Drywall has been the leading material used in wall coverings since 1941. Actually, U.S. Gypsum Company (USG) first produced drywall in 1916 prior to world war II.

At first drywall consisted of multi-layers of gypsum and heavy paper compressed together. Later it evolved into one sheet of gypsum covered by layers of heavy paper.

Plaster was the primary wall covering at the time, and drywall considered cheap installation?obviously due to poor communications. Had the public become aware of its advantages at the time, drywall would have evolved into the primary covering much sooner.

Plaster required wood backing over the studs to contain the plaster requiring a great deal more wood and labor. Not only that, but plaster contained a significant amount of water which required extensive drying time?not to mention the labor required to install and level.

The war?s drain on the economy and labor force brought drywall into the spotlight as the least expensive material which installed quickly with the least amount of labor.

Once the dog was loose he began to hunt quickly and before long-- its advantages fully realized--drywall dominated the scene, not only in the U.S. but internationally as well.

Drywall?s Composition

Gypsum is a mineral mined for its properties. In its original form it contains significant amounts of water, but in a crystalline form. This is advantageous in the event of fire. The crystalline water converts to steam cooling the panel?s surface and serves as a fire break.

Raw gypsum gets mixed with emulsifiers, wood pulp and starches and compressed. This combination is then covered with thick manila paper.

The now prepared sheet is heavy with water in its purest form. A 500-degree oven finalizes the process by ridding the sheet of water. The drywall sheets are offered in the most popular 4X8, 4X10 and 4X12 sizes from 3/8-inch through ╛-inch thickness.

The story doesn?t end there, a myriad of diverse chemicals and emulsifiers can be added to create panels for a wide range of different purposes such as mold, impact resistance and additional resistance to fire.

Types of Wallboard

• Regular non-rated architectural
• Fire-rated or type (X or Perlite) fire resistant strands added
• Impact resistant for high use areas
• Moisture resistant (green board) water resistant paper added for use in bathrooms and kitchen
• Soundboard (quiet rock) viscoelastic polymers added which convert sound to heat which is not audible.
• Lead lined drywall for protection from overexposure to X-rays used in hospitals.
• Flexible drywall in ╝-inch sheets capable of bending when wetted down to form curves or arches.
• Blue board used where a top decorative coating is to be applied. It has a green adhesive on the surface for better adhesion of the decorative surface.

Advantages of Using Wallboard

All new construction will experience a certain amount of warping in the walls as the new studs cure or the home settles.

Drywall, unlike plaster has enough flex to cope where plaster will crack. Not only that, but drywall has a fantastic insulation value and is fire resistant, not to mention the fact that it is the least expensive type of wall covering.

Planning Your Wallboard Needs

This will reduce your cost and keep you in code while minimizing waste.

• Measure your walls, ceiling (length X width), divide by 32 (size of wallboard sheets), and add 20-percent for waste to arrive at the number needed. Keep in mind that the ceiling will be a thinner sheet than the walls.
• Count your outside corners in hallways, entrances to bathroom and so on. These require end caps.
• If there is more than one story inform your supplier.
• Make a note of walls or ceilings getting decorative coatings.

At the same time he will set you up with all the necessary wallboard installation materials and tools needed for a trouble-free and successful installation.

When your ready to build or remodel, give our representative a call at any of our five locations throughout New England.

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Room acoustics play an important part in the overall comfort and usefulness of any room or space. Often times the acoustics of a room can make it uncomfortable for the person occupying it. However, many people fail to understand the basics of what makes the sound in a room natural and pleasing to the ear. Bad acoustics in a room are not inescapable, with the proper knowledge and materials, any room can be acoustically pleasing.

Direct Sound vs Reflective Sound

Sound travels in waves at the very fast speed of over 1100 feet per second. When we hear sound we are hearing both direct and reflective sound. Direct sound is the sound we hear first because it is made up of the sound waves that travel the shortest distance directly to us. Reflective sound is the sound we here later, in an echo, because it is the sound waves bouncing off objects, often multiple times, and being sent back to us. Because the reflective sound travels further we hear it in reverberations as an echo. However, because sound travels does travel so fast the waves overlap and become distorted rather than distinct echoes.

Acoustic Materials to change Reflective Sound Distortion

When considering the acoustics in a room the most important thing to remember is that the more hard flat walls, ceilings and floor space you have the more surfaces there are for sounds to be reflected off. Also consider the amount of angles these flat surfaces create. Between just two flat surfaces a sound wave can be bounced at least 60 times a second.

