Walls & Ceilings articles from May 2008

Walls & Ceilings archives from May 2008

The professional journeyman: our nation's trade unions have been under attack and losing ground in the construction industry for decades. Once the construction industry was dominated by the trade unions, today they control only a fraction of the construction industry.(up FRONT)
May 1, 2008... I believe the construction unions will always exist in some form or another, but the fight will continue to be a tough one. They will survive and may even regain some strength in the coming decades. It won't be easy and the challenges of being...

Calendar.(Calendar)
May 1, 2008... MAY 15-17 AIA Boston www.aia.org 20-22 GREEN WEST EXPO Los Angeles Convention Center Los Angeles www.GreenWestExpo.com JUNE 3-5 COMMERCIAL...

Lafarge announces new joint compound plant in Kentucky.(INDUSTRY WIRE)
May 1, 2008... Lafarge North America Inc. announced last month that it has begun construction on a new state-of-the-art joint compound production manufacturing facility adjacent to its Silver Grove, Ky., gypsum wall-board plant. The fully automated...

Teen teams compete in Construction Challenge.(TRADENEWS)
May 1, 2008... An Oklahoma team won the first-ever Construction Challenge held at the CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2008 trade show in Las Vegas, in March. Teams from Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio and Texas also took home top honors in the teen competition, which was...

Washington IUPAT opens new apprenticeship building.(TRADENEWS)
May 1, 2008... The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), District Council 5 (DC#5) celebrated the opening of its new training facilities in Seattle, Wash. in grand fashion. The March 21 evening program began with a history of the long...

Spackle.(TRADENEWS)(Cartoon)
May 1, 2008... ALL RIGHT, WHO LeFT THe FeNG-SHUI BOOK LYING IN THe MIDDLe OF THE FLOOR? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Correction.(Correction notice)
May 1, 2008... In W&C's Trade Show Directory published in February, some information for two manufacturers were incomplete, due to a computer database glitch. Below are the correct directory listings. Marino\WAREWARE 400 Metuchen Rd South...

Walls & Ceilings celebrates milestone.(PEOPLE)
May 1, 2008... In conjunction with the 70th anniversary of Walls & Ceilings, Paula Graham, South and West display advertising manager, celebrates her 20th anniversary with the magazine. After seven years as a Main Street Project Manager for the National Trust...

Marc Brown.(PEOPLE)
May 1, 2008... ParexLahabra, based in Anaheim, Calif., recently announced three personnel changes. Marc Brown has been named Plant Manager of ParexLahabra's Riverside, Calif., location. He will have the primary responsibility of overseeing the operations of...

Charlie Bailey and Jonathan Harris.(PEOPLE)
May 1, 2008... Charlie Bailey and Jonathan Harris have been added to the company's sales team. Bailey will cover the Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee regions, while Harris will cover Utah and Arizona.

Putzmeister America Inc.(PEOPLE)
May 1, 2008... Putzmeister America Inc., based in Sturtevant, Wis., has named Travis Nonn as the new technical service engineer for its Customer Support Group, and Les Ormond as Telebelt Specialist. Nonn will serve as team leader for the PERC Department,...

The American Concrete Institute.(PEOPLE)
May 1, 2008... The American Concrete Institute, based in Farmington Hills, Mich., introduced its new president, vice president, and four board members during the ACI Spring 2008 Convention in Los Angeles last month. Luis E. Garcia, of Bogota, Colombia, is the...

Reactor proportioner system.(Spray Machines)
May 1, 2008... GRACO The Reactor E-Series is designed to apply foam, polyurea and other materials that require accurate temperatures and pressures. Upgraded with new technology, the reactor includes hybrid heaters, a temperature control board that allows...

Portable texture sprayer.(Spray Machines)
May 1, 2008... MARSHALLTOWN CO. The Enforcer is a closed system sprayer that features a unique power hopper design. A pressurized tank feeds mud through a Sharpshooter 2.0 gun to ensure a consistent spray from beginning to end. A quick-fill plug allows...

Wide-pattern spray gun.(Spray Machines)
May 1, 2008... XIOM CORP. The new Xiom 5000 Scorpion spray gun is designed to cover large areas. The patent-pending wide spray pattern nozzle is designed to eliminate nozzle clogging that results when the polymer material melts in the nozzle. The wide...

Drywall texture pumps.(Spray Machines)
May 1, 2008... APLA-TECH INC. The T-Series is part of a new line of patented pumps designed to spray drywall textures. The 1-inch double-diaphram pump features a build flow rating of 35 gallons per minute. Lightweight at less than 60 pounds. it is...

Airless paint sprayer.(Spray Machines)
May 1, 2008... AIRLESSCO The SL1500 was designed for use in spraying extremely heavy materials like wallboard mud and waterproofing coatings. The pump platform features a. totally enclosed industrial 1.25 horse-power electric motor, which when used in...

