Scouting Report from the Builders’ Show

© 2008 Door & Access Systems Publish Date: Spring 2008 Author: Tom Wadsworth Pages 44-47

Scouting Report from the Builders’ Show A Preview of the Newest Garage Door Products for 2008 Feb. 13-16, 2008 Orlando, Fla.

Here are some of the newest garage door products displayed at the 2008 International Builders’ Show (IBS) in February. Watch for these and other new products at the upcoming International Garage Door Expo in Las Vegas.

CAPTIONS 12,000 PEOPLE MISSING: IBS 2008 attendance at the Orange County Convention Center dropped 11 percent from 2007 (92,000 vs. 104,000). The drop is blamed on dramatically slowing new-home sales.

A FINE FINISH: Amarr introduced its new prefinished wood-grain steel doors, as seen on this new Classica design. Virtually maintenance free, the finish is factory applied as a base wood-tone color and is then overprinted with wood-grain pattern using a special printing process. Watch for a rollout later this spring.

NEW OPENER FROM OVERHEAD: Overhead Door’s new Standard Drive opener made its public debut, available nationwide Feb. 1, 2008. It includes “SmartSet” for easy one-press programming and a DualDrive chain system for quiet operation.

NEW APPROACH TO CLADDING: A new company, Ackue International, introduced its Fatezzi faux wood garage doors. The lightweight claddings, made from special polymers molded from real wood, are applied on new flush steel sections using proprietary adhesives.

SEE THE DIFFERENCE: C.H.I. Overhead Doors blanketed the doors to the South Hall with these before/after photos. The door industry continues to drive home its point about the curb appeal of stylish new garage doors.

TURNING HEADS: The large Clopay booth turned heads with this unique design of its Reserve Collection of custom-crafted wood garage doors. The door features dark-stained cedar overlays and decorative iron scrollwork.

IDRIVE 2.0: Wayne-Dalton gave a sneak preview of its new idrive Pro torsion-mounted garage door opener. This updated idrive integrates Z-Wave technology in select models and operates at 12 inches per second, faster than conventional openers.

SHOWCASING CARRIAGE: Carriage House Door Company invested in this prime location on the NextGen Home that showcased the latest developments in home products. The home was located behind the West Hall, attracting thousands of visitors.

A PEEK AT TEAK: Designer Doors demonstrated its custom capabilities with this stunning teak and mahogany carriage house door and matching entry door.

MESSAGE FROM HEAVEN: Wayne-Dalton touted the appeal of its doors with this heavenly appeal on a giant banner in a prime West Hall location.

GROWING GLASS APPEAL: Windsor Republic Doors became the latest manufacturer to transform its commercial aluminum-and-glass garage door into an appealing residential product. Pictured is the Model 1800 in a hammered copper finish.

THE FIRST IRON CARRIAGE DOOR: Dynasty Iron Doors, which debuted at Expo 2007, introduced its first carriage-style iron garage door, available this summer.

Official Attendance 2008: 92,000 2007: 104,000 2006: 105,000 2005: 104,000 Next year’s show moves to Las Vegas, Jan. 20-23, 2009.

DASMA Manufacturers at the Show Amarr Garage Doors Carriage House Door Chamberlain Professional Products C.H.I. Overhead Doors Clopay Building Products Designer Doors GarageWowNow.com GTO Jeld-Wen Linear Overhead Door/Genie Raynor Wayne-Dalton Windsor Republic Doors