Weyerhaeuser’s TJI floors use a “Pro Rating” to measure how the floor feels.
1. The Weekend Warriors Home Improvement Show episode “Benefits of EWP” focuses on engineered wood products and how they compare with solid sawn lumber.
2. Tony and Corey host the segment, and Tony draws on his 20 years at Par Lumber while Corey adds customer-facing and installation context.
3. The episode asks why engineered wood has become the default for floors, spans, and structural upgrades in modern homebuilding.
4. Tony says engineered wood has “exploded in popularity over the last two decades,” and he contrasts today’s use with the old post-and-beam approach.
5. Corey points to Adair Homes and says his own house, built in 2006, used TGI joists.
6. Tony explains that OSB, particle board, and other byproduct-based panels count as engineered wood because they use manufactured fibers, glue, and structural design.
7. The hosts describe how early OSB was viewed as weak, especially in Oregon and other rainy places, because it would swell and fall apart.
8. Tony says improved resins and wood fiber have made products like Weyerhaeuser’s Edge Gold much more resilient.
9. They discuss Edge Gold as an OSB tongue-and-groove floor decking product that can sit in winter rain for months and still not need sanding flat.
10. Tony highlights finger-jointed and primed trim as another engineered-wood product used widely for interior and exterior trim.
11. A major insight is that engineered wood brings structural stability, with predictable performance from piece to piece.
12. Tony contrasts that predictability with solid sawn lumber, which can include knots, cracks, splits, checks, and wane.
13. Another key point is strength and load-bearing capacity, where glue-lams, LVLs, parallel strand lumber, and timber strand outperform solid sawn members of the same size.
14. Tony says a timber strand header can carry a remarkable load in a short span, especially in a four-foot opening.
15. The hosts emphasize longer spans, including I-joists that can run 42 feet, 45 feet, and up to 60 feet.
16. They connect those spans to open floor plans and large rooms where ceiling joists and second-floor systems need to cross long distances without posts.
17. Tony also argues that engineered wood reduces deflection, vibration, squeaks, and floor bounce when installed with proper glue and hangers.
18. He references Weyerhaeuser’s TJI Pro Rating and the idea of a “silent floor” with tighter flange contact and fewer nail-related squeaks.
19. The conversation stays practical and trade-focused, with Tony and Corey using job-site examples, customer cases, and quick back-and-forth explanations.
20. Listeners who build, remodel, or price structural lumber will get the most value, while people who want non-technical home-improvement talk may skip it.
