KENNEWICK, Wash.-
From home renovations to getting new cabinets, the high prices of lumber and wood products have impacted lots of home and building projects.
Dylan Schmidt is the Operations Manager at Windsor Plywood in Kennewick.
“The lumber industry touches on so many parts in terms of the building industry. So there’s flooring, wood for ceilings, wall coverings, countertops, custom fireplace mantels,” said Schmidt.
He’s seen prices go up for specific things like cabinets for example, but the exact price of wood depends on the species.
“I think who it’s impacting the most is really the end-user. You know, what used to cost a thousand for a kitchen island is now three, four thousand dollars,” said Schmidt.
At their store, they sell some types of wood that are more budget-friendly like rustic walnut or oak, but he says even those types are being affected by the uptick in prices.
When it comes to getting the components for projects quickly, that’s been more difficult too. This means builds or renovations take longer to complete.
“A lot of it is, to finish out these big projects, whether it be the railing, whether it be a piece of metal, some of those components take forever to get in because they’re stuck on a ship somewhere and nobody knows when they’re coming in,” said Schmidt.
If you are planning on starting a new project anytime soon, this is his advice.
“If you are building a home or you are renovating, we need to be very proactive and pick our products ahead of time so that when it does come down to needing it, it’s already been planned, it’s already been picked, it’s already in the process of being done,” said Schmidt.
