Looking for something new for your next project? We found 16 great products around the floor of the combined Remodeling Show, DeckExpo, and JLC Live event in Chicago last week with creative applications for interiors and exteriors. Take a look and let us know what you think - or what we missed - in the comments.
Fight Fire
Sahara ceiling tiles are among the four options Armstrong Ceilings offers with a Class A fire rating. The maker's Fire Guard-rated ceiling offerings are specially designed to provide enhanced resistance against flame spread, smoke generation, and structural failure. The suspension systems feature a patented pre-notched expansion relief to help maintain the ceiling's structural integrity in the case of a fire event. In combination, the components can provide as much as 9 minutes longer egress over a standard plywood membrane. armstrongceilings.com
New Bamboo
Bamking bamboo decking combines the long-lasting qualities of exotic hardwoods with a renewable resource that only needs five years of growth to reach a harvestable state. Unlike other bamboo wood, the material is 99% bamboo and 1% adhesives. Sold for 15 years in Europe and Asia, Bamking recently began distribution in the U.S. bamkingusa.com
True Flexibility
Boral's TruExterior trim and siding profiles are made with polyash, an inert material blend that combines polymers with flyash. In board form, polyash gives TruExterior products that feel of a cementitious material with the workability of wood and the moisture-resistant benefits of PVC. TruExterior profiles can be cut and installed like wood , and even turned on a lathe; require no priming of ends or gluing of joints; is paintable; and can be run to grade, allowing for design flexibility. All TruExterior materials come in 16-foot lengths. Trim is availavle in a variety of profiles. Siding options include shiplap, V-rustic, cove or Dutch lap, channel for horizontal or vertical installation, and a forthcoming bevel profile. boraltruexterior.com
Design on the Fly
The latest update to Chief Architect's iPad version includes compatibility with Bosch and Leica Bluetooth laser measurers, making it easy to kick-start a project with existing room dimensions. The app lets users create rooms quickly with drag-and-drop square, L-shaped, and T-shaped layouts, or draw free-form rooms, as well as bump and merge rooms. A complement to the desktop software, a variety of products and finishes to their spaces, and sharing designs with clients, friends, and family is easy, as is importing plans to the desktop version. Virtual tours use 3D navigation and the iPads integral gyroscope to let users walk through the space in real time. The basic Room Planner app is free. A $10 version allows for additional file saving tasks. chiefarchitect.com
Vaulting into Innovation
Deckorators has developed a new process to create composite decking that maximizes the material's strength-to-weight ratio. Unlike other composites that stop development at the extrusion process, Vault composite decking is extruded and then stretched. The stretching process builds air-filled capillaries into the structure of the material, thereby reducing its weight, while simultaneously strengthening the boards and creating a wood fiber-like texture without any wood content. Vault is also designed to be impact-resistant, will absorb no moisture, and offers low thermal expansion for weather resistance. The 5 1/2-inch boards measure 7/8 inches thick and are available in dusk and mesquite color options with slotted or solid-edge profiles. Fascia is available in both colors and white. deckorators.com.
Screen Options
Digger Specialties (DSI) has developed the ScreenRail system as an easy-to-install method of enclosing outdoor living spaces or adding screens to existing outdoor structures. Available with structural railing or heavy-duty kick panels, ScreenRail features a durable, flat spline that allows for secure attachment of screening material. Left- or right-swing doors are also available. The aluminum components are available in the maker's full range of a dozen powder-coating colors, including popular speckled walnut. DSI provides all the structural aluminum components of the ScreenRail system; users must supply their own screens. diggerspecialties.com
Warm, Dry Basements
DriCore's Smartwall system uses OSB framing, 3 1/2-inch rigid EPS insulation, and 1/2-inch drywall to create pre-assembled wall panels that interlock tongue-and-groove style. Ideal for finishing basements, the primed drywall acts as a vapor barrier, and the insulation in each panel features two vertical and three horizontal chases for wiring. Micro-beveled edges helps eliminate the need for traditional taping and mudding methods, in favor the maker's two-coat Patch Pro compound to fill the seams. dricore.com
Shower Pan and More
