Pneumatic Shingle Knife
The Roof Mates Air Knife — a
pneumatic-powered hook knife designed to trim asphalt roofing
— can simplify and reduce fatigue when making starter
shingles, trimming rake edges and valleys, and creating the cutout
in a shingle for plumbing boots, particularly on heavy, wind-rated
laminated shingles. With a pneumatic piston that drives a
11/4-inch-deep hook blade, cutting is not super fast, but almost no
effort is required to pull the pneumatic knife through two heavy
laminated shingles. The tool draws only 3 cfm of air from the
compressor and weighs only 2.5 pounds. A paddle trigger rotates
around the body, allowing the operator to position his or her hand
for any angle of attack. Care must be taken to not slice through
base layers of roofing and flashings that should be kept
continuous. For more information, contact Roof
Mates, 866/766-3628, www.roofmates.com
Last Line of
Defense
Disaster-mitigation experts are beginning to look closely at the
new breed of roof underlayments hitting the market. When a major
storm event rips the shingles or tiles off a home, it may be that
the underlayment is the last and perhaps the strongest line of
defense against a deluge of rainwater leaking into the home. Among
the newest entries into this category is DuPont's
RoofLiner, made with a class of copolymers, branded
Elvaloy, that add strength and flexibility. According to DuPont,
the underlayment suffused with these copolymers will resist blowoff
better than felt, with fewer tears around fasteners. Add
lightweight to durability, as well as significant resistance to
heat and UV rays, and asphalt felt seems best left to the past,
especially for builders in hurricane-prone regions. Like most
single-ply roof liners, DuPont's is intended for use on roofs with
slopes greater than 2:12, unless you plan to waterproof overlaps.
RoofLiner meets the AC-188 Acceptance Criteria for Roof
Underlayments, which establish requirements for recognition of roof
underlayments under the ICC Evaluation Service. For more
information, contact DuPont,www2.dupont.com/Building_and_Construction/en_US/
Cellular PVC Decking
Expanding on its well-known line of cellular PVC trim, Azek
Building Products has launched a new brand of cellular PVC
decking. Like Azek Trim, Azek Deck is completely impervious to
weathering, mold, and rot, and it can be shaped with ordinary
woodworking tools. Best of all, perhaps, the new decking reportedly
resists stains, including those from wet leaves, berries, juice,
wine, grease, and ketchup — all common ingredients of
disaster on an outdoor deck and often the downfall of composite
deck materials that contain wood fibers, which absorb and hold the
stain. According to the manufacturer, a light cleaning with
detergent to remove dust and dirt from the surface is all that's
needed to keep the material looking as good as it did the day it
was installed. For more information, contact Azek Building
Products, 877/275-2935, www.azek.com
Closed-Cell Foam Sealant
It's a tough task to convince some contractors that the benefits of
low-pressure foam sealants might outweigh the risk of window or
door frame distortion. But in coastal environments, a closed-cell,
low-pressure sealant like Benjamin Obdyke's Gap
Guard, although pricier than weaker open-cell sealants and
fiberglass insulation, will fight leaks and prevent moisture and
mold better than anything else. Unlike fiberglass stuffed in the
cracks, Cap Guard actually stops air and water. It also doesn't
sag, fills larger spaces than caulk, and lacks the permeability of
open-cell foam. Once cured, the closed-cell foam's airtight
structure won't act like a filter and collect airborne dirt, dust,
and other allergens. According to the manufacturer, Gap Guard also
yields more sealant than most 20- to 24-ounce cans. For more
information, contact Benjamin Obdyke Inc.,
800/346-7655, www.benjaminobdyke.com
Fluorescent Work Lights
The Husky 84-Watt Portable Tripod Fluorescent Work
Light provides 360-degree illumination in a surprisingly
compact, easy-to-carry package — just 33 inches long when
folded up. Unfolded, it stands 5 feet 4 inches tall and can light
up large workspaces — up to 17 by 24 feet — by
producing the equivalent of 300 watts of incandescent light in all
directions with no heat buildup. It also draws less than 1 amp of
power — a nice feature when running it off of a generator
powering other tools. The two 42-watt compact fluorescent
lightbulbs are set in a protected, telescoping module that
automatically powers-on when the module is raised (and off when
lowered), eliminating the struggle to find power buttons in a dark
work area. The product comes with a 12-foot, 18-gauge, 3-wire
