Exterior Wood, Inc.

Dedicated to Preserving the Environment

One of the greatest resources our world has is trees. They add to its beauty and play a vital role in the very air we breathe. Through sustainable forest initiatives and proper treating practices trees are a renewable resource that will provide us with environmentally friendly building materials for this generation and all generations to come.

Exterior Wood, Inc. – Washougal, WA helps preserve the environment by preserving wood to be used where wood is constantly in contact with the ground or regularly exposed to moisture and/or environments where insects would otherwise choose to destroy the wood.

The first step in our process is to source wood from vendors who follow sustainable forest management practices and standards as specified by the Forest Stewardship Council or the Sustainable Forest Initiative. Then we make the wood last decades longer by pressure treating with the new generation chemical Wolmanized® Natural Select™ (copper azole). More information about the chemical, the treatment process, and the uses of the wood is available at www.naturalselect.com.

A comprehensive study conducted by Gradient Corporation of occupational, residential, and playground uses of wood pressure-treated with Natural Select™ preservative has concluded, “no adverse health effects are expected.” The highest potential risk was estimated to be 17 times lower than the level that the EPA uses as a safety benchmark, thus demonstrating the safety of Natural Select™ treated wood. A summary of the risk assessment is available at www.naturalselect.com/safetystudy.pdf. This is believed to be the first independent human health risk assessment of the new generation of treated wood products.

Dunn Lumber made the change to the non-arsenic attributes of Natural Select™ more than two years ago, leading out as one of the first to step up to a new generation treatment. This is just one of the ways that Dunn continues to run its business with the environment in mind.

For those interested in knowing more about Exterior Wood’s environmental policy and procedures, read on –

“Exterior Wood, Inc. believes that environmental stewardship is a corporate responsibility and simply good business. Organizational stewardship, in part, involves the responsible use, care and disposal of hazardous substances and/or wastes. Hazardous substance and waste minimization activities are critical elements of this corporate stewardship.

Exterior Wood has, and will continue to identify and implement opportunities to minimize the use of hazardous substances and generation of hazardous wastes whenever practical. Such activities are more than sheer exercises, but are measurable signs of progress and accomplishment. Cost reductions, increased operational efficiencies and product quality improvements can and should be the result of sound pollution prevention planning and activities.

Whenever hazardous substances are used or hazardous wastes generated, Exterior Wood will thoughtfully and safely manage the risks associated with these activities in order to minimize the potential impacts on our employees, community, and environment. Where non-hazardous substances or wastes are generated, Exterior Wood will continue to promote environmentally sound waste reduction, disposal, recycling and/or other pollution prevention measures as a logical part of doing business. When implementing selected opportunities, Exterior Wood will make all efforts to avoid shifting risks from one part of a process, environmental medium or product to another, unless a reduction in overall risk occurs.”

Wood Doors Are Back

The entryway in today’s custom homes provides an opportunity to make a unique, individual statement. It is often the personal signature that expresses the unique character and style of a home. Often the entry door becomes an entry “system” that integrates larger, often paired doors and lots of glass–sidelights and transoms that emphasize the architectural theme of the home. For this reason, custom homebuilders are spending a greater percentage of their overall building budget on the entryway.
Technological advances in wood entry doors and glass have contributed significantly to this trend. Developments in door construction/design have given architects and builders greater flexibility to reinvent the entryway. Wood doors, sidelights and transoms also offer greater flexibility in sizes and design. This is in contrast to steel and fiberglass doors that are essentially built from standard templates/molds and do not offer much flexibility for making slight adjustments to accommodate size and design changes.

Trend #1 A New Generation of Wood

For a time, the wave of the future seemed to be no-nonsense doors made of molded steel or fiberglass. Wood door manufacturers met the challenge and re-engineered wood entry doors to enhance performance and energy efficiency. For example, researchers studied how moisture infiltrates wood doors in extreme exposures and developed a way to block it. Simpson developed technology to help prevent moisture from seeping into the bottom rail, making the door resistant to moisture-related problems.

In addition, some wood door manufacturers have also re-engineered the door panels. As a modern wood panel is manufactured, it is sliced into two sections. One of those sections is rotated 180º and then is glued to the other piece. The opposing grain patterns and the glue reinforcement greatly strengthen the unit, resulting in a panel that will stay true and will not split through. These re-engineered components help resist the tendency to warp, twist or split.

