DeckExpo 2010 Recap
PDB's editor, Andy Engel, reports from Baltimore on products, happenings, and trends
I spent last week in Baltimore eating crab cakes and hanging out at DeckExpo, which for the second year was co-located with the Remodeling Show. I don't know the official number of attendees yet, but all the booth space sold out, and the floor seemed almost constantly busy. Considering the state of the economy, that turnout was encouraging. I took it as a statement of, if not confidence, at least a cautious optimism.
Unlike previous years, no one was making a big deal about new decking products. Sure, there were a few new items in this category, but none of the major synthetic decking or railing manufacturers were vying very hard for my attention. In fact, the decking standout this year was the Wood Pavilion (Figure 1). Designed by PDB's own Bobby Parks and built from treated southern pine, cedar, and redwood by T.W. Ellis, a Baltimore-area contractor, the pavilion was a joint effort of the Southern Pine Council, the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association, Humboldt Redwood, Mendocino Redwood, MicroPro, Real Outdoor Living, and NADRA. Given the growth of synthetic decking in the last decade, it was interesting to see this push back by the wood industry.
Figure 1. The Wood Pavilion, a joint effort of several major players in the wood decking market, seemed to herald an organized response to the inroads made by synthetic decking manufacturers.
One trend I picked up on was deck remodeling or rehabbing. Given the economy, and the number of neglected wood decks gracing the countryside, this made sense. Several companies were selling pry bars intended for decking. One new entry that caught my eye was the Duck Prybar, made by a gentleman from Mississippi, David Smith. What I liked about the Duck was its adjustable head (Figure 2 tk). A splined axle allows a variety of positions, and it can be angled back far enough that you could even stand on the deck board behind the one you're tearing out, instead of dancing on the naked joists beyond.
Figure 2. The Duck Prybar features an adjustable head so you can lever off decking from a variety of angles.
Another entry in the rehab category was a sander for, among other things, decks (Figure 3). The Onfloor 16 is a rotary sander with three 6 1/4-inch counter-rotating heads (Figure 4). What that means is you can control the machine with a fingertip. True story — I did so. Other heads are available, including planer heads for leveling badly cupped decking. The machine hooks up to a vacuum, which, from what I could see, captured nearly all the dust. The whole kit runs about $5,000, an investment that opens up a new market for deck builders looking to broaden their base. For occasional users, the Onfloor 16 can be rented from Benjamin Moore dealers.
Figure 3. The Onfloor 16 sander hooks up to a vacuum so you can sand decks with a minimum of dust.
Figure 4. Three counter-rotating heads make the Onfloor 16 so smooth you can operate it one handed.
Of course I spent some time watching Mike Guertin's deck clinic — that alone is worth the price of admission. Mike showcased a stair-stringer hanger (Figure 5) and a less-expensive hold-down for mounting newels (Figure 6), both by Simpson Strong-Tie. Simpson also has a new tip for its collated screw gun that registers on the joist to center the screw, and gauges in 3/4 inch from the edge of the board to provide perfectly spaced fastening (Figure 7).
Figure 5. Simpson's stair-stringer hanger provides positive attachment and a low profile.
Figure 6. Mike Guertin shows off Simpson's newel connector.
Figure 7. Simpson's Decking Clip fits its QuikDrive collated screw gun, and is meant to center the screws in the joists and place them a uniform distance from the edge of the board.
FastenMaster, known for LedgerLok screws and the Cortex deck fastening system, was showing off a new through-bolt (Figure 8). Available the middle of October, the ThruLok comes in three sizes: 6 1/4 inches, 7 inches, and 8 inches. Although it's suitable for a variety of applications, the ThruLok is aimed at bolting beams to posts. It looks a lot like a LedgerLok, but it's got a funny-shaped zinc nut that makes it act like a through-bolt. In short, using an impact driver or a cordless drill, you run the screw through the members to be bolted together. Stop about 1/4-inch shy of setting the screw. Reach around the other side to where the screw should now be protruding and thread on the special nut hand-tight. Give the screw a couple of more turns with the driver, and you're done. Three of these screws are said to replace two 1/2-inch through-bolts, and they're a lot faster.
Figure 8. FastenMaster's new self-drilling through-bolt is far faster than traditional through-bolts.
The last hot product category was hidden-fastener installation systems. Following the wave begun by Tiger Claw's pneumatic system last year, several manufacturers have come up with competing systems. Hidfast, reviewed in the article "2010 Decking Update" in the September/October 2010 issue of PDB, works much like a hardwood-flooring nailer. Fasco's pneumatic nailer drives a screw-nail through the hidden fastener. Kevin Wadsworth's Deck Clip collates the fastener and the screw for use in collated screw guns. It will be private-labeled for Kodiak Decking.
While these things caught my eye, they were by no means the extent of the show. For example, contributing editors Bobby Parks and Glenn Mathewson each taught a couple of classes off the show floor. There's a lot of fun stuff that goes on, as well. I did a 10-minute interview with contributing editor Mark Clement and his wife, Theresa Coleman, for their weekly radio show, My Fix It Up Life. That interview was held in Guardian Building Product's booth, where I was stunned by the color palette (about two dozen hues) offered (Figure 9).
Figure 9. PDB contributing editor Mark Clement and his wife Theresa Coleman recorded parts of their weekly radio show at the Guardian Decking booth.
After-hours events sponsored by NADRA and others provided tremendous networking opportunities. Let's be honest — while you probably have a nodding acquaintance with some of your local competitors, I'll bet you don't share business information, even though you might like to ask how he does footings, or sales, or what have you. You are competitors after all. That reluctance to share information goes away when you talk to a deck builder from across the country, and that's who you'll meet at DeckExpo. The information flow and energy that goes on at DeckExpo is hard to describe. For me, it's the best part of the show. I can only encourage you to take the time for DeckExpo next October 11 - 14, at McCormick Place, in my favorite city for visiting, Chicago. (Before you go, watch the movie "The Ghost and the Darkness". Then visit Chicago's Field Museum to see how big those lions really were.)
Andy Engel