When you factor in the amount of space and angles found in a normal room with six flat surfaces (four walls, ceiling, and floor) the number of times that a sound wave can be reflected enters into the thousands, all at full strength if left unhindered. Altering these surfaces with proper acoustics material will provide drastic changes to reflective sound and the acoustics of the room.

Absorbers and Diffusers

Acoustic absorbers are products made from special materials, often made of foam or cloth, that absorb the energy of the sound waves reducing the amount of sound that is reflected. Diffusers are shaped materials that alter a flat surface in order to scatter the sound waves around the room, much like a wave of light through a prism. Most modern acoustics material combines both principles of absorption and diffusion in to a single piece. The combination of both reduces both the amount and intensity of reflective sound that reaches the ear and reduces the distortion reflective sound causes.

Acoustical Barriers

Often called noise or sound barriers, acoustical barriers help to not only block sound from leaving the room, they also help block outside sounds from interfering with the sound in the room. Although absorbers and diffusers dampen the sounds that leave and enter the room, sound barriers are denser materials. This denseness leaves little room for sound to enter or escape reducing the sound distractions created outside and the sound distraction for neighboring rooms.

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When it comes to building a home or other construction that's fire-resistant yet affordable, concrete is the choice of the future. And insulating concrete forms, with their added layers of protection, are fast becoming the go-to choice of homeowners who want the most bang and stability for their buck. As a contractor, learning to build walls using ICFsáis a necessary skill if you want to stay competitive in an increasingly greener world.

The Appeal of Concrete

Concrete is ideal as a building material because it's nearly impervious to destruction from heat and flame, withstanding a beating at temperatures up to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. In this same situation, wood burns and steel warps, but concrete perseveres--good knowledge to have when you're trying to sell a new homeowner on the advantages of a concrete home.

Concrete, in the form of ICFs or áinsulating concrete forms, helps to prevent fire spreading from room to room, as well. The Steiner Tunnel Test concluded that even the foam used in these forms is more fire-resistant than other types used in construction. They also emit no more toxic emissions than wood when involved in a fire.

ICFs, Better Than Concrete

As a contractor, you may already know that ICFs give better overall protection from both fire and energy loss than that of concrete alone. It's the two added layers of foam insulation that give distinct advantages to walls built using these forms:

• A High R-Value
• A High Thermal Mass
• Low Air Infiltration

These benefits combine to make concrete homes more impervious to fire damage, more energy efficient and more resistant to extremes of outside weather. Additionally, they provide better sound-proofing for the family or families who reside within.

Advantages of ICFs on the Job Site

Today's homeowners want ever greener and more efficient homes. This means thinking outside the box when it comes to construction, and for green and clean, concrete comes in high on the list as a building material.

Homes built of concrete are less subject to disintegration over time because there's no wood to rot. And when ICFs are used, there are no toxic emissions seeping into the home from the materials used to build it. This translates into less mess on the job site as building a home to green code using concrete is a much simpler process.

Cost Comparison

While it typically costs more to build a home using insulating concrete forms, the potential benefits for the homeowner make concrete a more than viable choice. Depending upon various circumstances, an ICFáhome can cost as much as about $3.25 more per square foot than a stick-built home. Usually, however, this cost comes down with contractor and builder experience.

Even with the added cost of construction, the opportunity to own a home that's quiet, solid, and resistantáto wind and fire is enough to convince new homeowners to indulge. Add to that the energy savings over time, and owning a house built from ICFs is a strategic move.

ICFs are the wave of the future, and the builders and contractors who have experience building walls from this material are the ones who will prosper the most. It's beneficial to glean all the first-hand experience you can using ICFs--and as quickly as possible--to stay in the know. Every home you build using concrete gives you valuable insight into the intricacies of working with this newer construction material that comes with its own unique set of challenges. More experience translates into fewer hiccups on the job site, faster build times, fewer setbacks and less expense overall--four advantages every contractor wants when he reports for work each day.

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Sources:

http://www.astm.org/Standards/E84.htm

http://www.forms.org/index.cfm/fireresistance

With an average of over 650 deaths annually and tens of thousands of heat-related injuries nationwide, working in the heat of summer isn't something to take lightly. Let's take a look at some common heat-related injuries that can happen on the job, including how to recognize, treat and prevent them.

Heat Rash

Heat rash is more an annoyance than anything else, but it can make you irritable and sore, keeping you from working your best. Try to keep your skin dry by keeping a towel close to hand while working, wearing wicking clothing such as linen or cotton and using medicated powders to keep the rash from getting worse.