outdoor-rated power cord that stores in a compartment in the base
of the unit. Available only at Home Depot,
www.homedepot.com
Stable Shower
Stall
On the speed of installation alone, Cambridge Moldings'
Lily Pod outdoor shower enclosure beats constructing a
pressure-treated wood-frame shower. The modular construction unit
includes hidden hardware upon completion, and the preassembled
panels screw into four mounted posts in mere hours. Consisting of a
maintenance-free composite vinyl (a cellular PVC) encased in
powder-coated aluminum framing panels, there's little chance of
salt-air corrosion or moisture leading to deterioration and
eventually the racking suffered by wood frames. The manufacturer
admits there's no strength or wind testing, but it adds that a
number of customers on the New Jersey coast have used the Lily Pod
panels to reinforce and remodel existing outdoor showers. The
manufacturer offers three sizes — single, double, and "condo"
— and the panels come in white or tan. Additional parts and
options, such as an interior corner bench, shower roofs (including
skylight or louvered options), or a removable floor insert, are
also available. For more information, contact Cambridge
Molding, 866/440-9357,www.cambridgemolding.com
Bulletproof
Walls
Alternative Construction Technologies has
developed an interlocking steel stress-skin panel that, as the name
of the manufacturer suggests, provides an alternative method of
constructing a home — one that may prove useful in the face
of major storms. In impact tests, the foam and 26-gauge steel
panels withstand not only the ASTM large-missile impact tests
(using an 8-foot-long 2x4 propelled at 35 mph) but also the Texas
Tech "tornado cannon" that fires a 2x4 at 100 mph, which virtually
demolishes a concrete block wall. The latter impact merely dents
the panels (albeit, at that velocity, the dent is a bit more than a
fender bender). Walls built with ACTech Panels come with an R-24
rating, and the interlock between panels (which includes an
S-shaped stiffener that lends the panel much of its strength)
practically eliminates air and water infiltration, claims the
manufacturer. Universal Safe Structures, a subsidiary of
Alternative Construction Technologies, uses the ACTech Panels to
construct safe rooms in buildings — an efficient way to make
use of the panel characteristics. For more information, contact
Alternative Construction Technologies,
800/859-8813,www.actechpanel.com
Safe Sound Source
On site, workers may shy away from hearing protection because it
"cuts them off" from the ambient noises of the job site. Bilsom's
Sound Management Earmuffs allow important ambient sounds, like
alarms or warning shouts from coworkers, to come through while
eliminating dangerous noise. The Clarity model uses uniform
attenuation to block both low and high frequencies of noise,
allowing speech frequencies to pass through unmuffled. The Impact
model goes one step further, employing volume-adjustable embedded
microphones that switch off when sound reaches or surpasses 82 dB.
Both models are made of durable, dielectric plastic, limiting
electric conductibility, and come in a variety of formats
(overhead, cap-mounted, and more). The Electo model (photo) even
includes AM/FM capability and a ventilated headband, ideal for hot
environments when simple earplugs lack needed protection. Bilsom's
website (www.hearingportal.com) provides a tutorial in hearing
safety and good information for understanding the attenuation
ratings (level of protection in frequency/Hz) of all hearing
protection. For more information, contact Bacou-Dalloz
Hearing Safety Group, 800/430-5490, www.hearingportal.com
Fiber Grenades
Designed to protect concrete reinforcing from corrosion,
MCI Fiber Grenades also reduce plastic shrinkage
cracking by up to 66% in poured wall and slab foundations, says the
manufacturer, Cortec. What's more, they're kind of cool. According
to Cortec, each grenade (actually a water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol
bag) holds fibers and powders containing migrating corrosion
inhibitors (MCI) that are released when the grenades are added to
the water during the concrete mixing. Toss one in and boom:
corrosion protection for your concrete. (Manufacturer's recommended
dosage: one grenade per 1/2 cubic yard of concrete.) Cortec claims
concrete with the fiber grenade additives improves the "impact
strength testing" of concrete. Samples tested per the American
Concrete Institute Committee 544 guidelines for impact resistance
showed a marked improvement over equivalent concrete without the
grenades, according to Cortec. For more information, contact
Cortec Corporation, 800/426-7832, www.cortecvci.com