Z| Showroom Specialists
Building a bridge normally requires civil engineers and plenty of construction workers. But at Siewers, only two strong men bridge the “counter” area and the outside sales team. Meet Matt Armstrong and Steve Flowers. In many ways, they’re opposites—Matt is messy, Steve’s a neat freak—but they are closely aligned on their business ethics and approach. Sometimes, they’re taking the load of Siewers’ three outside sales guys, and often, you’ll find them working the counter with the inside sales team. “We do our own paperwork on everything...from estimating to ordering,” said Matt. “It leaves less room for error, and we are responsible for taking care of the customer throughout the process.” Considering the wide range of products that these men recommend to hundreds of customers each week, it pays for them to have the most recent information available. For example, if a contractor needs guidance on interior doors, Matt knows the nine standard sizes and 15-20 styles in each type of material—wood, masonite, or MDF—all off the top of his head. “We probably have 80 distributors and vendors programmed in the speed dial,” laughed Steve, whose extensive knowledge of doors and windows has been polished in the last 15 years. Both are experts at building relationships and solving prob-lems. Under their tenure, the sales of windows and doors has seen continued growth. “It takes time to educate customers and find out what they want,” says Matt. Depending on the project, the Siewers team is often educating the homeowner instead of the builder. Although plenty of information is available on the Internet, Matt and Steve are great examples of Siewers‘ service in action. “We can order from almost and window and door manufacturer, but the features and benefits on many items are so similar it can be confusing. Our customers put their trust in us to highlight the differ-ences and guide them to the right product for each job,” said Matt. Although both Matt and Steve have been with Siewers only two and three years, respectively, they’ve both been influenced by “the great people who work here.” According to Matt, “there’s an unbelievable amount of talent—they don’t just hire anybody. The goal is to hire folks who want to stay here, who have good personality, and who work well with customers.” Steve added, “Although I had lots of experience in windows and doors, I had no concept of what a mill operation was like and what our capabilities were. We have people in this company who know so much about every aspect of the lumber and mill-work business that if I don’t know something, I can get answers.” And when you’ve got questions, these are the guys who have answers.
Dimensional lumber, typically 2 x 6, is the most commonly used size of decking. Since decks are primarily outdoor structures, these are many options to help with moisture stress, which causes wood to swell. As the wood dries, it shrinks, leading to warping, cracking and “cupping” over time. There are many types of decking products available, including cedar, purpleheart, and redwood. Because these woods are naturally rot-resis-tant, they are typically not treated with any chemicals. Western red cedar changes from red to silver gray with age; to keep the shade intact, use a protective stain and sealer. Red-wood also ages to a pleasant gray, but needs a sealer to look its best. If the wood is exposed to continuous moisture, it will turn black. Other alternatives include Philippine mahogany, a tight-grained hardwood that looks like teak if marine oil is applied, or Ipé, a South American hardwood that is bug and rot resistant. It’s extremely hard and sometimes is known as Ironwood. Treated decking (also called “pressure treated”) can help adjust the cycle shrinkage and expansion. Water repellants can slow down the absorption and release of moisture to help maintain dimensional stability and increase longevity. The woods that are traditionally treated are southern yellow pine. We have a wide selection of sizes and premium grades of lumber for your next deck project; our biggest sellers are 12' and 16' in 5/4 x 6 and 2 x 6. Almost any deck can benefit from spring cleaning with a good stiff broom; pressure washing is a popular way to deep clean timber decks before applying a stain or water repellant sealer. It is best to apply the sealer at least every other year to prevent cracking. As the wood in the deck weathers, small splits will often appear on the surface of the boards, which typi-cally does not affect structural integrity. Simple maintenance, a great installation, and of course, the right type of decking job will help create a living space that will perform beautifully for years.
On The Counter Our trim and moulding catalog has been newly revised and is now avail-able at the front counter—and we have burned it to CD, too. Ask for your copy next time you’re in the store. Window replacement occurs for many Virginia homeowners about every 7-10 years. Although this is common among experienced remodelers, those new to the trade (or their customers) may need guidance. We have lots of ideas that will make the process considerably less painful, including product suggestions and installation pointers. Even if you’ve replaced windows dozens of times, take a few minutes to query our window experts and you may learn something new! Pergolas are quite popular in central Virginia. Often made of redwood or cypress, these structures provide a visual and architectural support for climbing vines such as Confederate jasmine or sweet-smelling wisteria. If you’re new to pergolas, read up with some of our resources from Taunton Press. We can also give you suggestions and our thoughts on the best products to use for your plan.
Want to do-it-yourself? We have a library of videos available to our customers on pro-duct installation—please inquire at the counter. Service with a smile…or a joke…or just an old-fashioned “thank you.” That’s one of the differences you’ll find at Richmond’s oldest lumber and millwork store. “If you can run a business ethically, and it gives you pleasure and makes profits, there is no better thing in the world.” –Lillian Vernon, Entrepreneur
Employee anniversaries this quarter (10 or more years at Siewers):
Thank you for your hard work!
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