International Wood International Wood 2006 | Page 29

Imported plywood is often an unseen material in
manufactured housing, selected for its high strength, light
weight, and smoothness which allow the manufacturer to easily
laminate paper or vinyl to meet any customer’s design need.
Not surprisingly, imported hardwood plywood is increasingly
used in the construction of manufactured homes. Imported plywood
is often an unseen material in manufactured housing, selected for its
high strength, light weight, and smoothness which allow the manu-
facturer to easily laminate paper or vinyl to meet any customer’s
design need.
Imports complement the work at hand for U.S. manufacturers
of factory-built homes. The cost savings and versatility of these
products are gateways to bringing in more diverse design elements
and materials.
“There is a huge movement within the industry to build homes
that look like traditional residential homes, with features such as
pitched roofs, gabled entries, dormers, large banks of windows, etc.,
that make the manufactured home compatible with almost any
neighborhood style,” Stinebert explains.
“Interiors feature open fl oor plans that adapt more readily to a
family’s active lifestyle. There’s a greater concentration on providing
all amenities you would fi nd in a traditional site-built home, such as
state-of-the-art kitchens, home entertainment centers, and luxurious
baths in master suites. Pretty much what’s happening in housing is
also happening in manufactured and modular homes.”
This trend towards merging design styles of modular and tra-
ditional residential construction is expanding the use of imported
woods throughout these manufactured homes. From underlayment
in fl ooring or in solid components such as mouldings, imports are
cost effective yet compromise no standards in terms of specifi cations.
Lauan and meranti hardwood plywood are common elements of
factory-built homes, as are softwood lumber and softwood panels,
which are showing up more and more as designs advance.
Today, more of these homes are also using wood in the exterior. In
the past, vinyl siding or other types of siding typically viewed as less
aesthetically appealing were commonly used.
imported wood
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