On a Roll. Trim-Tex’s drywall shim material comes as a continuous roll instead of in 4-foot strips. It’s made from flexible, waterproof vinyl — perforated, to allow adhesive to flow through. The 150-foot-long 1/16-inch-thick Drywall Shim on a Roll is scored every 18 inches to make it easier to tear off to size. A roll costs about $8. Trim-Tex, 800/874-2333, trim-tex.com.
Space and Brace. Instead of spacing your roof trusses with a tape measure and then bracing them with a temporary 2-by across the top, do both steps at once with MiTek’s Stabilizer. The 20-gauge steel bar has built-in gang nails that you set into the wood after you pull the truss tight against its end; unlike wooden bracing, the bar is thin enough to leave in place and sheathe right over. The product is sized to sit snugly over a truss member and ride up with it — so you don’t have to wrestle with a box of the bars as you crawl the trusses. The bars cost $2 apiece. MiTek, 800/325-8075, mii.com.
Versatile Primer. Anvil Paints introduced water-based 1750 Grip-Tite Bonding Primer primarily to improve the bond of its garage-floor epoxy top coat, but the coating can prime lots of other materials as well: interior or exterior concrete, and porous brick, block, masonry, and stucco surfaces, both painted or unpainted. It comes in one- and five-gallon cans for $25 and $110 respectively. Anvil, 800/822-6776, anvilpaints.com.
Cornered. Pull-out drawers inside kitchen and bathroom cabinets are a nice touch, but the scratches their front edges can leave on cabinet doors aren’t. Tenn-Tex’s B375 Drawer Corners are designed to eliminate this problem. Two smooth plastic glides — available in natural, white, and beige — plus mounting screws cost 64 cents when purchased in quantities of 100. Tenn-Tex Plastics, 800/ 836-6839, tenntex.com.
New Slider. Replacing an old sliding patio door is a quick facelift remodel with usability and energy efficiency benefits — and the cost of an Energy Star–rated door from Simonton’s Reflections 5300 line will count toward your client’s federal energy tax credit. The vinyl replacement doors come in white, tan, and driftwood in four common sizes. A 6'0" x 6'8" unit costs $642. Simonton, 800/746-6686, simonton.com.
Insulated Door. Clopay’s Gallery Collection doors contain high–R-value polyurethane foam sandwiched between steel layers. In addition to insulating, the rigid foam muffles noise and makes the door stiffer and more dent-resistant, says the manufacturer. The doors come in two thicknesses, four colors, and dozens of sizes and can qualify for an energy tax credit. A 2-inch-thick, 7-foot-by- 16-foot assembly with windows starts at $1,225. Clopay, 800/225-6729, clopaydoor.com.
Prime Time. Low-VOC is the buzzword in paints these days. Kilz brand has gone one better with its new low-odor, water-based Clean Start, which the company says is the only zero-VOC primer that’s also a stain blocker. It can be used for interior or exterior jobs and costs about $23 per gallon. Masterchem, 800/325-3552, newfromkilz.com.
