Atlanta Trupan Group Purchase

[andyb]

Anyone in the Atlanta area find any Trupan UL? I talked to Rob Simonsen a Trupan distributor and he gave me the contact info for Paul Morgan a distributor for Virginia that has a location in Marietta. Paul said that he was just contacted by someone else in the Atlanta area besides me. So I know there are others looking. Paul said they currently do not carry Trupan in the Marietta location but do in Charlotte, NC. Paul said that they currently do not do transfers between locations but he said that he can have some shipped to Marietta but a shipping fee will have to be added. The price is $32.32 a sheet in Charlotte if we purchase a unit or $33.92 per sheet for anything less than a unit. The shipping fee is about $150 to $200. So, the price will be about $35-$36 a sheet. Anyone interested? I'm still looking for a cheaper option to purchase Trupan UL in Atlanta.

Paul did say that if enough people purchase it that he may be able to get the Marietta location to start carrying it.

Andy B.

[beacon14]

Call Suwanee Lumber at 770-945-2102. They are a distributor for Dixie Plywood, who stocks Trupan at their Duluth distribution yard. You go to Suwanee and pay for the order, then take the ticket to Dixie to pick up the product (Dixie won't talk to you unless you want to spend $3-5,000 per month with them).

I went through this process last October and paid $25.77/sheet for 10 sheets. I have a few sheets left if anyone only needs 1 or 2 sheets. Dixie and Suwannee Lumber are only 10 or 15 minutes apart so it's not as much of a pain as it sounds. You can get some decent lumber at Suwannee also while you are at it.

[Gary Campbell]

David...
Assuming 3/4" UL, they sell it in MIA and West Palm for the same money... at least they are consistant.
Gary

[harryball]

Hmm... David, they charged me much more than 25.77 for my Trupan UL I picked up myself from Dixie purchased from Suwannee. The person I worked with told me not to tell everyone they would do this but since the cats out of the bag...

Why doesn't everyone call and ask for Trupan UL and maybe they will begin stocking it.

RB

[beacon14]

Interesting Robert, when was this and how much did you buy? Have you ever bought there before? They do seen to treat the regulars better than the walk-ins, not that I've bought that much from them but I was probably "in the system".

They didn't seem like it was any big secret. Maybe he just didn't want you to find out that he overcharged you.

[andyb]

David,
I’ve already tried that. I called Suwanee Lumber last Monday and the lady answering the phone said that they could not get it. Two weeks ago BuildersFirst Source here in Gainesville called DixiePly and was told that they only carried standard Trupan. So, I called BFS last week to order some standard Trupan. Guess what, someone at DixiePly told them that they did not carry any Trupan. I don’t know what’s going on with DixiePly but it seems like it depends on who calls and who you talk to, to what answer you get from them. I’m looking for standard Trupan and UL. All I’m looking for is a reliable source. I’ll take you up on a couple sheets for the UL. I’ll email you offline.

Andy B.

[cjohnson]

Andy,
Don't feel bad. I had the same experience last year when Robert and I were looking for TRUPAN on the Southside. Robert would get one story and I would get another. You might want to take David up on his offer until you get this worked out. Good luck on your search and don't keep any secrets like Robert did. Shame on you Robert!

cj

[andyb]

CJ,
I stopped in to Lumas Lumber here in Oalwood on Friday and they called DixiePly while I was standing there. The salesman from DixiePly told them that they were out of Trupan but carried Trupan by another manufacture. He actually called the other brand Trupan. Oh, the off brand was $6 more than the real Trupan. I think he as talking about Plum Creek.

I'm going to take David up on his offer. If he still has some. I was going to call David this weekend (Sorry David) but had to do the family thing.

Andy B.

[harryball]

I was charged almost $35 / sheet. I have an account and am (maybe that should be was) a regular customer of Suwanee lumber. I still buy much of my hardwoods from them and cabinet grade plywood. I got a price of $30/sheet on cabinet grade birch in early January.

Anyway, they told me UL Trupan was now unavailable.

The only other idea I can think of is a group purchase and to haul it from the Florida DixiePly location. It's about 450 miles one way from my home. That's be about 70 gallons of diesel fuel plus wear and tear. Whoever did it would probably have to add $4 to $5 a sheet to make it worth while and bring backup 100+ sheets. Just a thought, but I doubt we could get 100+sheets sold if everybody only wants a couple or three.

As for secrets, I was personally asked not to share the information. Not about Trupan specifically but about the 3rd party ordering. I respect requests like that as a matter of policy. In the end I believe it comes down to Suwannee not wanting DP to learn what they are doing. The last visit I made to DP picking up under that arrangement was met with questions from the sales rep. He asked if I worked for Suwanee and all around seemed suspicious. I then waited almost an hour to get my materials from a rude forklift driver. I don't know what the issue really was but I got the feeling they didn't want me there. On my next call to Suwannee in late January DP suddenly didn't have anything I needed.

