Reflective Wrap. If your projects include flat roofs with exposed ductwork, Flex Clad duct and pipe wrap could help protect them against the elements. The self-sticking rubberized asphalt membrane has an aluminum facing to reflect the sun and a layer of cross- laminated polymers for tear resistance. According to the manufacturer, the product is self-healing if punctured with a nail or other fastener and will adhere directly to metal and to foil-faced foam duct insulation. It now comes in a 25-mil format as well as the conventional 40-mil. Available in aluminum, white, gray, and tan, it costs around $1.10 per square foot. MFM Building Products, 800/882-7663, flexclad.com.
Gas Blocker. VaporBlock 20 Plus plastic sheeting is intended for under-slab applications where soil-borne gases like radon are a concern. The manufacturer claims it’s 50 times less permeable than typical high-performance polyethylene vapor retarders. The company also says it’s much less expensive than comparable products. A 10-foot-by-150-foot roll costs about $470. For radon blocking, seams should be sealed with a special foil-backed tape (VBP4VB Plus Tape) that costs $32 per 4-inch-by-210-foot roll. Global Plastic Sheeting, 866/597-9298, globalplasticsheeting.com.
Metal Weld Sealant. Titebond WeatherMaster Metal Roof Sealant is based on the adhesive that car manufacturers use to join metal auto-body panels in spots where rivets would be too unsightly, says the maker. It can be applied in temperatures as low as 0°F, fills gaps up to 1 inch wide, adheres to Kynar-coated roofs, and can be painted three hours after application. Sold in 50 standard colors, the adhesive has a low enough VOC content to meet the requirements of most green building programs, says the company. It forms a permanent chemical bond with the metal, so spills should be wiped up before drying. A 10-ounce cartridge costs $5.50 to $6. Franklin International, 800/669-4583, titebondgreenchoice.com.
Blue Pine. An outbreak of mountain pine beetles has killed off millions of acres of pine forest in the Rocky Mountains. All efforts to kill the bugs have failed, so now the trees are being harvested to reduce the chance of catastrophic wildfire. The resulting lumber — beetle kill pine — features a random blue-grey streaking, sometimes highlighted with reds and yellows, derived from a fungus carried by the bugs that stains the wood without altering its properties. Colorado-based GreenWay LLC offers such beetle kill products as logs, knotty siding, and flooring. Siding prices range from $0.65 per linear foot for smooth-planed 1x6s to $1.49 per linear foot for 1x8s with a hand-hewn face. GreenWay LLC, 888/323-3739, begreenbuildblue.com.
Packaged Rain Screen. The Siding Vent System is a prepackaged rain screen for use behind horizontal siding. It has two components: a corrugated vent that’s installed horizontally at the base of the wall, and vertical Sturdi-Strips that are nailed to the wall every 16 inches. Unlike wood, says the manufacturer, the 1 1/2-inch-wide by 1/2-inch-thick by 4-foot-long strips won’t compress or split during installation. A box with enough pieces to create a rain-screen wall at 8 feet high by 36 feet long costs $114. Cor-A-Vent, 800/837-8368, cor-a-vent.com.
Disappearing Screens. Made from strands of a fluoropolymer that are half the diameter of the strands in standard fiberglass or metal screens, InLighten screens bring in more light and allow more airflow, says the maker. In fact, when we compared a sample of this new material to a metal screen, the difference was striking: The InLighten screen was far less noticeable than the metal version. The manufacturer says that the material is as strong as fiberglass or metal and has a memory that lets it bounce back after being dented. The product comes as custom-made window screens or in rolls of up 64 inches wide for screen porches. Prices start at $80 per screen and $5 per square foot for the rolls. WL Gore, 800/554-4696, inlightenscreens.com.
