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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Featherlite manufactures industrial ladders. Throughout the construction industry their ladders are described as the leanest, most flexible ladders in the world. Ladders are a simple tool, they are needed and used by people all over the world, but unfortunately, it is reported that over 100,000 people are injured after falling from a ladder each year. 300 of those people die from sustained injuries. With these kinds of statistics in hand, Featherlite seems to have taken charge in producing ladders that are all about safety and performance.

They have collaborated with one of the top extrusion companies in Canada to help manufacture their products. This partnership is important because through the process of extrusion, key parts of the ladders are made.

The process of extrusion takes a solid piece of material like metal or ceramic and pushes it through a die which creates cross-sectional objects with a smooth finish. These pieces have grooves and they are joined together with special connectors to make them a sure fit and a solid connection.

'The basic construction of a ladder, with all of its rungs and and steps, needs to be made of as many whole pieces as possible.'

In general, it is men who use ladders on a daily basis to help them make a living. Knowing this, Featherlite's ladders are built to withstand the combination of human weight and tools. Their ladders are made from as many whole pieces as possible and with...

• each step on the ladder quad braced with zinc coated steel diagonal braces.
• an oversized platform that has 70% more surface area for greater safety and comfort.
• wider and deeper-bases than traditional platform ladders.
• large PVC rubber safety boots that provide greater slip resistance because they are heavy duty.
• extra heavy duty non-conducive "C" channel side rails in high visibility safety orange and yellow for those who have to work in hazardous conditions.
• super tough copolymer utility tops for strength and durability.
• slip resistant serrated aluminum steps for safe climbing.
• sleeved spreader arms that strengthen the spreader-to-rail connection.

Featherlite's products include step ladders, straight and extension ladders, multipurpose ladders, and rolling steel ladders. All of their products are tested and made to exceed the standards set forth by the Canadian Standards Association, American National Standards Institute, and Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Their commitment to safety is evident in the design of each ladder they produce.

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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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If you are a contractor or do-it-yourselfer you know you have to always stay on top with your tools. Restocking and updating important tools is part of the job. You have to constantly update yourself on brands and their products in order to deliver your best work for your clients or your home.

Simply show your check-in confirmation to the clerk and instantly receive a 15% discount on all fasteners.

Finding many fasteners isn't hard in a Wallboard Supply Store. It is important to know the company or brand that manufactures these fasteners because each company produces their products differently. When you go to your local Wallboard Supply store, look for brands like

• Grabber
• Scorpion
• Hilti
• Ramset
• Star Sales

Grabber makes fasteners for acoustical ceilings, concrete, block, brick, stone and framing arches. Their SpringShot acoustical toggle is their most popular fastener and is used most in the construction trade.

Scorpion brand specializes in acoustical and self-drilling fasteners. Their newest product called the IronWorker is a fastener designed specifically for cedar, cypress, and redwoods-known for cracking and splitting when fastened.

Ramset designs and manufactures fastening products used in concrete and steel construction. Most of their products are either gas fastening systems or powder fastening systems.

Hilti offers the widest supply of construction products. They have screws and screwdrivers for drywall or metal. Ramset and Hilti manufacture products powerful enough for heavy duty construction. The products these two brands carry would serve a contractor better than a do-it-yourselfer.

Star Sales is a distributor of general construction supplies. A do-it-yourselfer could get a lot of good products from this company from screws, fasteners, power tools, doors and frames.

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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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