ICFS gaining ground in educationl: new integrated steel assemblies speed ICFs construction time, save money.
May 1, 2008... The long-term benefits of ICFs played a major factor in the decision by the Franklin County Board of Education in Kentucky to choose the concrete and foam building system for its new elementary school last year. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Pushing the Energy envelope with insulating concrete forms: the use of ICFs has expended in recent years to meet new needs defined by clients.
May 1, 2008... Energy consumption may be regulated by code, but it is increasingly driven by client demand. With the rising costs of utilities, heightened efficiency goals are surfacing as key design guidelines. Additional parameters of sustainability and...

Fighting mold 50 ways: coalition fights Mold with education on basics of keeping buildings dry.
May 1, 2008... The Responsible Solutions to Mold Coalition (RSMC) was launched at the International Builders' Show in January of 2006. The primary purpose of the group was to communicate science-based information on how to control moisture and therefore mold...

Training for success; Despite economic slump, some JATC grads in Chicago are prospering in drywall, painting.
May 1, 2008... On a good day, the jobsite where Matthew Vasquez has been working for the last one and a half years gives him an extraordinary aerial view of Chicago's famous lakefront. Even on a bad day, the view is still pretty good at the 80-story...

Ashrae increases R-value for roofs, walls.(HPBE NEWS)
May 1, 2008... For the first time in more than 19 years, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) announced an increase to the minimum required prescriptive R-value (resistance to heat flow) for roof and wall...

Environmental benefits cited for Insulated Metal Panels.(HPBE NEWS)
May 1, 2008... Insulated Metal Panels (IMP) lead in energy conservation, recyclables, and sustainability, according to the Metal Construction Association (MCA), an organization dedicated to expanding the use of metal in construction. According to MCA...

3 trends push green building to forefront, says FMI.(HPBE NEWS)
May 1, 2008... Three major trends are pushing green building to the forefront of the construction industry's consciousness, according to FMI, a management consulting and investment banking firm in Raleigh, N.C. 1) an unprecedented level of government...

Impact resistant housewrap.(HPBE PRODUCTS)
May 1, 2008... TYPAR Typar StormWrap combines the advantages of Typar HouseWrap with fiber-reinforcement for excellent impact resistance in a water-resistive barrier that also provides water holdout and tear strength, making it an excellent solution for...

Self-priming waterproofing membrane.(HPBE PRODUCTS)
May 1, 2008... PACIFIC POLYMERS INT. INC. ELASTO-MAT D&G is a self-priming, VOC-compliant, water-proofing membrane that can be applied to green or damp concrete just a few days old, the company reports. This single-component, rapid moisture-curing,...

Architectural glass products.(HPBE PRODUCTS)
May 1, 2008... GUARDIAN INDUSTRIES CORP Guardian Industries Corp. has added six new glass colors to its line of low-emissivity SunGuard Advanced Architectural Glass products. SunGuard AG 50 and SunGuard Royal Blue 40 are each available on three different...

What is a High-Performance cladding? Deflection, drainage, drying and durability are important factors in determining a building's sustainability.(HIGH-PERFORMANCE BUILDING ENVELOPE SPECIAL SECTION)
May 1, 2008... There is a new term being tossed around the construction industry, "High Performance Cladding." What exactly is a "high performance cladding"? No one has provided a definitive definition. The consultants in building envelope design use the...

LEED-Platinum pays dividends; Michigan builder achieves celebrity status with LEED-Platinum home.(HIGH-PERFORMANCE BUILDING ENVELOPE)
May 1, 2008... When Bob Burnside set his sights on building the first Platinum LEED-certified home in southeast Michigan near Ann Arbor two years ago, he needed to make only a few changes to his standard method of operations. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Maximize energy efficiency: interaction between HVAC and building enclosure design is the secret to maximizing energy efficiency.(HIGH-PERFORMANCE BUILDING ENVELOPE SPECIAL SECTION)
May 1, 2008... Continuous air barrier systems will be mandated for new commercial construction under Addendumz to the 2007 version of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, which provides minimum...

Finishing joints in fire-rated construction, part 1: somewhere there has to be an old Vaudeville joke where the stand-up asks the straight man: "So, how do you confuse a drywall contractor?".(all things GYPSUM)
May 1, 2008... After much fumbling by the straight man, the comic finally relents and says "You put him in a room with fire-rated walls and ask him to finish the joints." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In 1923, no doubt a riot of rotten tomatoes followed...

A case study: what is causing this? For a change of pace, I've decided to periodically write about contracting and field issues, including case studies of interesting projects. The idea is to offer insights that will help readers deal with aspects of EIFS in their work. Here's one for starters.(the FINISH LINE)(Case study)
May 1, 2008... I often do consulting regarding buildings with problems. While I don't care much for the adversarial atmosphere when dealing with unhappy people and their lawyers, sometimes the problems involved are unique and worthy of discussion. Here are...

