iWood Timber Merchants Blog

Timber Merchants Win second Round of Business Competition

08/05/2012 16:04:13

iWood have won the regional round of the Local Business Accelerators Scheme!

This puts us in the nationals for a chance to win the top prize of mentoring by Dragon's Den's Deborah Meaden.

Click the picture to read the large version:

See the previous story where we won the local round: Timber Merchants win local business competition

Timber Merchants Website Success Article

03/04/2012 15:43:53

iWood has been featured on the front page of the business section in the Express and Star Newspaper. With a tight focus on our website, the article talks about iWood's huge national success and future plans for growth.

Click on the image below to open the article in its own page.

New improvements to your iWood Saved Quotes page

29/02/2012 13:34:20

Your ‘saved quotes’ page has been improved. You can now archive any of your quotes to tidy up your quotes screen and you can now easily add multiple quotes to your shopping basket in one go.

Archive your quotes

Each quote now has a tick box to the left of the quote number. Tick any quotes you want to archive, then click the button at the top of the screen labelled “Archive selected quotes”.

You will then see a confirmation screen that your selected quotes have been archived.

The quotes will then have been removed from your ‘saved quotes’ screen.

Archived quotes can be viewed and un-archived at any time by clicking on the “See your archived quotes” link near the top of the page.

Add multiple quotes into your shopping basket more easily

You can now select as many quotes as you want and add them all to your shopping basket with a single click.

Tick the quotes you want to add to your basket and click the button labelled “Add the selected quotes to your shopping basket”.

If there are already items in your shopping basket you will be asked whether you want to add the quote items alongside them or empty your basket and then add the quote items.

A confirmation message will tell you that your quotes have been successfully added to your shopping basket. You can then go straight to your basket or stay on the quotes page.

We always love to receive feedback so please let us know what you think to the changes.

NB. In order to save quotes and get to the page shown above you will need to open a free 'iWood website account'.

Singing iWood's Praises

24/02/2012 13:10:04

iWood are over the moon with the latest testimonial received : "Stanbrook & Nicholson Ltd have been buying European Oak from iWood since their inception. In our trade it is often difficult to get both service and product quality from our suppliers. iWood have consistently provided us with an absolute first rate product with sevice to match. A high proportion of our timber purchased comes as cut to size putting our wastage at nearly zero per cent. This also speeds our process of manufacture.". Many thanks indeed to Ben Stanbrook and Simon Nicholson, the owners of Stanbrook & Nicholson Ltd for this much appreciated and very positive feedback.

New pippy oak boules to arrive in the UK

19/01/2012 10:25:09

iWood’s buying team has inspected and secured new supplies of kiln dried European pippy oak boules.

Graded from light to medium pippy, the first delivery of the boules will arrive in the UK on the 20^th January in 27mm, 41mm and 54mm thicknesses.

iWood Wins Local Business Accelerator Regional Competition

17/01/2012 08:34:08

We are delighted to announce that iWood has won the regional round of the Local Business Accelerators competition!

iWood has been selected, along with two other businesses as a “most promising business” under three years old.

The win will see iWood receive free advertising for a year with the Midlands based Express and Star and be entered into the national competition with the chance of being mentored by Dragon’s Den’s Deborah Meaden.

Everyone at iWood is of course overjoyed by the news and very grateful for the recognition.

Director David Haddrell said “I’d like to take this opportunity to publicly thank every member of our staff for their ongoing hard work and dedication as they make iWood the successful and forward-thinking business it is today”.

For more information on the Local Business Accelerator Scheme please visit their website: www.accelerateme.co.uk

The following is reproduced with permission from the Express and Star:

Trio take prizes at Accelerator awards

Three companies have been chosen as winners of the Express & Star’s Local Business Accelerators competition.
Regional and local newspapers across the UK have pledged £15 million of free advertising to the most dynamic fledgling businesses as part of the competition, which will see a panel of local business exports providing mentoring and guidance to the winning companies. The winners were chosen by the panel, including Black Country Chamber of Commerce president Mike Dell, Johnathan Dudley, Midlands managing partner of accountants Crowe Clarke Whitehill, and Paul Hunt of Brierley Hill-based law firm Higgs & Sons, as well as Express & Star business editor Simon Penfold. Stourbridge company Pure Sport, which runs local authority sports development programmes,

By David Banner

building products company iWood Timber, based at Hixon near Stafford, and Bloxwich-based bespoke tailoring firm Stichy Designz have been selected as the three companies to benefit from guidance intended to accelerate their growth. One of the firms will now be selected to be nominated to go forward to regional level, with one firm in the country winning mentoring from Dragons’Den star Deborah Meaden. The Accelerators campaign is being coordinated by the Newspaper Society and attracted 1,000 entries in just its first week. It has also been supported by Prime Minister David Cameron.

iWood Joins TRADA

11/01/2012 13:36:04

In continuing efforts to constantly improve the level of service that iWood provides, we proudly announce that iWood is now a member of TRADA, the Timber Research And Development Association. iWood now has access to a wealth of technical information and knowhow allowing us to help our customers even more.

