By Walls & Ceilings staff


The following companies submitted information about their new product ranges. If you would like to include your company’s information within this story, contact John Wyatt at wyattj@bnpmedia.

Saint-Gobain Technical Fabrics
FibaFuse

The company’s FibaFuse is a mold-resistant alternative to paper tape. Engineered with a porous, open fiber design, the product allows drywall compound to flow through and bond with its reinforced glass mat fibers and the underlying drywall, resulting in a more durable joint than paper tape. It provides substantial advantages over paper tape by resisting cracks and mold, virtually eliminating blisters and bubbles, requiring less compound during application, and allowing quick and easy correction of tears and dry spots. Twenty-four hours after applying a second coat of compound, FibaFuse’s crack strength is 76 percent stronger than paper tape. Joints are smooth and easy to finish since FibaFuse embeds deeply with drywall compound, allowing installers to use less compound during installation and spend less time sanding.

With a 10 rating on the ASTM D3273 mold test, FibaFuse can be installed in almost any high-humidity, moisture-prone environment.

“There is a growing need for mold resistant products on the market place,” says Kim Wasikowski, marketing communications specialist at the company. “While we manufacture mold resistant fiberglass mesh tape, there was a need for a product with all the same benefits of fiberglass mesh, but that installs like paper tape. FibaFuse meets all of these criteria plus more-it basically combines the benefits that both paper tape and fiberglass mesh tape offer into one great new tape.”

The new tape can be installed just like paper tape with a variety of tools. The company has released a how-to video posted on its Web site at www.fibafuse.com. According to Wasikowski, the product was field-tested on many job sites prior to its launch. Multiple contractors were asked to participate from all over the U.S. and the results were encouraging, she says.

The company currently has distribution into major drywall yards across the U.S. and Canada. The company says there is interest globally but as of yet is only available in North America.

Structus Building Technologies Inc.
Hydro-Trim

At 2009’s INTEX Trade Show, Structus announced the introduction of HydroTrim, a water-activated, self-adhesive corner trim. Combining the durability and finish of its No-Coat drywall corners with water-activated adhesive, HydroTrim corners install in two steps without the mess and cost associated with metal and plastic bead.

This product was introduced to the market because, as the company says, for the past four years, Structus has been engaged in intensive research and development to overcome the industry’s past issues with water-based adhesives.

“The company recognizes that the majority of corners are installed by hangers, and that the industry standard is metal bead,” says Jennifer Houston, marketing communications manager with the company. “However, Structus believes that the industry is ready to adopt a superior solution that is easier and faster to install, delivers a better finish, and will not crack, dent or blister. [The product] can be installed by hangers or finishers, with little to no learning curve.”

Its learning curve is short and sweet, the company says. The product installs in two steps: spray with water and press on. Applicators gain a quick understanding of how much water to apply to the corner in order to allow for minor adjustments during installation.

Its key features include:

· Adhesive gives optimal working time and adjustability while forming an aggressive, quick bond under variable situations.

· Dries within 5 to 10 minutes.

· High strength tapered co-polymer core delivers long-term durability.

· Pliable flanges lay down flat, offering strong bonding and easier finishing.

· Perforated flanges allow joint compound to make spot contact with drywall, creating a secondary solid bond.

· Can be finished with a box for faster installations.

The product was just released in November and is distributed by Grabber Construction Products. At this time, the North American market is the only current target for HydroTrim’s release.

G-P Gypsum
Mold-Guard/DensArmor Plus Impact-Resistant Interior Panels

MoldGuard is a treated paper-faced product that is mold and moisture resistant as a price sensitive product in the company’s mold resistant strategy.

DensArmor Plus Impact-Resistant was created because “… the industry needed a glass mat impact board that could be installed prior to the building being dried in giving real scheduling benefits,” says Dens Brand Product Manager Warren Barber, of Georgia-Pacific Gypsum.

DensArmor Plus Impact-Resistant targets contractors working in healthcare, education and government buildings. MoldGuard is for damp moist areas in structure.

“DensArmor Plus Impact-Resistant: The Fiberglass mesh impact absorbance took a lot of testing to achieve the caliber of impact resistance needed,” says Barber.

“MoldGuard: determining what mold resistance and necessary testing to prove all for a price sensitive products in keeping with the high standards of Georgia-Pacific Gypsum.”

Barber says that MoldGuard is a price sensitive product that continues the company’s high standards. DensArmor Plus Impact-Resistant is a combination of high-impact and fiberglass matt facings addresses two issues at once: the need for impact resistance and the mold and moisture resistance that yields great scheduling benefits.

