Decking in plain view

Homeowners are turning their attention — and dollars — toward outdoor living.

In 2014, the Freedonia Group surmised that demand for decking was finally rebounding after its dismal performance in the 2008-2013 period. For the four years to follow, U.S. demand was projected to rise 2.4% each year, owing to renewed activity in residential construction and leisure space in general.



And with housing starts running at an anticipated double-digit growth rate, the opportunity — and the options — are proliferating.



Industry insiders maintain that real wood material makes up 70% of the deck market. The rest is a battle of the wood-alternatives, a growing field of products with a similar sales proposition: ease of maintenance and natural wood appearance.



Some see demand for low-maintenance composite and PVC decking gaining share in the traditional wood-deck competition. According to Freedonia, U.S. demand for wood-plastic composite and plastic lumber was set to rise 9.8% annually through 2018, with decking applications claiming more than two-fifths of that pie. Variegated and two-toned colors have registered on many a decking trend radar, and precisely for their natural looks.



As the material battle rages, probably the best way to highlight the appeal of the traditional and high-tech styles is to place them all in plain sight — directly under the feet, even — of the people who are shopping for them.



Want to know what the secret selling weapon has been for Adam Hendrix, president of Missouri-based Chic Lumber Co., since they rolled out their new showroom in November? A yellow brick road, of sorts, featuring a patchwork of available decking options that allows customers to get up close and personal with the material. In addition to the design center, there’s an 8-ft. by 100-ft. walkway leading to the entrance that’s composed of multiple 8-ft. by 6-ft. sections of one color. In a sense, what’s on the shelves is also below the feet. Everything the customers are walking on is a material that’s available in inventory.



“We’ve seen our deck sales grow just from the fact that people can stand on it, see it, slide their feet on it, touch it, feel it,” he said. “They know what it’s going to feel like when they’re walking on it. It also gets rained on, snowed on, the sun shines on it — so if it’s going to fade, it’s going to fade. The customer knows exactly what it’s going to look like once it’s at their house.”



For Jesus Guzman, president of Miami-based Shell Lumber & Hardware, the key to decking success is also fairly obvious.



“Our single greatest weapon is our employees,” he said. “At the end of the day, customers come to your store because of your employees — and buy from you or not because of your employees.”



Monthly training classes and regular visits from vendor partners help ensure the high quality of his sales staff, but Guzman also recognizes the value of a well-curated inventory. By stocking what some people typically sell by special order, Shell Lumber has become the go-to spot for contractors who need to install custom orders in a hurry.



“Today’s contractor does a less-than-perfect job of planning, and at no fault of their own,” said Guzman. “The contractor will give the bid to the customer and give a time frame, and the customer says, ‘OK, I’ll call you when I’m ready.’ Most of the time, when the contractor gets the call, the customer wants it installed yesterday. When you’re the only one in town that’s stocking what most people would have by special order, it guarantees you’ll get the business.”



Shell Lumber also monitors its in-stock product material every 15 to 20 days, reviewing what’s selling and what isn’t, and then reshuffling the mix accordingly. That’s a far cry from the quarterly evaluations typical of many other dealers, but decking is a special beast, says Guzman, with trends that are constantly on the move.



As far as staying abreast of them goes, success, in a sense, lies in taking cues from one’s customers, but Hendrix and Guzman have taken radically different approaches to this.



Chic Lumber has taken pains to avoid spreading itself too thin, choosing instead to specialize in Gossen PVC decking with a large, comprehensive inventory. This past year, Chic also brought in another inventory from Fiberon to round out its gamut, which ranges from tree and cedar to composite and PVCs.



“There are so many different companies,” Hendrix said. “There’s too much selection, and you can’t inventory everything. So we really went a different route, and we partnered with vendors we felt would ft best with us, and that’s all we’re showing. We’re still not going to be everything to everybody, but if they come in saying ‘We really like this product,’ we can show them the equivalent product we inventory and try to steer them in that direction.”



Guzman, as we’ve already established, has cornered the market on being the reliable provider of niche offerings, but there’s a rhyme and reason behind his selections. Trex, TimberTech and AZEK have been bringing a lot of success to Shell, and the company is currently looking at partnering with MoistureShield, which is already popular in the Florida market because it can be built directly on top of concrete without any elevation. But the product mix works because it’s based on customer demand: If people are coming in and asking for it, that’s an indication to the people at Shell that they should probably stock it.



But like Chic Lumber, the folks at Shell also believe in the power of “see for yourself.” A standard waterfall display provides an at-a-glance look at the decking options, and outside, where the material is stocked, there’s a comparison board with descriptions, as well as pros and cons.