TRADA is recognised internationally as a centre of excellence on the specification and use of timber and wood products. They research the best ways to work with and treat timber, as well as working to best exploit its properties.

iWood looks forward to working closely with TRADA to provide our clients further invaluable information about timber that will help in their projects.

Timber Expo Success

03/01/2012 14:25:42

The 2011 Timber Expo has been hailed as a huge success. The exhibition was a great showcase for the timber industry giving people a chance to see new products and new technology there is on offer.

The 4000 visitors included architects, engineers, contractors and local authorities. The Expo was spread over two days and included a number of tutorials and seminars. The UK SIP and BM TRADA group forum created a swarm of delegates as they went to get involved and 200 people attended the wood awards 2011 on the opening day.

The Timber Expo 2012 will be held at the widely acclaimed Ricoh Arena in Coventry and will take place on the 25^th and 26^th of September. The 2010 show will showcase a display a number of applications for timber in the building industry and will remain the leading event for the timber industry in the UK.

New iWood website search function

18/11/2011 18:48:33

Looking for something specific? Saw something on our website but can’t remember where it was? Try our new website search function!

Located on the right hand side of the menu bar above, it will search through the entire website in seconds. We’ve loaded it up with every piece of text on the entire website, so if it’s on the site, you’ll find it!

Why not try a search now?

Imperial Measurements

21/10/2011 15:04:22

Just a quick note to say that as requested by some of our website users, the Planed All Round, Cut to Size and Beams pages all now have a simple imperial to metric calculator on them.

Simply enter your feet, inches or fractions, choose whether you'd like them worked out into metres or millimetres and press 'Convert'.

Here is a picture of the calculator in action:

As always, we welcome any feedback on this or any of the features of the iWood website.

Timber Packs Now Online!

11/05/2011 14:13:39

Visitors to the iWood website are now able to buy bundles of pre-cut timber - known as 'Packs' - available in the leading species such as European Oak, American Cherry, Sycamore and European Beech.

All you need to do is specify the species, grade and thickness that you prefer, and the website will show you the choice of packs from the hundreds that are available to purchase online that meet your criteria.

The system will only ever show you packs that are in stock - so you know that your choice will be with you in the shortest time possible!

Click here to browse available timber packs...

Options Include:

European Oak - Square Edge - Kiln Dried

Prime, Character and Narrows

American Cherry - Square Edge - Kiln Dried

Prime and Character

Sycamore - Waney Edge - Kiln Dried

Prime

European Beech - Slightly Steamed - Square Edge - Kiln Dried

Prime

Packs typcally range from £200+vat to £2500+vat.

Most orders over £1200 will include delivery free of charge (subject to location).

If you have any queries please call us on 01889 279018 or fax 01889 271196 or email on enquiries@iwood.co.uk.

Wood Awards 2011

14/03/2011 18:20:46

Wood Awards 2011 to be Presented at Timber Expo

This years Wood Awards are to be presented at TRADA sponsored Timber Expo 2011 at Coventry's Ricoh Arena, in September.

Submissions can be made either at the launch event - being held at The Building Centre on March 24th - or online at www.woodawards.com. You can submit an entry up until the deadline of 27th May, for projects that excel in building and design in wood.

According to TRADA, the aim of the Wood Awards 'is to recognise, encourage and promote outstanding design, craftsmanship and installation in wood, the worlds most naturally sustainable material' and has been in existence since it's inception in 1971.

For more info, click here.

Low Energy Timber Frame Buildings

10/02/2011 15:09:45

Now available on pre-order from the TRADA Bookshop is the new edition of 'Low Energy Timber Frame Buildings - Designing for High Performance'.

This guide provides essential information and best practices for designing and constructing energy efficient timber framed buildings from flats and houses through to schools and hotels - up to seven storeys high.

At £25.00 for TRADA members and £45.00 for non-members (with free shipping) the guide is suitable for designers, builders and purchasers to help ensure energy efficiency but with cost effectiveness in mind.

'What Wood You Choose' Launched by WWF

09/02/2011 16:08:30

Last week the WWF (World Wildlife Fund - not the wrestlers!) launched their 'What Wood You Choose' campaign. Designed to heighten awareness of the new Illegal Logging EU Legislation which will come into force in 2013, the new campaign impresses on the need for consumers of any timber products to ensure FSC compliance by suppliers.

To accompany the launch, the WWF have produced a short video, hosted on YouTube:

Needless to say, iWood Timber Merchants already ensure that all our timber is FSC compliant where possible, and will be complying with the new legislation when it fcomes into force.

iWood Oak Used in Award Winning Project

12/01/2011 16:35:13

Hearty Congratulations to Welland Timber Products Ltd, who recently won the prestigous John Hedgecock Memorial Award for technical excellence, achievement and innovation in joinery manufacture.

The award was presented to Managing Director Jeremy Burdett, at the British Woodworking Federation's (BWF) Annual Dinner for Welland's part in the restoration of Horace Walpole's Strawberry Hill Villa in Twickenham, London.

