First it was lumber, now it's resin: New snag for homebuilders

London, Ont. -

A shortage of resin is having a ripple effect on the construction industry, much the way lumber did in recent months.

Co-owner of Household Plumbing, Cathy Carey says they’re experiencing a very serious supply issue due to the shortage.

It's a product that is “in acrylics, bathtubs, shower bases, shower walls, that type of thing," she explains.

Resin is a natural compound adhesive used in building materials and coatings when a strong bond is required.

“We used to have about a three-week (wait) -- they're now up to 12 weeks, six months. It’s been quite difficult to get product in,” she adds.

Resin is also found in ABS pipes, commonly utilized as a plumbing material and throughout the construction industry for numerous purposes.

Jared Zaifman, CEO of the London Home Builders Association says the resin shortage has made an impact on new construction over the last several months.

“The storms in Texas caused quite a bit of disruption, so our general understanding at this point is that most of the factories thankfully are back to producing resins, are back up and running. Unfortunately though, just because of how much of a delay there was, and the issues there, there is certainly quite a bit of a backlog that we’re seeing, in getting the product back out into the market.”

Zaifman adds, since resin is in a number of different products, it tends to be impacting work at different stages in the building process, and there is no forecast as to when the issue will be resolved.

In the meantime, Carey says if you are starting a renovation, plan ahead.

“Get your products ordered, so that you have your products in hand before you tear anything out.”

Carey says these shortages hurt business as well, because when they schedule renovations and take deposits, by the time the product is in stock, it costs more -- and often the business has had to absorb the extra cost.