• Ensure you have sufficient seating for everyone – If you love to entertain, and who wouldn’t given the Australian weather, what seating arrangements will you need for your Alfresco / outdoor area. More may not be better; planning and utilising the space you have is an important part of selecting your seating arrangements, so you can utilise this space all year round.
• Add some decorations – these might not be strictly festive decorations, but subtle touches that will help you create a relaxed atmosphere perfect for those longer summer days. Soft furnishings in the form of new cushions, plants, ambient lighting, rugs etc all work.
• Touch of paint – if you haven’t already converted to an eco-friendly, low-maintenance, composite COEN deck, it might be timely to re-stain / paint your deck. A little touch-up will completely revamp the area making it look refreshed for the festive season.
• Refresh your green area – having greenery around your deck or alfresco area gives a fresh feel and with the right plants, a nice perfume smell. Head to your local nursery or home hardware store and select some seasonal or fragrant plants. Fresh smells and colours will awaken your other senses, and create a beautiful ambience.
• Cooking outside – with Aussie summers typically being hot, cooking on the BBQ is a given. So time to clean the BBQ ready for the seasons festivities.  Positioning your BBQ, or outdoor cooking appliances, is also key for practically and not to smoke out your guests.
• Electrical / Audio equipment – we all love a few tunes while entertaining. Making sure your electrical equipment is suitable for the outdoors and appropriately tested, will ensure there are not hidden dangers when it rains.
• Changing weather – in the norther parts of our great country, storm cells and cyclones are a part of life. Make sure your outdoor areas can be easily and quickly packed away / stored when storms or cyclones warnings are broadcast – and listen to your local ABC radio for weather updates.

We hope the above tips help, and starting now will ensure you get some well-deserved R&R over the festive season.  We wish all of our customers, suppliers, and fellow Australians a very happy and healthy Christmas and a prosperous New Year, and trust that your days are filled with lots of laughter and outdoor fun.

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From stand-alone BBQs, to fully equipped outdoor kitchens, the trend of 2019 has been the move to outdoor showers.  It makes sense: Australian’s live for the outdoors and having a shower on the deck creates that laid-back summer holiday feel.

There are many advantages of an outdoor shower area, including:

Grounding with nature – the physical and mental health benefits associated with enjoying a relaxing shower amongst nature are huge.  3-5 minutes of quiet time each day can be incredibly calming, allowing us to stop, reconnect with nature and our surroundings and find some inner calm (https://www.mind.org.uk/).

Environmental sense – council rules dependant, the water by-product from your outdoor shower can be used to directly water your garden rather than flow to a waste water-plant.

Add significant $ to the value of your property – such features are not only trendy, but also create a niche selling point for properties, adding value to your property and providing a Unique Selling Point for buyers.

Things to consider prior to setting up your outdoor area:

Waterproof decking – whilst the idea of this luxury add-on sounds great, you don’t want the hassle of annually re-staining decking or replacing rotten / mouldy boards.  COEN Composite Wood can provide the easy solution; our Composite Decking is water and mould resistant, does not need any annual maintenance, is incredibly easy to install, and comes with a xxx warranty.

Drainage – the simplest solution is to drain grey water directly back into your garden for eco-use of the water.  You will need to check with your local council prior to installing.

Positioning – choosing a sunny and well-lit location will not only provide a pleasant experience when showering, but it will reduce the drying time of the deck between uses and prevent any plumbing issues in the colder months.

So what’s next – call COEN today on 1800 105 031 and we will be happy to provide you with further information & samples so you can take your outdoor living space to the next level.

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Examples of versatile application of 32 x 32 solid screening for fencing, screening and gates on of recent project in Brisbane, QLD.

COEN composite screening is also taking care of the environment, with 88% recycled content – 60% recycled wood flour; 28% recycled plastic; and 12% additives.

A coherent and uniform design can be achieved across an entire project with composite wood providing consistent product profile, quality and colour, with the added bonus of having the product cut to length in the factory. COEN is a highly attractive option when paired with contemporary homes as well as with more traditional styles, adding a sleek modern yet warm touch.

A long-lasting product that won’t need repainting it’s an efficient and effective screening option, that gives you back time.

