Plastering being one of the oldest of occupations, or as I am fond of calling it, the second “oldest profession” is represented in the United States and Canada by the Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ International Association, which was chartered in 1864 and is the oldest of all the active building trades unions in North America.
An
EIFS finish coat is a textured, paint-like material. It’s usually made with
acrylic resins or a blend of acrylic resins and other resins, such as silicones.
The hardness of the coating and its textured surface make it susceptible to
getting dirty.
I
was driving down the road and listening to the radio. Talk radio in particular;
the topic was about education in America’s high schools and the sad state of
affairs our educational system is in and how we have failed our young people in
the last few decades.
The past year, as you may have noticed, has been a challenging time for the building materials manufacturing industry. But despite the economic downturn, new materials continue to come to market.
This is not a pleasant article to write, because it has to do with failure. But don’t equate failure with being a loser. Thomas Edison failed with thousands of different filaments before finding one able to sustain the light of an incandescent bulb, and he most certainly wasn’t a loser.
Steel is one of the most widely used of all building materials. The list is as long as it is varied; columns and beams, stud framing, concrete reinforcement, doors, door frames, ladders, sheet metal, lockers, bolts, nails, and on and on. It would be impossible to build a building without using some steel.
A comparative
performance test by an independent testing laboratory confirmed the accuracy
and dependability of Zircon’s stud finders and other wall scanning tools, while
revealing safety concerns about similar products manufactured by The Stanley
Works, Zircon reported in a press release.
Serious Materials announced that it has acquired assets of
former Kensington Windows. Kensington employed more than 150
people when they were forced to shut down all operations in October as its
parent company Jancor Cos. lost its financing and filed for bankruptcy
protection last year.
Georgia-based EIFS supplier Sto Corp. has announced
the development and release of an electronic Architectural Toolbox, an EIFS
selector tool that allows users to build a variety of EIFS systems using easy
pull down menus and a variety of options.
Building material supplier Stock Building Supply was
recently voted the Top Material Supplier of 2008 by the Great
Salt Lake chapter of the American Society of Professional
Estimators.
NMC has announced new flexible
profiles to existing product lines. Every Nomastyl, Arstyl, Allegro and
Floorstyl/Wallstyl product can now be ordered in regular straight, as well as
flexible quality.
The Wildlife Habitat
Council recently recognized 25 Lafarge sites around North America as part of
the global effort to create and preserve wildlife habitats.
The National Electrical Contractors Association has been invited to testify
on the need for investment in building construction and green energy projects.
Concrete products and applications contributed to the latest
NextGen Demonstration Home in Las Vegas, making it a greener home. Although one
of the biggest show homes designed at 5,200 square feet, the home is expected
to be 95 percent more efficient than a standard home.
Reporting from the International Builders’ Show in Las
Vegas, suppliers said more consumers are seeking green products, especially
those that focus on energy and water efficiency, and there is every indication
that trend will only get stronger.
As part of an ongoing marketing strategy to engage business
owners and benefits decision-makers, Aflac’s 2009 business-to-business
initiative will include a focus on the construction and education industries,
starting with the release of a pair of new national network television ads
aimed at employers within the two sectors.
JLG Industries Inc. has launched a new toll-free phone
number to help customers reach their Service Centers. Customers can dial
877-JLG-CENTER and a quick menu will guide them to the Service Center of their
choice-Riverside or Houston.
Union Ironworkers has announced that it will pursue
relationships with contractors with whom no relationship exists to productively
manage construction projects and workloads ensuring projects are completed on
time and under budget, this year.
OMNOVA Solutions Inc. announced the sale of production
assets at its leased Dupo, Illinois narrow gauge film extrusion facility to
Wiman Corp., part of RTP Company’s Sheet & Film Division.
iCrete, a concrete technology company, has signed a
strategic use agreement with Webcor Builders, a large commercial general
contractor and concrete contractor in California.
USG
Corporation, a leading building products company, reported fourth quarter 2008
net sales of $981 million and a preliminary net loss of $172 million.
Fascan
International, exclusive U.S. distributor of FASSI cranes, is offering drywall
distributors up to $10,000 in reimbursements for performing regularly scheduled
maintenance on their drywall booms.
Pink Fiberglass Insulation is designed to maintain insulating power
overtime. This insulation will not hold water, preventing permanent
loss of R-value.
Ecose Technology is a natural binder technology, made from rapidly
renewable organic materials designed to deliver environmental
sustainability and reduce embodied energy.
The RainBarrier product lines have been specifically engineered to
repel water and efficiently drain moisture in rain screen and cavity
wall construction applications.
