It's a panel product world.

[Don]

Hey, Guys. Unfortunately that's true. Peel it, shave it, chip it. Mix it with glue, press, cut and ship it out. That's the name of the game today.

Joking aside, where would we be without plywood, particle boards and composites? Some say we would be better off. Some say there is no way we would have the lifestyle we enjoy without it, namely a roof over our heads.

What do you think?

All the best, Don

Welcome to WoodworkingBuzz.com, the newest Woodworking forum and community. Use this area of the discussion forum to post about panel products.

[LSM]

Don,

I have a wood stud house with paneled walls. The chimney walls are also paneled.
A repair job was made to the rotten wood when we got the house, now about 10 years later this patch job is rotten. I have heard from someone that the paneling was to close to the roof (about ¾” above that matel strip that runs around the bottom – should have been about 2” up). All that said I know I can fix it myself by replacing all the paneling and trim (w/some info about spacing). What I would like to know is, if there is anything that I could use instead of the paneling? No real stones, bricks or anything like that but I was thinking about that recycled stuff that people are using for decks. I know the cost would change but it should last longer than the paneling. Right? Can you paint it like the rest of the house? Would I need any special tools? If it’s recycled plastic would it still be woodworking? I also like that man-made stone I have been seeing on new houses. Wonder what that cost, how hard is it to work, could it work? The chimney is about in the center of the backside of the house.

Thanks for any help
LSM

[Don]

Hey, LSM. Welcome to the forum. I know the problem you are writing about. Your chimney is framed and sheathed with plywood, probably a T111. The problem starts just as you described, the builders allowed only enough room to keep the bottom edge out of the water but did not allow enough room for the splashing water from a hard rain or enough room to dry properly. The problem gets compounded when leaves, dirt and debris build up in front of or along the edges. 2” in the clear would have given you a little more life, but a situation like this has a limited life regardless.

I have the perfect option for you, cement board. Names like Hardi-board or others can be found at the home improvement stores. You can buy it in 4 x 8 sheets in textures and styles that would compliment the house. You can cut it with a skilsaw with a special carbide blade made for that purpose.

Simply remove the existing materials, make sure the flashing is in good shape, cut and fit the new board in place. There are screws and nails made specifically for this material. They even have trim materials such as 1 x 4 and larger to complete the job around the edges and top perimeter under the chimney cap.

The beauty of this material is that it is relatively cheap, easy to work with; it is a little heavy though – and best of all – it will not rot!

Check this material out. You can paint it to match the rest of the place and never have to worry about it again.

As far as the faux stone and brick, this is certainly an option as well. It would be more costly and time consuming so you need to weigh that against the value of the property and the exposure to the street of the finished product.

The stone or brick veneer method will start with a good wood sheathing (or reinforced cement board), metal lath, a masonry scratch coat, the mortaring each piece into place. You will find that you will have to buy surface and corner materials, each are sold separately. The quantities are usually more than would be required for a project like yours. You will also need to consider the weight of the new materials. Most “chimneys” are merely a box around a metal flue. Very little load bearing weight on the roof itself. If you look in the attic, you will probably find that there were no considerations for excess loads being transferred to the structure below.

The home centers usually don’t have this material because it’s out of the range of most do-it yourselfers.

Anyway, good luck on the project.

All the best, Don

[Jammin]

What kills me in the custom world is competing with cabinet companies that have Thermo-foil cabinets. I cannot get Thermofoil because I dont buy in large enough quanties, so I am stuck with real wood venners. Then the customer wants to know why my price is so much more and I dont get the job. In todays world the customer doesnt care about if it wood or plastic, all they care about is the $$$$$$

[mmwood_1]

re:sheet goods
Sheet goods certainly have a rightful place in our world. Where that place is, can be a subject of debate. If you're building kitchen cabinets and you have in excess of 30 lineal feet of boxes, and only one or two exposed faces, why on earth would you want to make all the sides, bottoms, and interior shelves out of solid wood? Not to mention the backs. Veneered plywood works excellent for this purpose. It's plenty strong for most of these types of applications. When it comes to bookcases, if I have a span greater than 24" on the shelving, I usually prefer to use solid wood. When the shelf spans are over 32", I will recommend to my customers to go with solid wood at 7/8" thickness. Books are heavy and the shelves will want to sag, especially adjustable shelves, which are not fixed in back.

Particle board is more debatable. It's well known that it has significant problems with water. It also off-gasses much more and much longer than plywoods. It doesn't hold screws or nails as well as ply or solid. I suppose it may have a place, but I generally steer people away from it.

re:customers & $$$$
In my first few years of having my own shop, I mistakenly thought I was competing with furniture stores and production shops. Eventually, I came to realize that was a fallicy. It was really my customers who convinced me of it.
There were a few of them who'd seen something in a brochure, or a furniture store, and wanted me to make something like it. When I did, they were stunned at the difference, assuring me that although it was the same design, my custom made piece was, without question, 3 times the quality of what they'd seen. It took some years for me to really accept and believe that fact, though, and I worked for barely subsistance wages. The last couple of years has been a change for me. I raised my hourly, I bill for time and materials, which I stipulate very clearly in my contracts. The most important factor is maintaining the highest quality I am capable of. If folks are shelling out big bucks for my work, they darn well better get a superior product for it.

As example: I just finished a set of carraige doors for a couple who don't have a lot of money. I'd estimated it at $3500. Due to a couple things I hadn't foreseen, it actually took me 30 hours more than my guess. Because these were things I felt I really ought to have foreseen, I told them what I had into it, after the job was done, and told them I would bill them for what I had estimated, and if they were capable and willing to cover any amount of the extra 30 hours, I'd be greatly appreciative. They were so impressed with the doors, they covered the whole thing. ($900 above the estimate!)

So, my point is, a lot of customers really do understand and appreciate the difference. Just not the ones who are satisfied with Home Depot to begin with. When someone compares my prices to Home Depot, they're comparing apples and oranges, and I point that out. But if Home Depot is good enough for them, I encourage them to go for it.

[Don]

mmwood, extremely well said. What you have found is, if you give the customer more than they expect, you will be taken care of. People are so used to being taken advantage of or being disappointed that when someone steps up, they really shine.

This is a great life's lesson in business. Always give the customer more than they expect, more quality, more creativity, more attention, more promises kept. If you adhere to this principal, more often than not you will prosper. It's easy to outshine the other guy, just do a little more - he's not doing that much anyway.

All the best, Don

[woodman43]

You guys said it exactly right. Unfortunately most people only care about quantity not quality when they build things for a living. I am happy to be part of a group who does care and makes our industry shine.