Trend #2 Glass is growing

Today wood door designs are available to complement nearly any architectural style. Raised mouldings, decorative glass inserts and detailed patterns are just a few of the new design elements, which can be combined to create highly individualized doors.

Part of this new popularity is due to improved insulation. New insulated glass design are now airtight and offer such advantages as triple glazing on leaded glass inserts, argon gas in insulated glass units and warm edge technology that contribute to better performance.

Currently, the look of Craftsman or Prairie style architecture is enjoying renewed popularity bringing back the leaded glass French door and art glass. These doors, characterized by intricate geometric patterns, are now triple-glazed, and the leaded glass is sandwiched between layers of glass. This makes for easier cleaning and much better resistance to heat loss. These finely crafted panels express a homeowner’s individual style through patterned, colored schemes and often imitate the works of early 20th century Craftsman style architects.

DuPont™ FlexWrap™ – An Innovative Flashing Tape for Windows & Doors

DuPont Tyvek® Weatherization Systems is proud to introduce a new member to the family— Tyvek® FlexWrap™. This innovative window and door flashing tape provides comprehensive protection against damage caused by water infiltration. At long last, a moldable, easy to install, flashing tape that conforms to fit most any window. And it is made by DuPont, a trusted name in building science products.

There are many ways that water can find its way into a window or window opening.  A window will not perform to a builder or homeowner’s expectations if it is not properly flashed and leaks occur. The DuPont™ Flashing System provides comprehensive protection from water leaks.  It is designed to help direct water to the building exterior instead of trapping it inside the wall system and causing water damage. Save yourself from costly call-backs by properly flashing with DuPont™ FlexWrap™ and DuPont™ StraightFlash™. And save yourself labor costs – our a install quickly and easily.

DuPont™ FlexWrap™ is a moldable peel and stick flashing material made with Tyvek®, an elastic material, a polyolefin film, and a highly adhesive butyl sealant. DuPont™ FlexWrap™ is uniquely engineered to address the issues of flashing the vulnerable bottom corners at the window sill where damage is most likely to occur. FlexWrap™ is wrapped into the sill rough opening before the window is installed, making one step, and seamless protection possible. It also flashes round-top or custom shaped windows in one seamless step, and eliminates the need to slowly cut-and-place individual pieces of conventional flashing to an arched window. DuPont™ StraightFlash™ and FlexWrap™ are designed to be compatible with the products of Tyvek® Weatherization Systems.

Wolman® Raincoat® is a totally clear, mildew-resistant water repellent designed to protect wood from the dangers of water absorption while allowing the wood to gray naturally. Raincoat® is also available with Natural Wood Toner whose color highlights the wood grain bringing out its natural beauty. Unlike some coatings, Raincoat® can be applied immediately to new, damp wood – even pressure treated lumber.

Dunn Lumber serves coffee from Pura Vida – a Seattle based company with a unique mission. 100% of Pura Vida Coffee net profits and donations benefit at-risk children in coffee-growing countries. Pura Vida specializes in certified Fair Trade, organic, shade-grown, high-quality Arabica coffees that help raise living standards for farmers and their communities while protecting the environment.

Pura Vida Coffee is the product of an ambitious and radical idea: that the resources of capitalism and the power of technology can fuel work that brings comfort and hope for a better future to children living in need.

The origins of that vision go back to a small coffee shop at Harvard Business School, where students Chris Dearnley and John Sage met in 1987. They took very different career routes–Chris into ministry and John into high-tech marketing–until the two combined their skills to pursue a shared mission. Today, Chris oversees Pura Vida Partners’ work in helping children in troubled areas of San Jose, Costa Rica. John handles the business side of Pura Vida Coffee in Seattle.

The name “Pura Vida” carries an apt dual meaning. In English, Pura Vida translates to “pure life.” On the streets of Costa Rica, Pura Vida also means “cool,” “great” or “awesome.” The double meaning captures a central vision: great Pura Vida products supporting the great cause of a pure life for children in need. Every time you buy Pura Vida coffee and products, you directly help provide hot meals, clothing, medicine, addiction treatment and hope to thousands of needy families. That's because Pura Vida contributes all of its net profits to Pura Vida Dunn Lumber is proud to partner with Pura Vida and give you a great cup of coffee while making a real difference in children’s lives.You can learn more about the Pura Vida and its unique mission at www.puravidacoffee.com.