Traditional drywall distributors distribute DensArmor Plus Impact-Resistant and ToughRock MoldGuard Gypsum Panels are distributed via traditional distributors and Lowes and Home Depot.

Barber says MoldGuard is available in North American and for DensArmor Plus Impact-Resistant, the company anticipates overseas demand.

Jescraft
Pro-Lite Professional Drywall Carts

At this year’s STAFDA event, in Atlanta, Jescraft launched its new line of drywall carts. Boasting that these are the lightest in the industry, the carts are constructed from all-welded tubular steel with tubular steel struts. The Pro-Lite carts feature high-performance, non-marking swivel casters and are available in three bumper styles.

The company says it introduced the new carts because it wanted to be a “one-stop-shopping” source for both standard and professional styles of carts.

Jescraft has been a designer and manufacturer of heavy-duty, contractor-grade material handling job site equipment for more than 60 years as. Nearly all of its products (including the drywall carts) are made from all-welded steel components and manufactured on-site in its New Jersey facility.

Among its key features are:

· All-welded, tubular steel frame and struts reduces weight by more than 30 percent without compromising strength and stability.

· Non-marking, high-performance elastomer swivel casters provide a quiet, cushioned ride over all kinds of surfaces and deflect floor debris.

· Its heavy-duty capacity moves 3,200 to 3,600 pounds of drywall or other material.

· Choice of steel plate of UHMW polyethylene deck: the smooth, low-friction plastic deck further reduces weight and makes loading and unloading easy.

The line is to be sold by authorized Jescraft distributors; the company does not sell direct to end-users. Currently, the line has limited distribution in Canada, Mexico and some Latin America countries. Attendees at World of Concrete will be able to see the line.

National Gypsum
ThermalCore Panel with Micronal PCM

Charlotte-based gypsum supplier National Gypsum introduced its ThermalCore Panel with Micronal PCM product at this year’s Greenbuild event in Phoenix. The first domestically produced wall panel incorporates phase change material from BASF to moderate indoor temperature fluctuations and help maintain a comfortable interior environment.

The panel’s core contains microencapsulated beads of Micronal PCM, a wax material that alternates between solid and liquid states to absorb and release thermal energy. The wax melts to absorb heat when it reaches 73 degrees F, then releases that heat again as it cools and becomes solid. This alternating process of melting and solidifying allows the panel to absorb daytime temperature peaks, ideally providing a more consistent room temperature.

The Micronal PCM melts at a much higher temperature and is contained within durable microscopic acrylic capsules that prevent the wax from leaking as it changes phase. When temperatures fall, the wax solidifies and releases heat. This alternating process of melting and solidifying allows ThermalCore to absorb daytime temperature peaks, ideally providing a more consistent room temperature.

“As the standards and measures associated with sustainable design continue to evolve, so too will the building enclosure,” says Jennifer Willson, manager of innovation and product development at National Gypsum. “We want to be involved in that process by developing products that play a role in improving buildings’ energy efficiency.

“Technologies such as phase change materials provide new opportunities. We expect ThermalCore will stimulate interest in phase change technologies for building materials and that its field trials will help architects and engineers evaluate how different building materials and techniques are best combined to improve energy efficiency.”

The panel is currently being field-tested on the West Coast, where temperatures can vary greatly from day to night, and will target high-efficiency homes, Willson says.

Preliminary tests indicate ThermalCore can store approximately 22 BTUs of thermal energy per square foot. The panel’s performance, value and cost will be further evaluated in field trials in the coming year. The company expects the field tests will show that the product can decrease the heating and cooling energy required to keep a home comfortable during peak demand when combined with other advanced energy-efficiency technologies. National Gypsum will rely on California’s Emerging Technologies Coordinating Council, as well as the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, to select and coordinate trial sites and to evaluate test data.

“[From] the interest we’ve already seen from the ETCC and NREL, we expect sustainability experts and the larger building community will be eager to learn more about ThermalCore and its performance in the West Coast field trials,” says Willson.

ThermalCore will not be commercially available until field trials are complete, but for more information or to register for periodic product updates, visit www.thermalcore.info. National Gypsum says there will not be worldwide distribution.

The company currently plans to feature the panel at the INTEX Expo in Denver in April; CONSTRUCT2010 in Philadelphia in May; and the Pacific Coast Builders Conference in San Francisco in June.