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Why does this matter? Although EIFS started in North America primarily in architectural commercial construction, over the last two decades it has also become a major player in another architectural market: residential (wood framed homes) construction. Occasionally, however, EIFS bridges the gap into wholly new specialty markets. I have run into a number of these types of specialty end-uses over the years and they form one of the more interesting aspects of my consulting business, namely, how to “make EIFS work” on an offbeat application. Here are some examples that you might find useful when prospecting for new work or to perk-up a conversation regarding what is possible or sensible to do with EIFS.

For its third year, the Walls & Ceilings staff is honoring contractors whose work deserves recognition in our annual Excellence in Design Awards. The categories awarded this year are: Drywall (residential and commercial), EIFS/Stucco, ICFs, Ceilings and Metal Framing. The entries were judged by a panel of W&C staff and members of its editorial advisory board.

Can any one person be an expert at team building, communication and positive thinking? Must you have all three of these abilities or does one make you an expert of the other two? I’ve read many books on each subject and have attended intensive training seminars on all three and I’ve come to a clear conclusion.

Michael and Dawne Kirkwood and their five children were living in a house infested with black mold. Eventually, the family of seven was forced to live in the living room, the only mold-free room in the house at that time. However, the environment was so noxious that it became difficult to breathe in the house. When the mold affected the family’s health, they moved into a hotel and shared one room.

To look at the evolution of drywall finishing tools, we should first look at the evolution of the product they would eventually be used on. In the 19th century, the construction industry wanted to come up with a wall surface that was high quality, durable and could be painted over and over again. This product would have to last as long as the home stayed standing, so along came the lath and plaster system. The contractor would nail up thousands of wood slats, lay down a basecoat of lime plaster with a hawk and trowel, and then apply a finish coat with the same tools. The wood lath would eventually be replaced by metal lath and metal lath by rock lath as a base in the 1930s.

Most of us are familiar with the terms “fire barrier” or “party wall.” These are fire-resistance-rated assemblies that separate two or more distinct areas in a building. Likewise, there are many fire-resistance-rated floor/ceiling systems that are used to prevent the spread of fire from one story of a building to the next. Such assemblies and many other fire-resistance-rated systems can be easily constructed using gypsum board. Designs for these assemblies can be found in the Gypsum Association’s “GA-600, Fire Resistance Design Manual,” the UL Fire Resistance Directory and other sources.

The first thing to realize about finding good employees is that the best ones usually are working for someone else. Capable people don't stay unemployed for long. Once in awhile, you might bump into a top-notch person who just got laid off, moved into your area or for some other understandable reason, is in need of a job. Just don't hold your breath waiting for it to happen.

This project was in the kitchen area of the home (photo 1). Water had come through the ceiling and peeled the paint layer. One of the first steps I took was to find out how extensive the damage was.

Championship. Of course, this is cause for celebration in Detroit and Michigan, as the Tigers haven't had a great season since 1987 when they won the Eastern Title. In fact, in 2003, the Tigers almost beat the record of the most losses, only coming up one shy of the Mets record of 120 losses in a season. How then have they been able to come back in just three years?