COEN Screening batons come in a variety of sizes and colours, and can be cut to length direct in the factory to suit your project needs.

Call COEN today to see how we can provide an environmentally friendly, and aesthetically pleasing finish to your build.

Our experienced and friendly team can help you decide what composite wood product will best suit your project requirements.

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Are you looking for a low maintenance and durable solution for your outdoor space?

Until 20 years ago, the only real option when it came to facades and screening was timber, but these days you are spoilt for choice on materials that are engineered to outlast timber.  Composite Wood is one of these materials – here’s why:

Recycled and Green

COEN Composite Wood products are environmentally friendly!  They are manufactured from 88% recycled wood and plastics, giving new life to wood & plastic waste that otherwise might end up in landfill.

Characteristics

Composite Wood can come in a variety of colours, which typically have minimal fading – around 3% to 5% over the first 6 to 12 months.  You can choose up to several textured finishes to suit you or your customer’s needs.  Since composite wood is manufactured through an extrusion process, it is dimensionally consistent, has no wood knots, twisting or warping to battle with and the decking clip system also makes for quicker installation, has a non-slip rating of R12; and is fire and termite resistant

Another great advantage is, COEN Composite products don’t leach and won’t “bleed” onto other surfaces, which could cost you time and money in repairs.  All of which makes this product an easy decision for your projects.

Time, maintenance and cost savings

Composite Wood products offer reduced costs when compared to timber products.

Composite Wood does not require any re-sealing; you simply wash it with a pressure washer and any stubborn stains can be removed with hot, soapy water.

If you are looking for ways to bring more value to your clients and would like to learn more, click here to book a free information session, or call us on 1800 105 031.

Reduce your costs and save time with Coen Composite Wood.

Contact us today for more information

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Sunshine Coast University student Jake Bundred has recently completed a  structural analysis on Coen Composite Wood as part of his PHD?

Here is an overview from Jake’s report:

Introduction

In recent years wood plastic composites have enjoyed rising popularity in non-structural applications although they have been slow to expand their utility in the structural domain. Wood plastic composites possess many beneficial properties that make them ideal for structural uses that include; high durability, inherent resistance to the elements including termites, pleasing aesthetics and a low carbon footprint as they can be made from recycled plastics and fillers.

This project aims to increase the general understanding of wood plastic composites and to expand the body of knowledge surrounding their performance structurally. This testing focused on wood plastic composite members fabricated by Coen Composite Wood investigating primarily flexural, deflection and compressive performance. Using the results of this testing, the modulus of rupture, modulus of elasticity and compressive stress capacities have been calculated. These values form part of the fundamental structural data required to assess suitability for structural applications. Through increased availability of structural information it is envisaged that level of public awareness should improve and also facilitate wider implementation of the product.

Figure 1—Solid deck member undergoing testing in Universal Test Machine

Figure 2 – Coen Composite Wood wood plastic composite test samples

Methodology

Compressive testing – The compressive testing was conducted using the Pilot 4 Automatic machine with samples of 100x100x25 hollow section. The length of the samples was limited to 150mm to create squat members that would test the axial section capacity of the wood plastic composites and greatly reducing any type of buckling effects. The load application rate was set as 0.333 MPa per second and the total load applied vs time elapsed were recorded automatically. The trials followed the principles outlined in AS1012.9 for concrete cylinder axial testing and the compressive stress capacity was determined by calculating the load at failure divided by cross sectional area. As the samples displayed a close correlation in the test data only 2 samples were tested.

Flexural and deflection testings – A wide range of Coen Composite Wood samples were tested using the Universal Test Machine, and a custom fabricated bracket, to allow the modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity to be determined. The standard test length was 600mm while the decking samples were tested at 400 and 500mm to replicate real world spans. The loading was applied at a constant deflection rate of 20mm per minute and the time to failure, crosshead deflection and total load were automatically recorded. For each profile only 2 samples were tested unless there was less than a 95% correlation in test results, in which case successive samples were tested until the correlation of results was achieved. The testing and analysis was conducted following the basic principles of AS 4266.5 and AS4266.1 as a dedicated Australian Standard does not exist for wood plastic composites. To determine the modulus of rupture the ratio of the moment at failure and the section modulus were used and the modulus of elasticity was determine by the gradient of the initial straight line section of the stress strain curve for each profile.

