52 | Sector Focus: Panel Products
Merchants need to be asking “what is this being used for?” so they can match the right product to the right end use and avoid problems and costs down the road. Literature is now being produced by TDUK which will help with this process, and we are working on a modular training programme on all things wood, which should really help move things forward.
Above left: The application process is a simple one…… Above right: ….and prevents delamination
TTJ: ANOTHER ESP PRODUCT – ESP TIMBER – IS ALSO ON SALE. HOW HAS THIS BEEN PERFORMING IN THE MARKET? PM: When I talk to architectural students about timber treatments it’s now a lot more detailed than, does it require treatment or not? It’s now matching the right Use Class of treatment – UC2/3/4 – to the right species and treatment cycle for where that timber is going to be used.
◄ TTJ: HOW IMPORTANT IS EDUCATION AT A MERCHANT / BUILDER LEVEL IN GETTING TRADESMEN TO PURCHASE CORRECT PLYWOOD PRODUCTS AND TREATMENTS AND WHAT EFFORTS ARE THE COMPANY AND TRADE BODIES MAKING TO BRING ABOUT GREATER AWARENESS? CAN SUPPLIERS/ BUILDERS HELP REDUCE THEIR LIABILITIES BY MAKING THE CORRECT CHOICES? PM: The whole ESP Panel and ESP Timber project has been driven to protect the reputation of timber products by ensuring their performance meets the expectation of the architect and end user, otherwise we
open the door to non-timber products as substitutes.
Education is the key to moving forward on correct specification at point of purchase and good site practice giving the product the best chance to perform. As chair of the Timber Development UK (TDUK) committee responsible for timber trading standards, we are focused on the need to identify the problems and resolve them where we can and then educate on “best practice” to make sure the correct material is matched to the right end use and that the site requirement to “treat” the product is met.
In my opinion this is as much the responsibility of the seller as the buyer.
Again, the crucial question when selling timber products is “What is it being used for?” – but if that pre-treated timber which is now the staple diet of most builders merchants stock holdings then has the end trimmed off to fit and that end is not then retreated on site, then you may as well have not bothered buying treated timber. TDUK is very focused on the education of correct specification at point of order on treated timbers. Articles and information are going out to architects and merchants alike to try and get the message across so that we can avoid timber getting a bad name on performance due to the right product not being supplied treated and fitted in the right way.
An end seal product has been on the
market for years and has never sold in the volumes that it should, which only confirms that builders are not retreating when they cut or drill pre-treated goods. As a result, the main producer removed it from sale two years ago. We have developed ESP Timber alongside
Above: ESP for Timber offers protection for cut ends of pressure treated timber TTJ | May/June 2023 |
www.ttjonline.com
ESP Panel so that merchants can promote good practice and get an extra sale with every panel and treated timber order. I personally feel that, in an ideal world, merchants should educate on invoice by recommending those products and practices that are required to make their products perform correctly and as required. And on larger jobs, have the product supplied as part of the order. If the contractor doesn’t apply it and there is a problem as a result, the responsibility is not then with the merchant but with the builder for poor site practice. We have been telling clients what is required for a decade but without a product to recommend that will do the job. Now there is ESP you can with confidence point your customers in the right direction, make an extra sale and, most importantly, avoid claims and complaints. ■
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85