Dehydration

Dehydration is a gateway problem, as it leads to most of the other injuries listed, the last of which can be fatal. Keep hydrated with lots of water and electrolyte solutions such as Gatorade or Powerade. If you're going through more than a quart an hour of an electrolyte solution, dilute it by half with water to prevent stomach irritation. By the time you feel thirsty, you're already becoming dehydrated, so keep the fluids coming.

Heat Cramps

Heat cramps can involve large muscles, such as in the legs and arms, or in the digestive system. If you have workers with heat cramps, make them rest in the shade with an electrolyte solution or clear juice for several hours to restore the minerals in their system. Just because the cramps go away doesn't mean they're ready for work, with further activity possibly leading to heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Severe heat cramps may require a trip to an urgent care or emergency room to get electrolytes back into their system quickly, especially if the cramps last over an hour, if the worker is on a low-salt diet or has heart problems.

Heat Syncope

Heat syncope is essentially dizziness or fainting when changing position due to heat and dehydration. It's usually caused by dehydration and lack of acclimatization to high temperatures, so make sure you keep your crew well hydrated and working lightly the first few days of a heat wave. Treat it by having workers with symptoms rest in a cool area and rehydrate.

Heat Exhaustion

Heat exhaustion can lead very quickly to heat stroke and death, and must be taken very seriously. Symptoms include heavy sweating, weakness, fatigue, dizziness, confusion, nausea, muscle cramps, fast and shallow breathing, slight fever and skin that can be flushed, pale, clammy or moist. Immediately move the worker to a cooler area, drape them with damp, thin sheets or towels or have them take a shower, bath or sponge bath in cool - not cold - water. Heat exhaustion can be the beginning of shock, so applying anything that creates too rapid a change can make the situation worse instead of better. Make sure they hydrate with water, clear juices or electrolyte solutions. If they can't keep liquids down, get them immediately to an urgent care or emergency room for IV treatment.

Heat Stroke

Heat stroke occurs when your body's temperature regulation system is out of options. They may still be sweating profusely or when a worker has lost too much fluids to sweating, they'll stop sweating and they'll develop a high fever of 104║f or higher. If emergency action is not taken immediately, they could suffer permanent disability or die from organ failure. Other symptoms to watch for include hallucinations, chills, a throbbing headache, confusion or dizziness and slurred speech. Heat stroke can rapidly raise the body temperature above 106║F within 10-15 minutes, so it's vital to immediately call 911, move the worker into the shade (preferably in a cool area) , then spray, sponge or soak the worker with cool water. If there's a breeze, a fan or another worker who can fan them, this will help with evaporative cooling to get their temperature down.

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Pyramex offers a spectrum of safety glasses for any activity, whether working or playing you'll be glad to have them on. Safety glasses play an important role in keeping your eyes safe and your vision intact when your eyesight may be on the line.

Pyramex manufactures outstanding safety eyewear products that enhance your ability to perform the job at hand while keeping your eyes safe. Wearing quality engineered eyewear designed to go above and beyond expectations in safety, durability and reliability when it counts, matters most when you least expect it.

Pyramex has been in business since 1991 designing safety glasses that meet the needs of industry and personal eyewear protection. Developing and evolving eyewear to keep employees safe by introducing innovative enhancements to Pyramex brand safety glasses takes expertise, teamwork, leadership and customer focus.

Pyramex safety glasses conform to ANSI requirements and CE certifications, including High Velocity Impact requirements and Ballistic Standards. Each model of eyewear integrates different specifications to meet the safety demands of individual trades.

Pyramex manufactures both indoor and outdoor lines of safety glasses for a variety of activities. Feature designs incorporate venting for air flow, flame resistant foam padding, non-slip temple padding, wrap around peripheral protection, brow guards and retainer straps.

Color specific safety glasses offer wavelength filtering for specialized jobs, while style minded users might simply prefer tinted lenses to look cool. Pyramex has integrated some of the best benefits in eyewear safety design such as:

• Anti-fogging to keep your field of view and your vision clear
• Polycarbonate lenses offer superior protection from impacts or chemical splash hazards
• UV-A/B ray filtering, glare protection and tinting prevent eye damage and visual strain from sunlight and other bright light sources
• Anti-reflective lens coatings offer scratch resistance to keep your view unobstructed
• Weather, dust and particle protection keeping your eyes free of debris

Each model of eyewear offers a variety of unique and useful features that enhance your ability to complete any task while keeping your eyes safe and your vision clear.

Pyramex recognizes the invaluable need for eye protection, and offers safety eyewear that will exceed your expectations while offering fit, function and comfort. Constant innovation in design, priority on safety and dedication to industry leadership makes Pyramex the best brand in the business.

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