Home builders love using it as an exterior wood for stain grade projects. It looks and acts just like Genuine Mahogany but can be bought for around the half the price so the choice seems obvious. Well it has been more than 2 years since I last wrote about the difficulties of importing good Spanish Cedar. Guess what, it hasn’t gotten any better. I think it is clear this isn’t a slump in the supply [...] Read more »

Are We Overbuilding Our Boardwalks?

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Ipe Boardwalk

The mad scramble to rebuild the east coast boardwalks after Hurricane Sandy has begun.  As usual, many municipalities dragged their feet during the winter, and with tourist season looming just a few months away, our phones are ringing off the hook with people looking for 2×4 and 2×6 Ipe for a boardwalk somewhere along the Atlantic coast.  Ipe suppliers such as J. Gibson McIlvain and many of our contemporaries have been stocking up in preparation for this surge, but even then we will see the supply chain severely tested because these commercial projects automatically specify 2x lumber.  The overwhelming majority [...] Read more »

Custom Architectural Plywood

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Sapele Plywood Hotel Lobby

Over the years we have supplied lumber and plywood to many companies working on some amazing millwork installations.  Sometimes we just supply the materials, other times we run the millwork whether it be flooring, paneling, or moulding.  Many times it just comes down to plywood for the panels.  We pride ourselves on the quality of the plywood we sell and these high standards lead to a lot of repeat business and a lot of custom orders.  Architectural plywood panels are of the highest quality with rock solid cores and only the finest face veneers.  A very stable and well built [...] Read more »

Lumber is the Ultimate Green Building Material

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wood is a renewable resource

Green building and sustainability are some of the most popular concepts in the design and construction business these days.  It is rare to find any new construction without some specification for LEEDS rating or at least a concern about building a green structure.  New products enter the market every day claiming to be the next best thing for environmentally aware construction.  In reality the greenest building material is the oldest and easiest to source: wood.  As a completely renewable, recyclable, and long lasting building material that also sequesters carbon and fosters increased biosequestration, wood is easily the perfect green product. [...] Read more »

Brazilian Cherry Floors Blend Seamlessly into Jatoba Decks

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Jatoba decking

One of the hottest design trends these days is blending the inside living spaces with the outside.  It is common to see beautiful outdoor rooms that seamlessly dissolve into beautiful landscaping.  This trend has grown so much on the simple principle that you can extend the square footage of your house by adding an outdoor room.  So while you are at it, why not carry the interior style and aesthetic right out onto the patio or outdoor living room?  This sounds like a great idea, but executing on it can bring many complications when it comes to the materials.  Popular [...] Read more »

Shipping Improvements for Caribbean Contractors

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Caribbean lumber shipping

J. Gibson McIlvain has been shipping material to the Caribbean for some time now.  We service a lot of builders and contractors from the Virgin Islands and Bermuda to the Bahamas and the West Indies.  Our large, on the ground inventory of a huge variety of hardwoods, softwoods, and plywoods means we can ship much faster than the island brokers that these customers rely on normally.  A nice bonus is that our prices end up lower, because we are the direct importers and buyers, thus eliminating all those middle man charges.  Good pricing, millwork capability, and fast delivery are nice; [...] Read more »

Top 10 Reasons Why Composite Decking Is a Bad Idea for Boardwalks

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Ipe Boardwalk

After the destruction of so many miles of boardwalk by hurricane Sandy, new construction bids and RFQs are on everyone’s minds.  Unfortunately, pressure is being brought to bear on city planners from environmental lobby groups to use composite decking to rebuild the boardwalks.  I’m not going to try and pretend I’m unbiased in this ongoing fight between tropical decking and composite decking.  Working for a lumber company, I obviously have already firmly announced my opinions on which is the better product.  But I hope to be able to lay out some serious concerns about using a composite decking product (regardless [...] Read more »