The stand comprised displays, including cut-away flooring, wall and roof panels and columns featuring its aspen laminated strand lumber (LSL) board, LSL rimboard and trusses, and its Solid Start 225i "one-size-fits-all" I-joist.
"These products do require market education, as they’re alternatives to what we’re used to; LSL for solid wood, glulam, and LVL and the LP225i for 8×2 and 9×2 solid timber joists (as well as being a product that demystifies the I-joist for builders)," said MBM director Stephen Sabine. "But the message is getting through. We now have 35-40 UK merchant stockists for the LP225i, which is available in sizes the white van man can just load up and take to site. Those who understand the product and get behind it are doing well."
Having started with the shorter dimensions, he said, builders were now taking longer lengths up to 12m, for which, unlike longer solid wood, there is no price premium.
LSL, he added, was suited for application in masonry and timber frame construction, including multi-storey in the latter.
"The market for it is developing and it’s increasingly backed with structural test data here," said Mr Sabine.
LSL rimboard had been a particular success. "It’s now being taken up by the big boys and they’re ordering by the container load," he said. "We estimate we’re now not far off 50% of the market."
Overall, he said, the UK market was looking increasingly strong, with customers "committing to good stock levels".
"The builder sector is still tough," he said. "But there’s more optimism and our Ecobuild stand visitors were 25% up on 2013."
