The Finer Details

In a world of cookie-cutter subdivisions and deteriorating older homes, millwork is making a bigger push in the housing market as some consumers look for ways to make their homes unique and others take on the task of fixing up their historic homes. Not only is wood still a big player in the millwork industry, but synthetic materials are reshaping exterior millwork products and what can be done with them.

The wood millwork market is continuing to grow and the demand is boosted during low periods of construction by the remodeling/replacement sector. In 2003, the sales of millwork products reached $13.9 billion. This was an increase of 1.2 percent. Despite competition from other materials, wood millwork products are expected a continued rise of 1.2 percent until 2014 when it is estimated to reach $15.9 billion.

As mass produced neighborhoods have become a staple across the United States these days, homeowners are looking to find ways to distinguish their home from their neighbors. Greg Wolf, director of marketing for Fypon, a manufacturer of synthetic millwork products, is very aware of this trend.

"It's the types of houses being built right now," says Wolf. "People are looking for accent pieces to dress it up a little bit."

According to Tom Candito, custom shop division manager of Van Millwork, a New England millwork supplier, one of the reasons millwork is so big right now is because of the involvement of homeowners in the design process.

"People are building bigger more detailed homes custom designed to their tastes," says Candito. "They want it exactly how they viewed their prints — down to the smallest detail."

Restoration has also contributed to the exterior millwork's success. Van Millwork was able to work on an 1800s house in Beacon Hill, a historic neighborhood in Boston. The porch was deteriorating and the owners were looking to restore the home to its original design. After finding an original set of prints, Van Millwork's team went to work to duplicate the entire design and give the old home a face-lift.

In another example a builder who was renovating a Victorian bed-and-breakfast used AZEK Trimboards, another manufacturer of synthetic material millwork products, in to order deal with the problem of availability. After finding out that the Victorian crown molding that was rotting and crumbling from the building was no longer available in wood profiles, he had a mill shop re-create the product using AZEK Trimboards.

Inside the new materials
When it comes to exterior millwork products, synthetics are making big strides in the industry. As people's lives become busier, homeowners are looking for ways of building and maintaining their homes that amount to low upkeep. Ralph Bruno, president of AZEK Trimboards, believes he knows the two things really driving the market.

"One of the big dynamics pushing the market is consumers looking for products that don't require all the upkeep of wood," says Bruno. "Overall trim really defines the home, making it stand out from the monochrome vinyl wrapped house. Consumers really like the warm feel (trim) gives the home."

Mark White, president of Architectural Elements, a distributor of synthetic millwork products, agrees with Bruno as to why consumers are investing in man-made materials.

"We are in a time frame where older buildings are pealing and rotting," says White. "Consumers are driving the synthetic market for its low maintenance and longer life cycles. Homeowners also don't want to have to worry about painting all the time."

So just what are all those new products and technologies that are being used in millwork today? According to Architectural Elements, there are four materials used in a majority of processed millwork pieces: high density polyurethane, flexible moldings, GRG and PVC.

High density polyurethane is a foam that is expanded in a closed mold where the foam has no where to go causing a higher density product generally compared to that of white pine. Because polyurethane is a closed cell structure, it does not absorb or transmit water or water vapor and resists the growth of mildew and fungus.