Builders show was chock-full of new 'green' products

[Guest guest]

I DO NOT have any connection to any of these products or companies.

I thought that many who were either re-building or remediating etc,

would find this interesting. It also goes to show that the building

community has taken a strong hard look at contamination and are

trying to stop it in it's tracks.

KC

Glenn Haege: Ask Glenn

Builders show was chock-full of new 'green' products

DetNews.com - Detroit,MI

http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?

AID=/20070224/OPINION03/702240372/1038/LIFESTYLE01

The 2007 International Builders Show took up 1.7 million square feet

of exhibit space at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando,

Fla.. It was held Feb. 7-10, but it should have been held on St.

's Day, because the predominant color was green.

Green products were everywhere. A " green " product is one that is

significantly more environmentally benign than its competitors. That

green rating may be earned in different ways. It can have lower

contaminating ingredients, such as low or no-VOC paint. It can be

more energy efficient, such as an Energy Star appliance. It can

reduce risk, such as a mold-killer or mold-resistant product.

" Mold is gold " is a term from the legal industry. While good for

lawyers. It was bad for the members of the building industry being

sued.

Now Protecto Wrap has coined the phrase: " Stop Mold, Stop Lawsuits. "

Mold spores are everywhere, but require moisture to become active,

so stopping or managing water penetration has become a prime

requirement.

While walking the show last year, I turned to my publisher and

said, " There is an answer to every building problem right here on

this floor. The problem is that most of the builders and

tradespeople don't know about it. "

Many builders and tradespeople don't go to trade shows because they

are too busy and figure they can get by with what they already know.

That's unfortunate because the products they didn't see and the

classes they didn't attend could solve many building and home

improvement problems.

Clip and save my next couple of articles. Demand that builders and

tradespeople learn about and use new products to give you a better

job.

Mold killer

Nisus (800-264-0870, www.nisuscorp .com) Bora-Care with Mold-Care

kills and prevents mold, prevents wood decay and delivers wood

destroying organisms including dry wood termites, carpenter ants and

wood-boring beetles.

Drainage

Protecto Wrap (800-759-9727, www.pro tectowrap.com), introduced a

new window-sill, pan-drainage system (PSDS) that combines their

flexible peel and stick with a positive-slope, closed-cell foam

membrane that protects the window opening from mold and moisture

damage.

Dupont introduced StraightFlash VF as part of the Tyvek (800-44-

TYVEK, WWW.ty vek.com) Weatherization System. StraightFlash VF is a

dual-sided, self-adhered flashing tape that provides a reliable

moisture seal to integrate brick mold, non-integral flanged and non-

flanged windows and doors to the building envelope, channeling water

away and protecting them from bulk water leaks.

Consella-Dorken's dimpled basement waterproofing membrane (888-

4DELTA4, www.consellal-dorken.com) is the industry standard. Now,

they've expanded the dimple idea to house wrap to channel any

moisture that may get behind the siding away from the house.

Pactiv's new Green Guard Ultra Wrap (800-241-4402,

www.greenguard.com) non-woven, non-perforated house wrap has one of

the industry's highest perm rates, is UV-stable and can be exposed

to the sun for up to four months.

Construction materials

Wet wood is one of the great weaknesses of on-site construction.

Georgia-Pacific Plytanium DryPly (800-284-5347, www.gp.com/build)

has a water-repellent coating that reduces water absorption by 40

percent.

Graber/Duratape Wet-N-Stick (800-249-1357, www.duratape.com) joint

tape has mold and mildew inhibitors in the adhesive to prevent

bacteria growth.

WoodSmart Solutions Inc., (516-416-1972, www.bluwood.com),

headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., developed a proprietary two-part

infusion film and DOT wood preservative technology. The coating is

absorbed into the lumber, and bonds to the wood's fibers to form a

water-repellant, semi-permeable film that controls moisture

absorption and resists mold, mildew growth, fungi and wood-ingesting

insects, including Formosan termites. No special handling is

required, and the wood can sit on the job site for up to six months.

Insulation

s Manville introduced formaldehyde-free spray fiberglass

insulation (www.jm .com) that will not settle or shrink, and is

naturally mold-resistant.

BASF showed Comfort Foam (Google: BASF comfort foam), a closed-cell

spray foam vapor barrier with an R-value of 6 per inch that stops

vapor movement and contains no urea formaldehyde or VOCs.

CertainTeed (800-233-8990, www.certain teed.com), introduced

MemBrain vapor retarder for use over unfaced fiberglass insulation

in walls and ceilings. MemBrain automatically senses current

humidity levels and changes permeability to match current

conditions. Invisible pores open under wet conditions and close

under dry conditions.

Hurry back. I'll have more new products next week.

If you have a question, call the Handyman Show with Glenn Haege at

(866) ASK GLENN between noon and 2 p.m. Saturday or Sunday. The show

can be heard on WJR and more than 160 radio stations nationwide. To

suggest a question for Haege's Wednesday " Ask Glenn " column, write:

Ask Glenn, Master Handyman Press, P.O. Box 1498, Royal Oak, MI 48068-

1498 or e-mail askglenn@masterhandy man.com.