Yes, gypsum board does shrink due to changing heat and humidity levels. But don’t jump to conclusions. We review articles, reports and technical documents from a variety of sources at the Gypsum Association, and some contain some “unique” conclusions. An article that recently appeared in a national periodical discussing “shrinking gypsum board” falls squarely in that category.<
I got into a “stimulating” discussion (as in “almost a fist fight”) the other day with some building code people who think they know more about EIFS than I do. They know so much, so they think, that they are thinking of developing their own EIFS designs and putting them into the codes as the acceptable way to do EIFS. I had to ask them: “What is your job? Are you in the product development business, or are you a regulator?
I was fortunate enough to attend the Specialties of the Drywall Trade Instructor Seminar held from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3 at the IUPAT facility in Baltimore. It was obvious that a lot of planning went into setting up this building, with classrooms on the upper level and a lower level that is wide open, allowing plenty of room for the attendees to hone their skills on miles of drywall.
Today’s wall and ceiling industry hardly resembles what it was in the past. If you have been around the business for more than a few decades, you will relate to what I am saying. If you are new to the business, you may want to pay attention and heed some advice.
Someone once told me “things always change.” Truer words were never spoken. As the Democratic Party prepares to take control of the House and Senate, some people are celebrating while others are filled with fret and concern.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that in many parts of the country the economy has slowed way down. For several months now, I have gotten e-mails from many who have asked for tips on staying busy, especially around this time of the year. I like to talk about repair work and plastering but if there’s no work, it doesn’t really make much sense to talk about how to do it if the phone isn’t ringing.
Back in January 2002, there appeared in this column a two-part article entitled “Drywall Déjà Vu.” The first part talked about the impact of waste gypsum board; fully 1 percent of the entire solid waste stream and the problems encountered when gypsum is dumped in landfills. The second part discussed the first company to successfully recycle waste gypsum board from both the manufacturing (mill waste) and installation (on-site virgin gypsum board) processes.
The number one source of litigation in the construction industry is leaks. People tend to describe buildings in terms of the dominant opaque cladding: “Turn left at the brick building,” instead of “Turn left at the building with windows.” Thus when a building that has EIFS on it has leaks, the automatic mantra is “the EIFS is leaking.”
Ramón didn’t understand. He said he did but he didn’t. He said he did because he wanted to make his supervisor happy. Making his supervisor happy cost him his life. Making his supervisor happy cost his family their husband, their father, their provider.
Pseudo-holidays, such as Columbus Day and Presidents Day, give respite to those of us who live in traffic-clogged metropolitan areas. Millions of motorists experience the giddy feeling of doing the speed limit to and from work for a change.
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