Talking shop with Depot's decking merchant
Despite the slow start to 2015 -- illustrated in part by the last bit of Boston's record snowfall melting away in mid-July -- it's been a very good year for decking and the economy at large.
At least, that's the viewpoint of Home Depot decking merchant Geoff Case.
"Whether the customer feels better about the economy, or the values of their homes have stabilized and come up a bit, it just feels like people are willing to come back in and spend," he told HBSDealer. "It seems like there's been a very healthy growth pattern over the last year, year and a half."
To be sure, this applies to wood decking as much as it applies to the rapidly growing composite market, but it's hard to deny that low-maintenance decking is having a big moment.
If there's been any sort of overarching theme this year, it's been that customers not only see the value of the low-maintenance -- they're also willing to spend more for it, Case said.
"Composite decking is up nicely throughout the country, and I think a large part of that is the fact that for a bit of extra initial spend, a customer can [install] a deck surface that really needs very little maintenance over the course of its 25-year warranty," he said. "So I think more customers are starting to understand [that they] need to spend a bit more at the start, but won’t need to stain and deal with color fade."
Here are a few of the other trends shaking up the Depot decking aisle over the past couple of years:
Capped composite decking.
Pressure-treated lumber with a lot of infused color. Case says Home Depot has mimicked premium species like red cedar depending on the region, and customers appreciate that they won't have to stain or seal for the first couple of years.
Instant deck makeover products. "You can change the look of your decking – especially around railings – for maybe a weekend's worth of work and a limited, DIY set of skills," Case said. These include pre-built railing sections, balusters made with metal instead of wood, post caps, and entire pre-built sections of pressure-treated or composite decking, such as Home Depot's proprietary Veranda brand.
On this latter point, Case says it's as much of a draw for contractors as it is the DIY crowd.
"We've found that customers are very [amenable] to the fact that you could buy the section and brackets on the post and drop it into place -- that’s a quick, easy fix. In the past you had to buy the railings tinker-toys style...it was a very lengthy project. Even the contractors have figured out that it's a cost savings to them, because they can have [their worker] move on to other jobs."
As for what's ahead, there are no specific promises, but a continued push toward value-added features tailored to their respective marketplaces, he said.