Working without any original drawings, Welland had to use paintings and sketches to faithfully restore the 18th century gothic villa, which was featured on the BBC2 series 'Restoration' and is a grade I listed building.

iWood is extremely proud to have supplied the Oak timber used by Welland in the project, which is part of an £8.9 million restoration of the villa by the Strawberry Hill Trust, which in 2004 was listed in the Worlds 100 Most Endangered Sites.

Ian Purkis, BWF President, said of the award "...we were all hugely impressed with the project which showed how the use of
modern manufacturing equipment can be combined with design flair, technical know-how and the
beauty and natural durability of timber to produce fine joinery."

Getting an iWood Website Account is Now Even Easier!

07/01/2011 17:43:54

Getting an iWood Timber Merchants Account is now far easier - and with instant email activation you will automatically receive a discount on your prices everytime you use the price calculator on any of the vast range of products and species on iWood.

Apply Here to get your new iWood account which, in addition to giving you an immediate price reduction, gives you the ability to save quotes together in one place for easy access, convert saved quotes to orders at the touch of a button, and view your order history and see the status of your orders.

The iWood Factor - The Timber Merchants with a Difference

15/12/2010 16:24:40

iWood Timber Merchants - The iWood Factor!

At iWood, we are often asked what makes us different to the other online and offline timber merchants.

Our top answer, even above the broadest range of timber to buy online, is the quality of our delivered timber. See our goals for more information on our ranges of species and products.

The more timber you have that can be used, the less wastage there is and the further your money goes. Timber that consistently suffers from any of the common defects (such as cupping, knots and shrinkage) delivered time and time again is going to give any company a bad name.

A Quality Timber Merchant

Some timber merchants will simply ship you out what’s in stock, no matter what state it’s in. Merchants that commonly do this aren’t usually concerned with repeat business and you might find you have a hard time getting things rectified, with staff not wanting to know.

A timber merchant that prides itself on delivering quality timber will have rigorous quality control procedures and mechanisms in place. These should include the timber merchant company buyers visiting the sawmills that the timber is imported from and hand-selecting the timber that they know their clients will be able to use.

Because this is a time-intensive process, prices may be a little higher from a reputable timber merchant, but you’ll be able to use 99% of the timber you receive, rather than 50-60% in some poor cases, for which you’ll end up paying more in the long run in time and money.

This you will find is the iWood Factor.

See also the iWood goals for more information on our ranges of species and products.

Protect your decking for the winter

22/11/2010 13:26:34

With harsh, low temperatures and snow forecast for the coming weeks, we may have missed the boat on this article, but you may find it interesting none the less.

We’re not affiliated with the site I’m about to mention, but it has a good article on preparing and staining your outdoor wooden decking to help protect it through the winter. Scroll down for a video with an animated American DIY pro telling you how to check if your decking currently needs protection and what you should do if it does.

One of the first tests is quite obvious but a good indicator: sprinkle some water onto your decking and if it soaks in you should look at sealing it up pretty quickly. If water gets in and freezes it can expand, damaging the timber.

Read about it and watch here http://www.lazysusanfurniture.co.uk/blog/2010/11/how-to-protect-your-timber-deck-from-the-british-winter/

One last thing. What good's a website if you can't give yourselves a blatant plug :o)... Don't forget to check out our European Oak Decking or Siberian Larch Decking.

Oak Suppliers

10/11/2010 11:19:58

iWood is striving to become the UK’s number one oak suppliers. Our website is geared up to give you oak prices faster than ever before at prices you’ll love. Don’t forget, you’ll instantly receive even better prices by signing up for one of our easy free website accounts.

In order to be the best oak suppliers, a company must build a reputation based on good pricing, excellent knowledge of oak timber, a track record of consistently, responsibly and smoothly delivering high quality timber, and friendly, helpful customer service every step of the way. From the first time you see us in your Internet search results, to you placing your latest order with us, we’re aiming to make every last interaction as painless and enjoyable as possible for you.

That’s what we believe makes good oak suppliers.

As well as supplying oak on a project by project basis, iWood are also oak wholesalers, importing and distributing high quality timber for merchants around the UK.

The following oak products are available online for free instant quoting and online purchase.

Sawn Oak

Oak Beams

Planed Oak

Oak Flooring

Oak Skirting

Oak Architrave

Oak Cladding

Oak Decking

To help us improve our website and user experience, we always welcome feedback of any kind. Please use our contact form with any comments or suggestions.

iWood Buying Team Visits French Sawmills

02/11/2010 13:15:14

Earlier this week, as part of efforts to become the UK's leading oak suppliers, our buying team was in France hand selecting oak to cater for the coming month’s trade.

Some of the oak was picked specifically at the request of our customers, a service we offer to cater to individual needs and requirements.

The rest of the time was spent procuring top quality Oak boules to ensure we have stocks in hand to cover day to day trading.

This was a very successful trip on which we saw some fantastic examples from our French sawmill partners. We also found a few nice surprises so look out for some interesting special offers in the near future!