Figure 3—Compressive Test Results

Figure 4 – Stress/strain

Recommendations and Conclusion

The testing showed that Coen Composite Wood members all pos-sess sufficient material properties to be used structurally. Further testing is required to produce load tables. Engineering judgement should be used in the interim to determine an adequate safety factor for design. Wood plastic composites should only be used when the potential design risks have been deemed to be accepta-ble although this may result in an uneconomical design if the cost is only determined on a financial basis without considering the sustainability benefits. Long term creep and deflections, a lack of empirical data and a high variability in the composition of each member are some negative aspects that still need to be ad-dressed. Ongoing research and development and lessons gar-nered from ongoing usage of wood plastic composites should pave the way for a superior generation of products in the near fu-ture that are able to overcome these downsides.

Table 1 – Summary of flexural

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Yes, our governments have been slow to respond to this inevitable growth (don’t get me started!), but what about the resources required to build all these new dwellings?

The Australian Timber Sector yields over $2 billion worth of exports and over $20 billion worth of manufacturing sales and services domestically (ABARES 2014a).

However, the industry is in crisis, as hardwood supplies rapidly deplete and with Victoria’s Hardwood Mill closing down in April 2017.

“[There’s] not enough timber and essentially a sawmilling industry and a paper industry that’s going to collapse,” says ANU Prof David Lindemayer who has studied forest ecosystems and the effects of logging and fire for more than 30 years. “There is a need to replace hardwood logging with plantation timber”, he says. But the reality just isn’t that simple.

Plantation and forest hardwoods have different uses, and plantation timber is not always a suitable substitute.

Australia has started to import more hardwood products from Java/Indonesia, New Zealand, South America etc, but there is inconsistent quality in these imported products. These then become inefficiencies for the end user – the builders – with inconsistent sizes/dimensions and warping, which results in more time in installation.

A sustainable alternative to native Australian hardwoods is Wood Plastic Composites, or WPC’s as well as ‘Co Extruded’ WPC (a plastic coated product). These products are relatively new to the Australian market, around 10 years or so. These ‘Manufactured’ wood products are made from recycled timber and plastics, and are slowly gaining market acceptance, however more education for the Building and Construction industries is required for this new generation of building material.

We need to seriously look at these sustainable options, and Victorian Association of Forrest Industries CEO, Tim Johnston says “There’s constant work going into using Composites … and issues of supply could be solved by being ‘creative around the resource mix’.”

Learn more about how Composite Wood compares to timber.

Sources
http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2017-01-24/timber-supply-shortage-at-australias-largest-hardwood-sawmill/8202648

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Builders and Developers face many material choices for their projects. Finding a resilient and low-maintenance material in the right colour was the primary criteria for Foundation Homes, on a recent upmarket home build on the Sunshine Coast.

“The attraction to COEN Composite Wood was the “No Maintenance”, especially for the corrosive environment we have here on the Sunshine Coast”, says Ed Murphy from Foundation Homes.

COEN Hollow 90x40mm and Solid 40×40 Screening products were selected for several areas of the home.

“We opted for set lengths of the screening to be cut in the factory, so no waste of material on-site, saving a heap of time on installation as no cutting to length was required.”

The team at Foundation Homes said there is a significant cost saving compared to timber of around, 25% to 30%, in time and materials.  As there was no sanding or painting the product, and as this is a manufactured wood, there were no “wood knots” to navigate around, so no excessive waist in material or time.

“COEN Composite Wood is an easy material to work with – we used 120mm, 12 gauge Pan Head fixing screws, straight into aluminium or steel batons.”

COEN prides itself on providing a quality product, delivered in full and on time. For this project, we worked with both the developer and builder to select the right product to meet the design, delivery and budget requirements.

“From the get go, the service from COEN was exceptional – from initial consultation and installation recommendations, through to all items arriving on site in full, on time and as ordered.  During the installation, Craig was on site to see how the project was progressing.”

Would you like to learn more about this low-maintenance and durable material. For a free information session and to view samples, click here or call Craig on 0457 610 690

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