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, Fin Pan is showcasing its Clear Path Curbless Shower Pan System. Each kit includes the maker's TI-ProBoard in 4-, 5-, or 6-foot lengths, perimeter edge protector, waterproofing membrane, and fasteners to create a no-threshold shower floor that meets ADA slope requirements. The kit also includes the robust ClearPath Drain Plate, which can be installed anywhere in the pan and is designed to withstand the torque of a wheelchair. Adding to its universal design benefits, Fin Pan recommends using ClearPath pans under washing machines, refrigerators, or dishwashers. The pans can easily withstand the weight and vibration of such appliances, and adding a drain to areas susceptible to water-related damage can allow homeowners to get risk-mitigation benefits on their homeowners' insurance. finpan.com
Design Friendly
Canadian company Finium has introduced FriendlyWall to help make accent wall design a breeze. The panels incorporate 25% repurposed flooring remnants, making them an eco-friendly choice. In addition to developing the product with what would otherwise be waste material, the FriendlyWall installation method also is designed to create as little waste as possible. Simply cut off one end of the first panel to create a straight edge, then connect each successive panel in the course like puzzle pieces on the staggered ends. When you get to the other end of the wall, cut another straight edge and use the end you cut off to start the next course. Choose from a variety of colorways to complement other finishes in the home. finium.ca
Hover Over Here
Adapted from mission-planning software used by the military, the Hover service lets remodelers and replacement contractors take just eight photos of a home and receive a rendering with accurate size and area measurements of the home's windows, doors, and exterior finishes. Rather than calculate dimensions within the app, contractors upload their photos to Hover, whose staff turns around the measurement report within one day - and usually just within hours. The app also integrates with a variety of manufacturers' product offerings, allowing users to showcase siding colors, window grid options, and other details as part in their on-site sales. Ideal for companies who don't have a dedicated estimator on staff, Hover is easy enough for non-trained employees to use. The maker says measurements are guaranteed to be accurate within 5%, though most users find the margin to be closer to 2 or 3%. hover.to
White & Light
Customer demand inspired MoistureShield to add a white color option to its 1-year-old Pro Aluminum Railing line, with the potential for a brown railing forthcoming. The railing system can also be outfitted with the maker's lighting accessories, which homeowners will be happy to see are remote-controlled by a handy fob. moistureshield.com
Get Out of a Jamb
Protective Products now offers FlexJamb flexible paperboard covers for door jambs and casings. The reuseable and recyclable materials comes in 40-inch lengths for easy stacking to keep door trim neat, clean, and damage-free. The covers fit jambs up to 6 inches wide. FlexJamb can easily be cut with scissors if necessary. protectiveproducts.com
On the Edge
Kitchen facelifts just got a little easier with Schluter System's Schiene-Step EB profile. The metal band can be used to finish countertop and stair edges where tile will be installed, or can be used to facilitate tile-over-tile applications. Suitable for natural stone or ceramic tile applications, the profile features a trapezoid-perforated anchoring fin, which installers will secure into the mortar bond coat beneath the tile. The perpendicular finishing edge creates a sleek look and protects the tile from damage. Choose from 7/16-inch, 1 3/16-inch, or 1 1/2-inch thicknesses depending on the application. schluter.com
Pave the Way
Silca offers a way to turn a wood deck into one that features a stone surface. The material is a subflooring (visible at the back of the photo) that supports the weight of natural stone pavers like travertine, granite, marble, slate, and brick. Installers can fasten Silca to floor joists with standard wood screws, cut to fit the space available, and then set the pavers on top. silcasystem.com
Solid Shim
Wood shims serve and important purpose, but are prone to breaking during installation and rotting over time. Enter the Smart Wedge. Available in a variety of widths, sizes, and configurations, the plastic wedges feature small teeth on both long faces. When installed in pairs - one from the front and one from the back - the wedges lock together, creating a solid base for the door or window. Depending on the style, Smart Wedges can be snapped off or cut to length with a utility knife. The maker says many contractors even use the largest Smart Wedges as easy-to-spot jobsite doorstops. Available in small packs starting about about $8 or in contractor-size "Trans Packs" starting at $75, which includes a high-quality reusable tub. smartwedge.com
USB in a Snap
Last year we told you about Snap Power's quick and easy solution for night lighting. This year they're back with the easiest way to add a USB port to your existing outlets. The Snap Power Charger incorporates a USB port into its outlet cover in a way that unobtrusively offers convenient charging without taking up outlet space. Instead, like the night light model, the faceplate features clips on the back side that pull power from the receptacle itself. Night light and charger faceplates are available in white, light almond, and ivory, and in both standard and décor style openings. snappower.com
