Like many other wood product manufacturers, deck builders will find a wealth of relevant information on the J. Gibson McIlvain website (mcilvain.com). Of course, you can also find an even more extravagant inventory of exotic decking lumber in our lumber yard. We’re passionate about providing you (and your customers!) with solid information about deck building along with premium decking lumber and other deck-building supplies.
Easy-To-Share Information for Deck Builders
One of the hurdles that can plague deck builders is the disparity between customer expectations and what’s reasonable. The more informed your customer is at the outset, the happier he or she will be with the finished product. Feel free to point your customers to our informative articles about issues such as color matching, gap size, and proper lumber drying. We also have some information to help you steer those asking about composite decking toward real wood, instead.
Strategies for Saving You and Your Customers Money
Ipe decking is clearly the most long-lasting and visually impressive tropical decking option on the market; but it’s also quite pricey. J. Gibson McIlvain can partner with you in helping you save as much as possible on the Ipe decking you purchase. Not only do we provide the option of buying odd-length Ipe decking, but we are also happy to provide tips on strategically planning your Ipe purchase as well as considering alternative tropical decking species and understanding how they compare to Ipe. We also encourage customers to steer clear of plus-sized decking and overbuilding their decks and boardwalks, in order to avoid unnecessary waste as well as expense.
Specific Areas To Consider When Installing Decks
Especially if your main business is not deck building, you may benefit from learning more about how decking lumber differs from other types of lumber. If you’re not used to working with Ipe, you may benefit from learning about installation eccentricities that surround that amazing but unique species. If you’re curious about how Ipe needs to be dried, we have some information you will, no doubt, find invaluable. For those who want the skinny on fastening systems, we offer our expert opinion on that topic, as well. We can also provide fasteners, along with cleaners and brighteners, with your decking lumber order; we can ship them to you along with any other lumber you may need for the supporting structure for your deck.
Perhaps even more significant than any of the above information is the fact that J. Gibson McIlvain is extremely cautious — perhaps even a tad obsessive — about quality control, especially when it comes to our Ipe decking. We think you and your customers will appreciate that fact, not just today, but years and even decades down the deck.