Pain management in life and business: the pharmaceutical industry has made giant strides in its ability to create medications that minimize or manage pain.(all in AGREEMENT)
May 1, 2008... Several years ago my sister succumbed to breast cancer. When the cancer was in its advanced stage my sister came to live with my wife and I in hopes of making her as comfortable as possible. I don't pretend to be a medical pain expert, but it's...

Your government is just being helpful!(smart BUSINESS)
May 1, 2008... Rick Johnson, a bright and witty consultant to the distribution industry (www.ceostrategist.com), recently published what he called "A Regulatory Compliance Inventory." It lists the various federal laws governing employment issues and is worth...

Helmets to Hardhats: "I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight." ~ General George S. Patton.(TROWEL talk)
May 1, 2008... It is estimated that there are over 24 million U.S. Military Veterans. More than 2 million of them are under 35 years of age, and many of those are in need of good paying jobs... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The courage, strength, and...

Construction woes and the Latino subcontractor: things are tough in the construction industry these days. There is, however, a silver lining in this dark cloud and that is over the long term many construction companies, and Latino workers, will be better off than we were before.(success with HISPANICS)
May 1, 2008... There is a current shakedown in the construction industry that is allowing two very important things to happen that will benefit both the organization and the workers--a refocus on training the workforce and a clean up of the subcontractor...

I hear you have a cold!(straight GREEN)
May 1, 2008... I read somewhere that cold and flu season runs from September to March, and was thinking that I'd made it through this season without having been hit by anything really bad. My luck ran out two weeks ago and I got something, nasty enough to...

How flat is flat?(cracking THE CODE)
May 1, 2008... Q: I have an architect upset with me over my stucco work. He said it does not meet specifications and the code for flatness. He is claiming the DOE requires stucco to be no more than 1/8- inch in 10 feet out of tolerance. I did what I felt was...

Circular saw blade.(the TOOLBOX)
May 1, 2008... ARCUS INC. The contoured Professional Circular Saw Blade is a 7 1/4 inch circular saw blade with 24 teeth, a 3/16-inch cutting kerf, C-6 carbide tips and a 5/8-inch round arbor designed to cut smooth-edged circles or arcs in wood, plastic,...

Combination protractor.(the TOOLBOX)
May 1, 2008... L.S. STARRETT CO. This new 5-in-1 protractor is designed to provide fast, direct readings for miter cuts, single cuts, compound cuts (with conversions for cutting crown molding), exact angle/supplemental angles and roof pitch references....

Drywall utility knife.(the TOOLBOX)
May 1, 2008... C.H. HANSON Speedrocker is a 3-in-1 utility knife, keyhole saw and rasp for drywall, insulation board, ceiling tile and more. The tool features an internal blade storage, a tape measure hook for safer scoring, and four-position retractable...

Automatic drywall corner trim machine.(the TOOLBOX)
May 1, 2008... STRUCTUS BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES The new AUTOSLAM machine automates drywall corner trim application by using a single 500-foot roll to provide outside/inside corners, off-angles and L Trim of specified lengths. It is designed to allow...

Takeoff software.(the TOOLBOX)
May 1, 2008... ON CENTER SOFTWARE On-Screen Takeoff, for creating takeoffs from digital/paper plans, is designed to boost accuracy, decrease errors and generate more profitable bids. The patent-pending features in version 3.6 help users perform typical...

Production framing nailer.(the TOOLBOX)
May 1, 2008... DEWALT This heavy-duty round head framing nailer is designed for production framers and is ideal for many applications. Built with a magnesium body and side guards, key wearable components such as the driver blade assembly, bumper and a...

Micro Driver Drill.(the TOOLBOX)
May 1, 2008... HITACHI POWER TOOLS The DB10DL 10.8-Volt Lithium lon Micro Driver Drill, at 1.8 pounds and less than 6 inches in length, is designed to get into tight spaces for precision drilling and driving. With 88 inch/pounds of turning torque, the...

Lightweight dust cleaning tool.(the TOOLBOX)
May 1, 2008... WOOSTER The new Dust Eater cleans up drywall dust and sawdust from finishing jobs. Specially treated yarn is designed to attract and hold dust for powerful, long-lasting pickup. The triangular shape covers large areas and reaches into...

Laser measurer.(the TOOLBOX)
May 1, 2008... BOSCH POWER TOOLS AND ACCESSORIES The new DLR165 Laser Rangefinder utilizes precision laser technology to measure distances up to 165 feet and offers multiple measuring functions for a broad array of applications. Measurements can be taken...

Tailgate seat for pickups.(the TOOLBOX)
May 1, 2008... TALEGATOR DISTRIBUTORS, LLC The TaleGator is a two-seater product specifically created and designed to fit the back of most pickup trucks. Light-weight, fitted with beverage and food compartments and easy to install, it is ideal for...