| | ||||||
| HOME | PRODUCTS | MANUFACTURERS | CATALOGS | ARTICLES | VIDEOS | |
| April 29, 2008 | ||||||||||||
Welcome to ebuild New Product News, a twice-weekly showcase of the latest building product introductions and trends, hand-picked by the editors of BUILDING PRODUCTS magazine and ebuild, the magazine's Web site. We welcome your feedback.Editors' Picks
Feature StoryEngineered Lumber's Green Attributes Provide Another Selling Point When Trus Joist introduced the first engineered I-joist in 1969, it wasn't to save the planet. It was to help save a building industry that depended on huge, old-growth trees that were quickly becoming scarce and more protected by regulators. As home builders started using engineered structural lumber, including I-joists, laminated veneer lumber (LVL), finger-jointed lumber, glue-laminated lumber, and manufactured trusses, they embraced their strength, their extra-long lengths, and their ability to keep floors from squeaking. "I think of engineered lumber as green," says Baltimore remodeler Paul Lidard, "but I use it because it's more convenient" than solid-sawn lumber. "Everyone's in favor of it because you're more in control [of how much is wasted]. But they're not thinking of it as a green product." Perhaps they should be. In addition to the strength and consistency builders have long appreciated, engineered lumber boasts eco-friendly properties worth marketing to homeowners in this new era of environmental consciousness.
Announcements From ManufacturersSimpson Strong-Tie Introduces Quik Drive PROCGB Combo System Simpson Strong-Tie will introduce the Quik Drive® PROCGB Combo System with two new auto-feed attachments at the ceramic tile and natural stone industry tradeshow, Coverings, April 29 - May 2, 2008 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Designed specifically for the tile contractor, the innovative new tool allows for quick and easy installation of cement board, fiber-cement board and gypsum panel underlayment. Demonstrations of the tool will be held at the Simpson Strong-Tie booth #5616 throughout the show. Complete detailsU S Block Windows Offers Energy Star-Rated Privacy Windows U S Block Windows, an Energy Star® partner, has several features unique to the privacy window industry. These include Energy Star® options for all zones of the U.S., the widest variety of operable acrylic block windows that open and close for ideal ventilation and easy cut-to-size acrylic block for new construction or replacement. U S Block Windows are available in standard fixed windows, unique radius shapes such as colonial arches and eyebrow units and operable units including casements and awnings. They also feature new construction and replacement styles in both vinyl and aluminum frames. LaHabra Introduces New Technology Stucco LaHabra, a producer of quality stucco since 1926, today announced the launch of NTS - New Technology Stucco to their family of products. NTS incorporates Dust Less Technology, the greatest innovation in stucco formulation in over 80 years. This specially formulated product is easier to apply and environmentally responsible, creating healthier working conditions, less dust and less mess than other stucco finishes. This reformulation in stucco makes NTS easier to spread than traditional stucco. Its smoother consistency goes on the wall with ease allowing the applicator more control over application and reducing arm fatigue experienced.
News and TrendsSomething's Cooking in the Digital Kitchen If there was ever a match made in heaven for builders using technology to sell homes, it's the increasingly complex relationship between home systems integration and the kitchen. The kitchen has been the center of homes going back thousands of years. The arrival of the home theater and media room may have temporarily shifted that focus, but the kitchen is again taking its rightful place as not just a node on a system but as a full-blown technology center. "The kitchen is becoming the key interface point for home automation, especially since in modern home design it's increasingly common to see the kitchen connected to the house's great room," observes Ray Lepper, president of Home Media Richmond, an integrator in that Virginia city. "Making the kitchen the systems control center of the home sets up that combined space nicely for entertaining." How to Build a Safe and Durable Deck in a Harsh Environment A casual inspection of just about any wooden boardwalk or ocean-side deck will provide ample evidence of what a harsh coastal environment can do. Heat, ultraviolet light, elevated moisture levels, and salt spray all take a toll. The apparent degradation of materials evidenced by splintering, splitting, and rusting call attention to one of the coastal contractors' highest priorities: designing and building safe and durable decks. Fortunately, there is help at hand to guide deck builders toward code-conforming deck design and good construction practice. |
 |
| ebuild New Product News is published biweekly by Hanley Wood, LLC. One Thomas Circle NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005 |
       |
| Hanley Wood, LLC. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. |