Maybe Suwannee was doing this regulary as evidenced by David. I know the forklift drivers at DP are annoyed by guys picking up small loads. I was in ear shot as I listened to them rendering opinions of folks picking up 5 or 10 sheets of stuff while I waited my punitive hour for my 20 sheets.

EDIT
You know, as a passing thought... I've noticed a lot of builders, suppliers, contractors, subs etc... are a lot less "high and mighty" in this housing bust. Maybe DP will have to dismount that high horse they seem to be on whenever I try to work with them.

/RB

[beacon14]

Robert you obviously ruined it for the rest of us....I guess it was too good to be true anyway. I wonder if it would be worth us all calling Suwanee Lumber on the same morning and asking whether they would get a couple of bundles from Dixie Ply if it was more or less pre-sold.

[cknerr]

I make regular trips from near Daytona to Atlanta. About every 6 weeks give or take. If you guys get together and prepay the order, I can bring it back for you. Just chip in on some gas (diesel actually).

Take care,
Chris

[beacon14]

If anyone in the Atlanta area is looking for Trupan I have a once-in-a-long-while opportunity to bring some back from Jacksonville Florida later this week as I will be returning from an installation here with an almost empty truck. The fellow I'm working for gets it from a supplier here in Jacksonville. If there is enough interest I can pick up anywhere from a few sheets to a whole bundle. Respond here or send me an e-mail if you are interested. Since I'm making the drive anyway the added cost would be minimal.

[porscheman]

David, what is the approximate price per sheet from the Florida supplier (presumably lower if you buy a whole bundle)? Also, I'm guessing you are buying 3/4" material (18/19mm)?

I'll take about 4-8 sheets, depending on unit cost.

[andyb]

David,
I'm interested in a couple of sheets.

Andy B.

[harryball]

I could use about 5 sheets depending on the cost.

I'm assuming this is the 3/4" UL that is 49" x 96" if memory serves. I remember being surprised to find it 1" short of 97"

/RB

[beacon14]

Well, isn't this the ultimate irony. Called the supplier today, it takes 5 days to get it because they have to order it - FROM ATLANTA!!!.

Sheesh.

Since I will be comfortably back home napping on the couch in 5 days the offer is unfortunately rescinded. Sorry to get your hopes up.

I suggest one of us call Suwannee Lumber, and ask if they can add a bundle of Trupan to their next order from Dixie Plywood. It's worth a shot. I'll do it if no one else wants to. I still have a few sheets on hand so it's not a high priority for me - yet.

[harryball]

Yeah... that's what I keep running into, I've had to do the Suwannee Lumber thing myself. I still have a few sheets too so no big deal, just thought it might be an easy way to pickup a few sheets without dealing with DixiePly Atlanta.

/RB

[blackhawk]

I am in Virginia and was also looking for Trupan. The closest place to me is Wurth Wood Group. They have a location in Atlanta. I haven't actually called to see if they stock it, but it maybe a good shot for you guys. Here is a link: http://www.wurthwoodgroup.com/locations.html

They call it Premier Ultralite, which I assume is the same as Trupan. Here is a link to their catalog, goto page 27. http://www.wurthwoodgroup.com/PDFs/WOOD_SECTION.pdf

I hope this helps.

[myxpykalix]

Brad where are you in Virginia?

[Gary Campbell]

Gentlemen...
After reading David's post on the Trupan 5 days out and in Atlanta, I called my DixiePly rep. IF you can find Trupan.....BUY IT! Due to the low value of the US Dollar, it is apparently no longer going to be imported into the US. He says there is still a bunch in the US, none in his warehouse inventory, none showing as available in FL.

His replacement is Sierra Pine Ultralight MDF. I will pick up a few sheets and find out how it flows.
Good Luck, Gary

[bleeth]

Sierra Pine distributed Ultralight(Manufactured of Radiata in Australia and New Zealand) works just fine and is also low emission-I've used it for spoil board several times and suggested it as a Trupan substitute for the Northwest where it is much easier to obtain than Trupan.
Whittelsey in Miami probably still has Trupan-They have been a large stocking distributor for a long time. I'll check with my rep.

[Gary Campbell]

Dave...
If they have it give me a call & I will pick up a half dozen sheets of 19mm. Even tho I hate going to the world.
Gary

[bleeth]

For general info:
Whittelsey Wood has 700 sheets coming in tomorrow.
Arauco (the manufacturer) has US office in Atlanta-They may be able to help identify area distribution.