At a time when steel and concrete have become popular building materials, wood remains an attractive building material for both indoor and outdoor use. From indoor flooring and ceilings to windowsills, doors and jambs, wood remains the preferred material among most builders.
Wood remains an attractive material because of the warm, cozy feeling it creates indoors. A house that’s made completely out of concrete or steel feels like you’re inside a tomb, but a house with wooden interiors can give it a light and comfortable atmosphere.
Its attractiveness can also be attributed to its evolution in recent decades. Today, thanks to technological advances, we already have wood products that make it last longer and withstand various hazards.
“There are lots of different wood technologies that can make wood last longer. It can protect it from termites, fungal decay, and there are even technologies that protect it from fire. There are plenty of technologies available to wood today unlike before,” says Charlie Liu, president and CEO of Matimco House of Wood, the leading provider of wood products in the country.
Liu’s father started Mandaue Timber Company (Matimco) in 1964 in Mandaue City, Cebu to manufacture and provide wood crates for the local beverage industry. Later on, it began subcontracting for major lumber exporters and developed the process of making kiln-dried wood. By 1987, it had ventured into production of processed wood products such as floorings, mouldings and doors.
Matimco products are currently sold in over 1,200 dealers nationwide. It’s also in over 300 modern trade stores — in every Wilcon Depot, Citihardware, CW Home Depot and All Home. Aside from third-party stores, Matimco also operates nine different showrooms aptly called Matimco House of Wood. It recently opened its latest branch in Westgate Alabang, the ninth store in a planned expansion to 21 stores by 2021.
“Here in Matimco, our advocacy is to promote wood. Every piece of wood that you see in this house, half of that wood is made up of pollution — carbon dioxide that’s being absorbed by the wood as it grows. If we do not cut the tree once it’s already mature and allow it to decay, all that carbon will be released back into the atmosphere. If you want to keep that and keep it longer, use it,” Liu explains.
He adds: “On top of that, using wood is a very good environmental choice because it is the only construction material known to man that can be renewable. You can plant trees but you cannot plant steel or concrete. I think wood is something that we can use; it’s renewable, sustainable and we should use it properly.”
The journey in every Matimco House of Wood begins when customers have decided what their wooden choices at home are. As they get in to the store, they can immediately feel the warmth and beauty of wood, which gets them attracted to the choices.
“How we designed this showroom is not only to give you that aesthetic visual look but it also allows you to feel because we have laid out all the different flooring and outdoor products for you to step on, feel, touch and even smell. That is the first thing that gets to your senses. Because you are making a very important choice in your life. How many times do we get to build our house? Only once. It’s not an everyday activity so we want to make sure they make the right choices based on their budget, the look they want and the feel they want to get,” Liu states.
Aside from helping customers choose the right wood product based on its look and feel, they also help customers in the design work.
“For instance, if you have a room and you want to visualize what it looks like, that is what we are here for. We are going to help you with that. After measuring and everything, we’ll give you a quote and if you like it then we can even deliver and install the product you have. It’s a total package system. We are here to make sure that when you make an important choice, you are really satisfied,” Liu says.
As wood continues to be an attractive building material, a reliable partner like Matimco House of Wood can help you make sense of the right wooden product that best suits your living space and help you throughout the entire process, from designing to installation.
To learn more about Matimco House of Wood and its products, visit www.matimco.com.