woodezine - Volume II - Issue IV - April 2004

Supplier of the Month

Columbia Forest products

Founded in 1957, Columbia Forest Products is North America's largest manufacturer of hardwood plywood and hardwood veneer. The company also markets and produces engineered and solid wood flooring products. Columbia's decorative interior veneers and panels are used in high-end cabinetry, fine furniture, architectural millwork and commercial fixtures. Employee-owned and based in Portland, Oregon, Columbia employs more than 3,000 people and operates facilities in locations throughout the United States and Canada.

Sometimes a company just outdoes itself. This spring, that's exactly what happened at Columbia Forest Products in Portland, Oregon. On March 10th, they launched a proprietary line of decorative plywood featuring custom-matched hardwood face veneers that are specifically designed to resemble the look of solid lumber. Named Appalachian Traditions, the line features two collections combining five species and nine different match styles, each milled from Appalachian hardwoods.

The Contemporary collection, which includes Hartford Ash, Bristol Birch, Covington Poplar, Hampton Maple and Middletown Maple, provides a lighter palette, with smooth finishes and clean lines.


Hartford Ash

Bristol Birch

Covington Poplar

The Heritage collection, comprised of Berkshire Ash, Laurelton Birch, Townsend Birch and Roxbury Oak, features deeper color and emphatic texture for a more traditional look.


Berkshire Ash

Laurelton Birch

Townsend Birch

"Appalachian Traditions appears very similar to solid lumber," Columbia Vice President of Sales and Marketing Ed Woods said. "And the line gives consumers a variety of contemporary and traditional looks, all more economically priced than comparable exotic species."

On the same day the Appalachian Traditions line was launched, Columbia also released Columbia Alder (below), a fine-face alder veneer hardwood plywood from the Pacific Northwest. With a fine, light grain pattern and consistent color, Columbia Alder plywood works well with any interior design, from rustic to contemporary. Featuring uniform colors in hues ranging from honey to pale brown, with no visible boundary between heartwood and sapwood, alder plywood is easy to both match and finish, accepting an array of finishes from clear to dark cherry. Alder also ranks high in every major area of workability, including machining, sanding and gluing. Columbia Alder is available on a variety of Columbia cores and panel sizes and can be specified on FSC-certified panels upon request


March also saw the official launch of their EcoColors™ line of tinted, FSC-certified particleboard panels which were designed as an environmental alternative to melamine and other decorative surfaces. Created to be used in the manufacture of office cabinets and worktops, wall panels, residential cabinets, office workstations, furniture components, store fixtures, tabletops and displays, EcoColors is finished on both sides of each environmentally certified M-3 grade panel. The line will launch with six colors initially - taupe, zinfandel, straw and olive (shown), plus charcoal and natural - with other colors to follow. The transparent finish provides a subtle textural pattern, which distinctively differentiates it visually from melamine or plastic laminate.
"EcoColors is a unique decorative product whose composite texture is subtly visible through its topcoat," Columbia Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Ed Woods said. "And as a 100-percent FSC-certified panel it enables builders to earn points through the LEED Green Building Rating System™."

Taupe

Zinfandel

Straw

Olive

Finally, Columbia announced that it has entered into an agreement with Dow BioProducts to become the exclusive hardwood plywood manufacturer to utilize its WOODSTALK Fiberboard MR, made from wheat straw, as core material.
" We're very pleased to establish this partnership with Dow BioProducts. WOODSTALK complements both marketing and environmental initiatives for us," Ed Woods said. "Cabinet shops and furniture manufacturers have been actively seeking a core type with these features."

WOODSTALK provides many environmental advantages as a substitute for MDF and particleboard core, as it is manufactured with formaldehyde-free resin and annually renewable wheat straw fiber. And because it won't add any formaldehyde through its manufacture, this product will contribute to low-emitting materials points through the LEED Green Building Rating Systemª.

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