When you buy decking boards, they are already planed on 4 faces (S4S) and usually have the sharp corners eased (E4E). Depending on whether you are face screwing or using a clip system, there may or may not be a groove routed on the edges. This is a product ready to install right? But is it a finished product? Absolutely not, and this is where many homeowners and even contractors get confused and … [Read more...] about Ipe Deck Maintenance: New Decking is Not a Finished Product
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Ipe Markets Tighten
Importing exotic hardwoods like Ipe to the US market is an in depth process that not only needs to consider federal and foreign government regulations, but also cultural and climatic differences. In many cases we deal with a different hemisphere so while the US enters prime deck building season, much of South America is still in their rainy season. In fact most South American sawmills have been … [Read more...] about Ipe Markets Tighten
Fijian Mahogany Alternate to Genuine Mahogany
OK I admit maybe the title of this post is a bit much but there has been a lot written on this blog in the past about finding good alternatives for difficult to obtain and expensive species. Mahogany is often the subject of this search. Since being listed as a CITES protected species, Mahogany availability and price has become an issue. Additionally, the reputation (whether true or not) of … [Read more...] about Fijian Mahogany Alternate to Genuine Mahogany
The Slippery Slope of Grading Adjustments
I'm knocking on wood as I say this but it does seem that business is picking up and this recession may be waning. However there are some alarming things happening in the building trade that we see as a supplier of everything from plywood to rough lumber. Manufactured and engineered products like moulding and plywood prices seemed to have stalled over the last 5-8 years while hardwoods and … [Read more...] about The Slippery Slope of Grading Adjustments
Plywood Prices to Climb…Again
No you're not experiencing a bad case of Deja Vu. You have actually read this article about a new Plywood Tariff from us before...but it was 4 years ago. And then the tariff went away... ...it's baaaaaaack! On April 18th, the US Department of Commerce passed a Countervailing Duty of 10% (9.89% actually) on Chinese Imported plywood. Some Chinese companies received up to a 111% tariff because … [Read more...] about Plywood Prices to Climb…Again
What is the Proper Deck Board Spacing?
How much space to leave between deck boards? This is the most asked question about installing a deck. The easy answer is 1/4" or about 6 mm. But that answer doesn't take into account a lot of factors and can pose problems further down the road. The moisture content of the decking boards, how long they have had time to acclimate to your environment. How much sun the deck receives, how much … [Read more...] about What is the Proper Deck Board Spacing?
Services
Custom Architectural Millwork services If You can Dream it, we can make it Architectural Millwork is nothing if not custom. Our services are simply that: customized. It is close to impossible to even list all of the possible things we can make, but if you need it and it's wood related, we can probably do it. And we can do it in just about any species of wood, because for hundreds of … [Read more...] about Services
Dark Teak Color Change is Caused by Sun and Exposure
What color is Teak? That is not an easy question to answer. Teak color is discussed a great deal. Specifically Teak color change is what drives people crazy. Wood is an organic material so it moves and changes. Anyone who has worked with wood has noticed the different look of freshly planed lumber from aged and oxidized lumber. In most cases a mellowing of the color and … [Read more...] about Dark Teak Color Change is Caused by Sun and Exposure
Is There A Shortage on Thinner Exotic Lumber?
4/4 lumber is probably the most common lumber thickness we sell. Lately it seems that an increase in popularity of African exotic species like Sapele, Utile, and African Mahogany (Khaya) has run into shortages in 4/4 thicknesses. This is in no way an indication that these species have limited supply. In fact getting 8/4 and 12/4 lumber is no problem at all. These African trees are plentiful … [Read more...] about Is There A Shortage on Thinner Exotic Lumber?
Afromosia Wood is Gaining in Popularity
Popularity of wood species comes and goes just like architecture and fashion styles. In fact, these elements usually feed each other. As styles change, materials and industries shift to meet the demand for raw materials. Over the last few years we have seen a growing demand for Teak beyond the boat building industry. Minimalist Asian and Scandinavian influenced interior … [Read more...] about Afromosia Wood is Gaining in Popularity
Millwork Quality Control
Starting with top quality lumber and carefully choosing colors is only the beginning when making mouldings and millwork. Even the most choice piece of Mahogany can be ruined if your moulders and planers aren't making quality cuts. Details like blades, feed rate, and board support all work together to make a beautiful cut or a terrible one. Millwork installations place the wood in highly visible … [Read more...] about Millwork Quality Control
Bruynzeel Marine Grade Plywood
We have carried Bruynzeel plywood for a while now and our boat building customers have always been very pleased with the high quality of the product. With 100% weather resistant plies and BS 1088 certification, you cannot ask for a panel more perfectly suited to boat building. The exciting news is that J. Gibson McIlvain is now an exclusive North American distributor of Bruynzeel plywood and we … [Read more...] about Bruynzeel Marine Grade Plywood
Inland vs Coastal Cedar
Western Red Cedar is one of the most popular exterior species in use in North America these days. The lower cost, rot and insect resistant, and easy availability in all sizes, including large timbers, makes it an obvious choice for projects from decks to pergolas, siding, flooring, ceilings, and paneling. Like all softwoods, there is a standard grading system in place to designate how clear a … [Read more...] about Inland vs Coastal Cedar
Shipping Improvements for Caribbean Contractors
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 … [Read more...] about Shipping Improvements for Caribbean Contractors
What’s With the Fractions?
We lumber guys have our share of lingo and obscure terminology just like any industry. But what I find interesting about the lumber industry is that we expect our customers also understand our lingo just to be able to buy our products. There is nothing that exemplifies this paradigm more than how lumber folk talk about thickness of a board in "quarters." For example, when referring to a 1" thick … [Read more...] about What’s With the Fractions?
Wait Before Installing Deck Boards
You just bought some decking or flooring (or really any lumber) and one of the first things you hear is that it needs time to acclimate to its new surroundings before installing deck boards. The maddening thing is you will rarely get the same answer twice when it comes to how long that particular lumber should sit around getting in touch with its feelings. If pressed for an answer to "how long … [Read more...] about Wait Before Installing Deck Boards
Builders and Contractors
Builders and contractors Building a home requires many things to go right all at the same time. Sourcing lumber is not only finding the right species but finding it in the right grade and size and getting it delivered to a shop or job site (in possibly a difficult location) at just the right time so that workmen aren’t sitting around, on the clock, waiting for material to arrive just so they … [Read more...] about Builders and Contractors
Boat Manufacturing
Boat Manufacturing High Quality FEQ Teak for Luxury Boats J. Gibson McIlvain is one of the largest importers of high quality FEQ (First European Quality) Teak in the United States. We supply many luxury boat builders with vertical grain, golden brown Teak for decking, toe rails, wide cover boards, and everything in between. We have been working with some of the largest and best yacht … [Read more...] about Boat Manufacturing
Wood Product Manufacturers
Wood product manufacturers Whether you are building doors, windows, furniture, or guitars, you need wood. And usually you need a very specific cut and size of a certain species of wood. The more specific your product, the more exacting your lumber requirements will be in grade, size, and grain. At the same time, there is a great deal of value engineering that can be done to decrease … [Read more...] about Wood Product Manufacturers
Moulding Profiles Library
We have thousands of moulding profiles in our library with new ones being custom ground each week. Take a look through our moulding library and sort by the type or dimension of the profile which you are looking for. eg: case moulding, base moulding, crown moulding, T&G, chair rail, etc Click on the thumbnail image to see the profile dimensions. Feel free to reference the JGM profile … [Read more...] about Moulding Profiles Library