What do you guys do when you get an order of lumber and week or so passes then you get ready to use it and some of it has turned into pretzels? Take it back?
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Replies
I just had that very thing happen. Small deck package. PT and Krete. Some board warpage, but ALL Krete had been delivered unwrapped and had hardened due to rain.
Called Lowe's, they said they would replace. No problem. They did with no questions asked. Say what you want about Lowe's, but they do have a pretty liberal return policy.
In regards to board warpage, you can always use the argument that the material was improperly delivered...... load improperly stacked (2bys on top of 1bys)..... or load set on uneven ground, causing entire package to bow and warp.
Thanks Brady. Most of it is good but some ot the PT and Borate went south in a hurry.
You can expect PT to start yanking immediately if you let one side see sun to dry with the other side hidden.
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if you used a good yard they'll take them back and give you credit on their next delivery.
PT needs to covered with plastic or tarp and shaded from the sun as soon as it's dropped. Strapping it tight helps some. Sticker it if want to burn the time. Unequal drying is what causes it to pretzelate.
I use lumber tarps or just a couple sheets of plywood over
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
lumber tarps as in the ones used for loads on tractor trailers?
yes, ususally black one side to use in winter and white on the other for summer use.
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I have returned as long as 4-5 months later so long as it isn't growing mold.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Well I called my lumber yard and they said no. 2 months is too long for them. So i'm out some Borate and PT.
A good project manager has the right amount of material (with some extra) on site at the right time, sees that the material is treated appropriately, and that the excess is returned pronto. I'm honest about this and don't return material that was damaged on site. Some material does get wasted but I try and keep it in the 1% or less range.
This thing about having the right amount of material is almost an art... If you have too much the subs will be more prone to wasting it and more will get damaged on site from just laying around, but if you have not enough, this potentially holds up the subs - which is not an option, and spawns those emergency trips to the yard to get 5 boards....
BTW - what do you use the borate lumber for? We do borate treatments as a means of pest control but as far as I know, borate lumber is not available here...
Hello Matt. I used Borate for my sole plates. We have all kinds of pests in my area so it is good insurance.
Borate PT is starting to hit the market to replace ACQ
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
What do you guys do when you get an order of lumber and week or so passes
Well I called my lumber yard and they said no. 2 months is too long for them. So i'm out some Borate and PT.
A week to 2 months is a big difference. Was it uncovered?
Why are you buying it and not using it for two months? Why not buy it when you need it? Is the price changing that much?Joe Carola
I'm thinking it was a week or two before he started the project and now( two months after delivery) he is wondering about returns.I can do it long after because I have a constant revolving relationship, but a one time customer is going to have a harder time of it.I know I get deliveries sometimes that are culled back from other jobs. I had one load of 2x6 that had a few 2" short and had various math figuring and doodles in pencil on some of them.but those were nice lumber and I was cutting 8-9" short anyways so no harm, no foul.He probably should have kept it covered better on site and dealt with returns more promptly.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Yup. I did have it well covered though.
I used to figure that I would lose about 15% to that kind of thing.
And there can be about that much waste factor in extra cripples and deadwood anyways, so they stuff got cut up and used short that way, selecting the straight stock for the studs and plates.
But lately it has gotten worse.
I am on an island and I think some of the yards assume that because it is more trouble, we would rather find away to use it than send it back, so they send us the culls more.
So for the last couple years, I order yet another 15% more than I kn ow I need and when I am finished, I send back what is left. It just happens to be the worst of what they delivered!
;)
I can play games too.
But I don't mistreat the material. Keep it covered from rain and sun
I think that with the changes in this business, that the yards are more competitive on price and wanting to satisfy customers to get the business.
But on the other hand, I think the mills are turning out worse lumber trying to wring every nickle they can out of stumpage. Too much wane and bark corners
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
What do you guys think is an acceptable time frame for using the lumber. If it sits a week, 2 weeks, 3 months covered and out of the sun and rain should you still be able to return it?
ask your supplier.
2 weeks would be acceptable for me, 3 months is stretching it too far. I usually aim for deliveries every week or every 2nd week (smaller theft target) so the rejects get sent back quick enough.
I used 84 Lumber in building my house and they had no problem replacing bad stuff or stuff that developed post delivery warp.
Runnerguy
We end up with almost no waste with framing lumber. By the time a house is completed we have eaten through all the culls and are buying new wood for blocking, etc. Some of the worst culls have been used several times for temporary braces.
PT is another story. Get it nailed up as soon as possible and return anything that comes to you dry and twisted. The wet wood from the middle of the pile is usually fine. Don't let is sit around or you may have 50% waste. Also don't use treated wood in any application where you need precision and uniformity. It should be treated the same as any green lumber.