Executive
Director of EIMA Steve Klamke has announced his departure from the position,
which became effective on Dec. 31, 2008, according to a press release issued by
the association’s President David Boivin.
Paul
S. Quigg, fire-protection engineer who helped develop drywall screws, died at
age 80 in November. A Barrington, Ill., resident, he passed of liver cancer in the Hospice
of Northeastern Illinois in Woodstock.
Roy Zeh has joined Alabama Metal Industries Co. (AMICO) as managing building product sales in southern region. Roll-Kraft has added Jayne Herak as director of sales. Simonton Windows has named
The
new zero-VOC mastic consists of polymers that are designed to remain flexible,
yet provide a tight seal that eliminates water vapor and air infiltration into
a building when installing structural insulated panels.
HeatlokSoy is a rigid foam insulation that expands as it dries to fill
the space in which air can circulate or moisture can condense, sealing
cracks, gaps and voids and creating a more energy efficient environment.
Installed in liquid form, this insulation expands to fill each cavity,
crevice and void, creating a sealed thermal envelope and reducing air
filtration.
Developed specifically for steel stud commercial buildings, the Thermax
Total Wall System enables architects and contractors to create
energy-efficient, moisture-managed walls with fewer materials and
installation steps.
The
Telebelt TB 600 truck-mounted telescopic belt conveyor features a rated output
of 600 cubic yards per hour and has been engineered to meet high volume
material placement demands.
The
American National Standards Institute Board of Standards Review approved the
“Withdraw for Cause Request of ANSI/SIA A92.10 Transport Platforms” submitted
by the American Society of Safety Engineers as Secretariat for ASC A10
Construction and Demolition Operations.
Dryvit
Systems has announced that National Quality Assurance has completed a final
audit of its West Warwick, R.I., headquarters and has awarded ISO 14001:2004
certification to the facility.
This
line of wainscoting tongue and groove moldings are part of the Wallstyl
collection and are made out of a patented high density polymer system, which is
humidity resistant and impact-resistant.
Aimed at the renovation market, the R-etro System is designed to be a
fast, flexible, non-invasive form of insulation that will add an
R-value of R-18 to existing wall surfaces.
At the 2009 International Builders’ Show, CertainTeed
Corporation will be taking a new, multi-faceted approach in showcasing their
interior and exterior building products.
The 2009 edition of the
International Residential Code, available in March, includes new requirements
for sprinklers and energy efficiency. It also includes new standards for
building homes in high-wind regions, and constructing community and residential
storm shelters.
National construction officials and regional builders from across
the country will be available to discuss the local benefits of the
infrastructure investments included in the stimulus legislation proposal this
Wednesday, Jan. 28.
Builder and developer Joe Robson, of Tulsa, Okla.,
was elected as the 2009 Chairman of the Board of the National Association of
Home Builders. Active in the Tulsa
area for more than 25 years, he is the founder and president of The Robson
Companies Inc., developers of residential communities and commercial
properties.
The American Concrete Institute announces the availability
of four new publications and CD-ROMs to educate and inform industry
professionals on the newest concrete-related information and technology.
In a move to further support its customers in the
construction and woodworking markets, Henkel Corporation has obtained
GreenGuard certifications for selected products within each of its woodworking
product brands.
Builders, remodelers
and other members of the home building industry are back at work this week
after more than 60,000 attended the National Association of Home Builders’
International Builders’ Show in Las
Vegas last week.
Topcon Positioning Systems has signed an agreement with
AeroTech Sales LLC., of Fountain
Valley, Calif., to
represent the OEM market for TPS’ mobile control products.
Hacker Industries Inc. is pleased to announce
its participation as the official cementitious floor underlayment supplier and
sponsor of The New American Home 2009, the annual show home of the
International Builders’ Show.
The National
Center for Construction
Education and Research has launched a new marketing campaign to revive the
meaning and importance of craftsmanship in the construction industry.
Over the past year, domestic steel stud manufacturers experienced one of the most volatile, unsuspecting and outright damaging markets in recent history. The ups and downs of 2008 have tried and tested each of the nation’s steel framing manufacturers, and shaken the building products industry to its core. So, how did we cope with it and what are we going to do as manufacturers in order to survive?
Fast Arch of America began in Darrell Lilly’s garage more than 15 years ago. Now, its operations have grown substantially and although the bulk of its work is within greater Phoenix, the product is being sent throughout the states and several franchises have been set up.
The material in the Steel Framing Alliance’s “A Guide to Fire & Acoustic Data for Steel Floor, Wall & Roof Assemblies” was prepared as a reference for fire and sound rated cold-formed steel framing assemblies.