SELLING GARDEN TIMBERS Picture: Metsä Wood
of your business. Composite decking used to be perceived as a higher-priced product. With the new ranges coming through from Trex you can now offer your customers varying price points to meet their different budget levels.” The question of whether to stock depends partly on space and partly on the service agreement you may have with your supplier, according to Nigel McKillop, Sales Director UK at Metsä Wood: “We have our own composite decking product and this is available in modern colourways including grey and black. Merchants need not carry stock since we deliver to them twice a week and can quickly fulfil any requirement for composite decking.”
Wider deck boards
Changes are afoot in the composite decking market according to David Whitehill, Director at Compass Forest Products: “We’re seeing the general move in the indoor flooring market being mirrored in composite decking, in that boards are definitely getting wider. Up to now, composite decking boards have reflected the traditional 120mm and 145mm sizes in the softwood decking market. With more kitchen renovations now opening directly onto gardens, there’s a need to carry the visual aesthetic through to outside.
“Our new PEFC™-certified TruDeck product manufactured in Germany, offers193mm boards in contemporary Silver Ash and Woodland Brown colourways. Wider boards also offer a saving to the fitter needing less fixings and less time to lay. The figuring on the boards is not repetitive: it follows the natural patterns found in solid wood.”
In addition to composite products, specialist decking can give merchants a new window onto sales, says Metsä Wood’s Nigel McKillop: “With the introduction of more outdoor recreational areas either in public houses, clubs, care homes and children’s nurseries, WalkSure’s noise- suppressing ability, BS-accredited low slip rating, and the softer surface for anyone who may fall,
Specialist displays?
Is it worthwhile for merchants to install such specialist products in external displays? Metsä’s Nigel McKillop says perhaps not: “Landscaping displays that include decking of any kind can be useful where there’s space. Being honest, though, they only work well if they are kept looking great all year round. We sometimes find that other products for sale have been put on top of them, so it’s impossible for the customer to get a feel for what they will look like in situ. We also know from our data analysis that the majority of merchant customers come in regularly to branch, so a landscaping display that isn’t refreshed or changed around regularly ceases to grab their attention and they go back to their basic buying patterns.” He adds that decking accessories can be a useful add-on to merchant decking sales: “When we first started offering decking products at least 20 years ago, the decking accessories everyone wanted were of matching timber. Today that’s very different: decking accessories featuring steel and glass are extremely popular to give a contemporary feel.
Garden timber cladding Beyond the cut and thrust of the decking market,
has given it a distinct market advantage over aggregate-filled anti-slip decking. GrasseDeck has found its place in urban settings, for town and rooftop gardens, particularly as it dries out quickly after rain. “Both WalkSure®
and our GrasseDeck® are
best sold to customers by engaging them with a sample, whether this is a two-inch sample block on the counter, or a longer piece hanging on the wall,” adds Metsä’s Nigel McKillop. “It’s the feel of them which is important to customers who might purchase these added value products. We also support merchants with positive customer testimonials and POS. Customers value the reassurance that others have created great spaces with these products.”
merchants looking for a consistent seller should take another look a timber cladding for garden buildings, says Jason Ostler, Managing Director at Arbor Forest Products: “Although many merchants now sell complete sheds and garden buildings, external cladding for shed repairs and shed-building is still a profitable category to stock. We’re now seeing merchants adding value to that offering by selling pressure-treated external claddings, such as shiplaps, lifting these products out of the commodity bracket. The correct preservative pressure treatment for external claddings is to Use Class 3, for external timbers used above ground.”
Right treatment
The Timber Trade Federation, as part of its Timber you can Trust campaign, is working to reinforce knowledge in the merchant sector on the different types of timber treatment. Use Class 2-treated timbers are suitable for internal use only; Use Class 3 treatment is for products like cladding which are used externally but only above ground, and Use Class 4 treatment is for timbers which are in contact with the ground, whether that is permanently, such as fence posts and decking joists, or temporarily. “It’s extremely important that all merchant staff understand these three different levels of treatment and sell the appropriate treated product for the end use,” concludes TTF Managing Director David Hopkins.
Picture: Metsä Wood
Picture: Compass Forest Products May 2019 / 15
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