News & Articles

Wolmanized wood is not a species or a grade. It is a brand of pressure-treated wood, the trademarked name for lumber, timbers, poles, and piling treated under the Wolman® name, and for most of the last century it was treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA). The name became so common that people use it as…

If you are buying wood right now, something does not add up. Order files are soft. Sawmills are running well below capacity. Nobody is describing a building boom. And yet the number on your quote keeps creeping up. The instinct is to assume demand is back and the market is heating up. It is not.…

What is XPile™? XPile™ is a fiber reinforced polymer marine piling that replaces steel, concrete, and treated timber in docks, piers, marinas, and bulkheads. It does not rot, rust, or corrode, and it is immune to marine borers. Built for the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast, XPile™ carries a 50-year design life and is sold…

Ordering timber trusses requires confirming seven details that most suppliers leave out of their quotes: whether engineering is included, which species can handle your span, what actually drives the cost, how steel connections are priced, what crane access you need, how much design work is required to start, and whether you can inspect before shipping.…

Pressure treated pilings marine construction costs on the Gulf Coast depend on matching the piling treatment to the correct AWPA coastal zone, preservative system, and lumber grade. The Gulf Coast falls under UC5C, the highest marine hazard zone in the continental US, requiring CCA retention of 2.5 pcf for single treatment or dual treatment with…

Pressure-treated lumber for decks isn’t a single specification. Deck boards, joists, beams, stair stringers, posts, and railing components each face different exposure conditions, and the AWPA Use Category system assigns different treatment levels of pressure-treated Southern Pine accordingly. For most residential projects, the key distinction is UC3B (Above Ground, Exposed) versus UC4A (Ground Contact, General…

Timber trusses vs rafters comes down to one question: do you want the ceiling to be seen? Rafters and prefab trusses can support a roof, but only heavy timber trusses serve as both the load-bearing structure and the visible, finished ceiling in a single component.1 This guide compares all three systems, plus steel, so you…

Gun Barrel Pilings® aesthetics start with one thing no other piling product offers: uniform diameter and zero taper across the full length. Every piling holds the same diameter from top to bottom and runs perfectly straight for up to 52 feet. That consistency turns the structural element into the finished look. There is no need…

Gun Barrel Pilings® are the coastal building codes pilings solution built to meet the stricter 2026 codes now taking effect across the Gulf Coast. With uniform diameter, no taper, and available lengths up to 52 feet, they address the higher elevation, wind resistance, and foundation performance standards that the updated codes require. Coastal building codes…

Building a dock on the Gulf Coast requires early decisions about permits, piling materials, storm-ready design, and contractor selection that will determine how long the structure lasts and what it costs to maintain. American Pole and Timber supplies the full range of marine piling options for Gulf Coast projects, including treated wood pilings, EcoPile® vinyl…