You can’t discuss buying or renovating homes and condos these days without uttering the word “upgrade” somewhere along the way.

Hardwood flooring ranks among the top features buyers choose to install after purchasing a new home, says Kevin O’Shea, director of Monarch’s Ottawa housing operation.

“I’d say 80 per cent of our homeowners will upgrade to it from standard broadloom [carpet],” says O’Shea, who oversees construction of homes in communities across the city, including the company’s large golf-course development, rated one of the best in the city.

Hardwood is a hot trend for a number of reasons. One is air quality and ease of maintenance, requiring only a quick vacuum or sweep and wipe-down; whereas a carpet must be steam cleaned to remove most dirt and bacteria.

“My personal belief is hardwood is a cleaner environment in the home,” says O’Shea. “Carpets and broadlooms have been criticized for allergens, holding dust, sort of prohibiting the cleanliness of the interior atmosphere of the home.”

The second reason is all about fashion and the influential power of design media, including magazines, television and the Internet that do a lot of their photo shoots with hardwood. This drives home the perception that gleaming wood flooring translates into healthy and stylish living.

Yet making the decision to go with hardwood flooring is only the first step in what can become a complicated exercise. Walking into a flooring store or design centre can spur a multitude of overwhelming choices. There are many material options — domestic to exotic woods.

The form — engineered, prefinished, solid and laminates — to a raft of colours, widths and final finishes. Buyers also have to consider the purpose.

Will the floor serve a formal role in a low-traffic area, including the dining area or master bedroom? Or will it have to weather the nicks and gouges of a high-traffic area such as hallway or a recreation room where children and pets are certain to play.

In that case, scratch- and dent- resistant laminate, which is essentially coated melamine flooring with an image of wood on it, may be a practical option. It’s also about 50 per cent cheaper than real wood.  Read More

Architects seek wood that lightens a project’s environmental footprint.

Over the past decade there has been a dramatic upswing in the number of companies that want to build reputations as good corporate citizens. Natural, organic, and sustainable are all highly desirable characteristics in the wide world of products.  According to a 2009 study by accounting and consulting firm Deloitte Touche, 95 percent of shoppers would buy green provided they had the right information on an otherwise satisfactory item. But with the plethora of environmental claims by companies seeking to advance their products, “green,” “eco friendly,” “sustainable,” and the like are terms that have become confusing at best, meaningless at worst.  In order to keep from drowning in greenwash, the market has demanded greater transparency and verifiable evidence of sustainable performance all along the supply chain.

This article will discuss how architects can be reasonably assured that products, particularly wood products, are maximally sustainable. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and forest certification will be discussed in terms of their place on an architect’s sustainability agenda, and an LCA of western redcedar will be presented to demonstrate the level of research involved, along with results that can be expected from the life cycle approach.  Read More

Check out BC Wood members products on display at the BC Pavilion!

The British Columbia Pavilion is located at the beautiful Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) building next to Robson Square. You can expect to see a number of interactive displays that will highlight the rich cultural fabric of both British Columbia and Canada.  The Pavilion is open to the public and visitors will get full access to the VAG for free during the Games.  The venue is anticipated to be open between 10:00 am – 5:00 pm daily (no evening hours, private events only).

Check out the BC Wood Members that have supplied products on display in the Pavilion:

Brent Comber Originals
North Vancouver, BC
www.brentcomber.com

BW Creative (Rail Simple)
Maple Ridge, BC
www.railsimple.com

John Ross Design
Vancouver Island, BC
www.johnrossdesign.ca

Live Edge Design
Duncan, BC
www.liveedgedesign.com

Propellor Design
Vancouver, BC
www.propellor.ca

Silva Panel Canada Ltd
Maple Ridge, BC
www.silvapanel.com

Straight Line Designs / Judson Beaumont
Vancouver, BC
www.straightlinedesigns.com

Structurlam Products
Penticton, BC
www.structurlam.com

Synergy Pacific, Quattro Timber
Armstrong, BC
www.quatrotimber.com

[album: http://www.iforwood.com/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/BC Pavilion/]

There’s no constraining this closet and home organization manufacturer when it comes to improving efficiency and productivity in the workplace.  It’s been slightly less than two years since Richmond, BC-based STOR-X first embarked on a path toward lean manufacturing. Already, says STOR-X President Wolf Nickel, the company has seen significant reductions in inventory and material waste, as well as faster turnaround times.

Lean manufacturing is an ongoing process in which companies strive to eliminate waste in every area of production,
including work-in-process inventory and reducing non-value added activities. Read More.

Several cities exceeded expectations for housing starts in 2009.  Especially Edmonton saw more housing starts in fall and winter 2009 than CMHC forecasters expected. Only Greater Vancouver had fewer starts in 2009 than expected.

To view the January 2010 Western Canada Housing Market Tracker, click here.

BC Wood and FP Innovations (Forintek) present a dynamic workshop on marketing with international speaker and trainer, Neil Godin of Vancouver.

This workshop is designed to build on your existing skills in sales and marketing, and to introduce you to a practical, common sense way to plan and execute future marketing activities. The emphasis will be placed on fast-acting and inexpensive ways to build business—particularly now, when the economy is changing and is expected to become much more challenging.

Date: Friday, March 19, 2010

Time: 8:30 am-4:30 pm

Location: Coast Capri Hotel in Kelowna

Please click here for more information and the Sales & Marketing Workshop Registration form.

This workshop will teach you the latest developments, technologies and
an overall understanding of tooling for CNC routers right to your plant.

What you can expect from this workshop:

• choosing the right tool
• material properties
• proper parts holding techniques
• tool holding technology
• differences between cutting tools
• factors that affect the quality of cuts
• adjusting cutting parameter

For more information about this workshop, contact: Alain Albert at (604) 317-3714 or alain.albert@fpinnovations.ca.

Tooling for CNC Routers flyer

The Business Innovation Partnership (BIP) is happy to partner with the BCLTBI for delivery of the 2010 Industry Symposium.  Topical issues important to the industry will cover: Crane Operator Certification – Update on New Rules & Information; Updates on Codes & Standards Changes and Market Access Issues in the US and EU; Log & Timber Frame Value Engineering; and What the New Harmonized Tax (HST) Means to You. This is also an excellent opportunity for you to network with your colleagues and catch-up on what is happening in other parts of the province.  The Symposium is open to all interested industry participants.

DATE: Friday, March 12^th

LOCATIONS: TRADEX (1190 Cornell Street, Abbotsford, BC)

For a brief introduction on each speaker, click here.

For more information on the 2010 Industry Symposium and the registration form, click here.

This activity coincides with the BC Log Home Timber Frame and Country Living Show, which opens to the public on March 13^th. The BCLTBI is also planning their Annual General Meeting for Saturday evening, March 13^th.  For more information on BC Log Home Timber Frame and Country Living Show, click here.

For the registration form for the 2010 Log & Timber Building Industry Annual General Meeting, click here.

FP Innovations has released a new study on Wood Flooring Trends:

Trendsetting is an important tool for enabling manufacturers to be proactive rather than reactive in their business. In this issue we track in the Wood Flooring segment. Trends revolve around offshore competition, new material supply, consumer preferences, the environment and other factors.

As a manufacturer it is up to you to pick and choose  the trends and opportunities that best suit your manufacturing, marketing and customer profiles. We hope this document can tip you off to new opportunities, alert you to some pitfalls and inspire your product lines.

Click the link below to read the complete document.

Wood Flooring Trends 09

Welcome to the Business Innovation Partnership