TIMBER
MAKING BUILDING EASIER
T
he construction industry has undergone a significant shift in recent years, as people at all levels of the supply chain search increasingly for products that provide straightforward solutions to problems in the building process. For manufacturers, this means designing
products that are easier for tradespeople to fit, ensuring a perfect finish and an installation that will always meet the required standards. Merchants, who have thousands of products to choose between, and only a limited amount of stocking space, want to supply well-respected, good quality products, from trusted manufacturers that gives tradespeople reassurance they can complete a job first time round, with no risk of delays, callbacks, or problems on site.
Tackling building delays “With a high demand for housing, a stagnating housing market, and more people choosing to improve rather than move, the last few years have seen the RMI sector enjoying strong returns, with BMBI figures clearly showing continued value growth across almost all sectors. Unfortunately, this growth is being hampered by a widespread shortage of skilled, available tradespeople to install the products and work on sites” says group commercial director Simon Fleet. “A report by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) found that three out of five small building forms are having problems recruiting carpenters, joiners and bricklayers, with the latest FMB House Builders’ Survey reporting that building firms believe skills shortages will be more of a barrier to future growth than access to finance.” Fleet says that this lack of available tradespeople often causes delays in the completion of building projects, as construction firms struggle to find enough contractors. The resulting delays can cause additional costs, not to mention the potential knock-on effect of delays to future projects and the risk of financial penalties if works are not completed on time. “This often results in the final phases of a building project having to be completed quickly, and in less time than was originally allowed, as contractors race to complete an overrunning project. For this reason, products that can help save time on-site – particularly those used in the latter stages of a building or RMI project – are seeing increased demand across all sectors. “Take traditional MDF skirting, for example.
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Often some of the last products to be fitted in a renovation, these products are sold from merchants having been primed in the factory, but once on site they must be fitted, then either painted or varnished. Often requiring multiple coats, this means the contractor must apply the first coat of paint, wait precious hours – or even days – for it to dry, then return to the site to apply another coat to the skirting before the installation is complete.”
Fleet says that specifying fully-finished MDF skirting that has already been painted takes away this time-consuming process, helping to reduce the time that contractors need to spend on site, while also guaranteeing a consistent, quality finish.
“This is particularly useful for applications such as offices, hotels and student accommodation, where builders will often have a fixed time-frame in which to complete a project, with the potential for financial penalties if the work is delayed” he says, adding that this is why
W.Howard makes its full range of MDF profiles available as fully- finished products, as well as primed. “These fully-finished profiles and mouldings are created by taking the standard primed profile, then putting it through an additional process in the factory, where it is spray painted evenly to create a high-quality finish without the drips, runs or marks that can occur when hand painted on site. Going one step further,
W.Howard’s premier KOTA range is available fully finished as standard. Advanced Eastman Cerfis technology is applied to the KOTA range to create a tougher, polymer- based finish that is both durable and colour consistent. No Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are used in the manufacturing process, making it even more environmentally friendly Another benefit to the merchant of stocking fully-finished MDF profiles is the sheer number of colours that the product can be supplied in.
W.Howard’s fully-finished range can be made to
BMJ talks to W Howard to find out how specifying fully-finished MDF products can offer a fast-fit solution to save time and money on site, as well as helping merchants stand out from the crowd.
order in any Pantone colour, of which there are currently almost 2,000 available. This means the colour needed to match any building’s interior can be ordered from the outset, matching an exact paint hue, flooring colour, or even acting as a contrasting accent colour for dramatic effect. For example, Fleet explains,
W.Howard’s fully- finished profiles have recently been specified from a merchant for the refit of a 40-room block of student accommodation. The contractor specified bright red skirting for all the rooms, as they have just a three-week window during the Easter holidays to completely strip and re-do the entire block, which must be ready for the new term.
A separate brand
“Those merchants who are expanding their brands into the kitchen and bathroom sector by creating showroom areas in their branches, or even creating a completely separate brand, can also take real advantage of these products. “There is a growing trend for homeowners choosing hand or spray-painted kitchen cabinets and bathroom furniture in colours that stand apart from the standard white or wood- effect units. Merchants who offer kitchen and bathroom units can also stock and order fully- finished skirting that exactly matches the colour of the units, to create a striking, bespoke interior finish that really gives a home the wow factor the homeowner is searching for. “Offering fully-finished MDF profiles, as well as the standard prime versions, can really help merchants stand out as a business that offers a quality, high-end service that allows tradespeople to give their own customers a better finish. It will also, in turn, encourage loyalty among the merchant’s own customers, because they’ll know the service they get from that merchant will go above and beyond the competition.” BMJ
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net April 2019
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