As a veteran of the imported plywood market since 1990, I know what I am talking about here...Lauan or Meranti was never
intended to be used as an underlayment for vinyl flooring. It was originally designed as a three-ply plywood for paneling
substrate. Remember back to the 1960's, in the basement and "rumpus rooms" and even living rooms for that matter filled
with the dark "faux" wood grain paneling...dark and musky smelling. Well guess what that musky smell was....yep...the
Lauan substrate. Lauan was the generic name in the Philippines where the manufacture of this material began and then
shifted to Indonesia and then Malaysia in the 1980's as the resource of logs began to dwindle in the Philippines. The next
king of the hill - because they had the unexploited forest -was Indonesia and that has transferred to Malaysia as "Meranti"
and is in the process of being transferred to China as "Okoume" presently.
The Lauan/Meranti - or "Mahogany" for the true old timers like myself - was used because it was relatively clear
and cheap in comparison to domestic materials. But there was a substantial difference back in the 60's through 80's.
The material was made from excellent logs and really well manufactured. It reminds me of the Pacific Northwest in the
old Kinsey Photographer photos. People turning tree stumps into small houses. Why? because they were plentiful
and cheap.
The evolution in the resilient vinyl industry in recent years had lead to more patterns, thinner materials and different
compositions that have been increasingly sensitive to underlayments and have at times problems. Anyone else remember
the disaster of the early 1990's when perimeter glued floor systems were introduced without a felt backing and the resulting
discoloration claims that seemed to specifically plague the areas in and around Indianapolis - not to mention other parts
of the mid west?
The vinyl used in today's houses is more sophisticated and thinner than ever. Because of the evolution of cheaper,
faster, better, the underlayment has followed the same suit becoming thinner and thinner and worse in quality each year.
Never mind the contempt some importers have shown for the grade and thickness, the quality I see these days is awful.
Now, that does not leave me without blame....I sell more of the commodity grade plywood in spite of my cries for a better
product than I do anything else.
However, in 1992, in the heat of a debate over a flooring claim for yet another delaminated piece of Lauan that has ruined
a $2,000.00 floor...the question from one of my customers came like a lightning bolt...."Why can't I get Lauan plywood like
I used to 20 years ago....."
That simple question was the inspiration for the first guaranteed Lauan underlayment of it's kind in the industry - SurePly
Premium Underlayment. I first developed the SurePly Premium Underlayment back in 1992. After many trials and errors
trying to reinvent three-ply Lauan plywood, I realized that the answer was there all along....just make it like they did 20
years ago.
And that is what we did. From that humble beginning, we started a revolution in the Lauan underlayment business
with regard to vinyl flooring underlayment.
We released the theory of the product and practical installation instructions developed with hours of input from all
of the industries that relate to installation of underlayment from staple manufacturers to the seam filler manufacturers to
the vinyl companies themselves.
We also put our money where our mouth was....we came up with a full replacemnt warranty for 10 years, because the quality
was that good.
SurePly Premium Underlayment is approved as an underlayment with Tarkett, Congoleum, and Mannington brands of resilient
vinyl flooring.
Yes, we have spawned many products that seek to imitate the SurePly, but none have yet succeded. Many have come
close, but we find that the market wants the "innovator" instead of the "impersonator".
We are experts in the do's and don'ts of Lauan/Meranti underlayment forged over a lifetime of installations done with
these two hands as well as the input of many, many others in the industry.
When you are ready to sell a product that you can be proud of....then its time to call us.
Now, a note please....I do not mean to suggest that there is not a place for commodity Lauan/Meranti in the market there
is. If you want a material that is cheap and a product you can dread taking call backs on, then Lauan/Meranti is for
you. As I tell my customers, you want cheap, I have cheap - with no warranty...but if you want the material designed
as an underlayment then it's time to buy SurePly.
If you want a product that you can finally be proud of to sell, then stop screwing around with commodity grade Lauan
and Meranti and step up to something that you can be proud of for a change...its refreshing!
Step up to.........SurePly Premium Underlayment
