National Hardwood Magazine - October 2014

STEPHEN PLAUD INC.

STEPHEN PLAUD INC. continued from page 29 Hardwood inventory of 20/4 bedpost stock includes Maple, Mahogany, Curly Maple and Cherry. “silky-smooth finish or hand-planed texture, two levels of distressing (gentle or generous) and any combination of oils, sealers, stains, paints, glazes, varnishes, waxes or lacquers,” according to Plaud. “Our color options include standard paints, stains and glazes or custommatched colors to achieve just the right look.” Like many Hardwood manufacturers who cater to the home-building industry, Stephen Plaud has dealt with its share of negative economic impacts over the last few years. “For many years we just kept growing and hiring and buying new machinery,” said Plaud, whose most recent equipment acquisitions included new CNC machinery that complements its hand-carving and other manual processes. “We’re innovative in that we use a 52 OCTOBER 2014 ■ NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE

combination of old and new technology to make our products.” Currently, Plaud said customers are still holding back on big purchases and non-necessities as they wait to see what happens with the national economy. This level of hesitation has made business challenging for Stephen Plaud Inc., which lost a number of key customers during the recession. “The housing market is important to us because people buy furniture to go in their new homes,” said Plaud, who is optimistic about the future and his company’s prospects. “I think our customer base will continue to grow, particularly as more consumers look for that ‘Made in the U.S.A.’ label. Right now we’re on a good path and we plan to continue on that route for the foreseeable future.” For more information visit www.stephenplaud.com. ■ Employees of Stephen Plaud Inc., Tiverton, RI. Lawrence Lumber Company Inc. P.O. Box 750 Maiden, NC 28650 Tel: (828) 428-5601 Fax: (828) 428-5602 website: www.lawrencelumberinc.com For Appalachian Hardwood lumber sales, contact David Boythe at (919) 830-4672, or email him at davidboythe@gmail.com Green lumber vendors please contact Steve Leonard at (828) 446-0845, or email him at sgleonard@bellsouth.net DELIVERING EXPECTATIONS WORLDWIDE Our Hardwood concentration yard in Maiden, NC is near Highway 321 and Interstate 40 where we process quality kiln dried Appalachian Hardwood lumber in these four species Red Oak, White Oak, Poplar and Ash. We: Sell kiln dried Red and White Oak in 4/4 through 8/4 thicknesses; Poplar in 4/4 through 12/4 thicknesses; and Ash in 4/4 through 8/4 thicknesses. The grades of lumber we sell are No. 2 Common and better. We are now a direct importer of African Mahogany lumber and can furnish you with kiln-dried 4/4 - 8/4 thicknesses of this species. Have 800,000 board feet per charge of dry kiln capacity counting our new predryer/dry kiln and five dry kilns. We also have two fan sheds totaling 500 MBF capacity. Have dedicated employees with many years of experience who are getting your orders prepared to your exact specifications. inspect our lumber after kiln drying. Offer many services like export prep, mixed truckloads, container loading, dipping our lumber in ISK Biocides’ chemicals, S2S, SLR1E, and width sorting. Process and sell 18 to 20 million board feet a year of the lumber species we deal in. OCTOBER 2014 ■ NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 53