Decking choices run from pressure-treated softwood to engineered boards, and the material family keeps growing. At one end of the spectrum sit structural products like metal floor decking used in commercial floor systems; at the other end sit the polymer planks that dominate showroom displays. PVC decking belongs to the second group: a board made […]
Two of the largest wood products companies in North America agreed to combine in an all-stock deal valued at $3.1 billion. When the transaction closes, the merged firm is expected to rank as the top global producer of both lumber and oriented strand board, with mills stretching across North America and Europe. For builders, the
Construction schedules depend on materials that arrive on time, and material production sits one step further back in the chain. When a plant that makes a core product slows down, builders feel it first as longer lead times and then as higher prices. The planning discipline that keeps aggregates and concrete production on schedule applies
Fire retardant treated wood, commonly called FRTW, is lumber pressure-impregnated with chemicals that slow ignition, limit flame spread, and reduce smoke production. Builders rely on it for roof sheathing, decks, exterior walls near property lines, and commercial assemblies where codes require fire-resistant construction. The treatment does not make wood non-combustible; it buys time, giving occupants
Thermally fused laminate, better known as TFL, is one of the quiet workhorses of interior construction. The panels surface kitchen cabinets, closet shelving, office casework, and store fixtures, and demand from specifiers and fabricators has grown steadily. Manufacturers are responding by adding production where it is needed most: one panel maker broke ground on a
Dock and marina builders have a growing appetite for composite decking. A decking manufacturer in the Great Lakes region recently organized a dedicated dock and marina division to serve that demand, creating a direct channel through which dock and marina suppliers and installers can get product, sales, and installation information from the maker. The move
Construction depends on a steady flow of framing lumber, and that flow is about to grow. A new sawmill under construction in Corinth, Mississippi, will add 250 million board feet of southern yellow pine lumber capacity every year once it reaches full production. The $160 million project is expected to create about 130 jobs by
Building product companies change hands with surprising regularity, and each deal reshapes what contractors can order and where it comes from. Machinery acquisitions get the headlines, including a recent deal that shows how strategic expansion in compact construction equipment works, but parallel moves in fasteners, hardware, and plastic components change the catalog that cabinet installers
Roofing manufacturers make capacity bets years before a roof is installed. When a plant expands, the decision reflects builders’ confidence, population growth, and the materials buyers favor. In the Phoenix area, a concrete roof tile plant planned to add more than 15,000 squares of monthly capacity, pushing total output toward 100,000 squares per month, to
Utility poles are among the most demanding products in the building material world. A pole stands outdoors for decades, carries live electrical loads, and resists moisture, fungi, and insects with nothing but its own chemistry. The preservatives that make that possible have changed before, and they are changing again. Leadership changes at major producers often
