Johns Manville's Spider Formaldehyde-Free insulation products take formaldehyde — a volatile organic compound (VOC) — out of the production cycle with far-reaching, positive effects.

Making the products themselves is a much cleaner process, which is a big deal on an industrial scale. Add to that JM's use of loads of recycled glass in the fiberglass portion of the product: that diverts waste from landfills. And, with no formaldehyde in your customer's home, the air — or health — of the building is improved, according to the company.

With a wide array of products — batts with various backings, a break-away batt product that reduces cutting on-site and a blown-in type — Johns Manville creates what I call a green supply chain.

Johns Manville Home Insulation

While that may seem elementary, the team at Platinum Advanced have done the same thing and created one rockin'-lookin' building system that just might improve our American dwelling.

Using recycled steel studs and reinforced polyurethane (a cast-off from petroleum refining), fabricates wall and roof panels that are tough and wildly thermally efficient. The panels readily accept standard finishes; you can modify them in the field; and they're priced competitively with standard building practices — but they go up faster on site.

R-Values of 24.5 for a 3-1/2-inch-thick panel and 38.5 for a 5-1/2-inch-thick panel combine with increased build speed and recycled, formaldehyde-free, inert materials that bugs don't like, and it's easy to see this advance as worth its weight in Platinum.

All you do is attach three clips to each side of the door to get it lined up dead flush with your drywall. Tacking it in place holds the jamb plumb in both directions. Next, cover with casing. If you're thinking the clip will hold the casing off the jamb and wall, Carpenter Concepts already thought of that. The clip fits in the dado behind most casings.

Carpenter Concepts

Modern timber frames are phenomenally efficient, too. What's also nice is that Normerica can work with you as a specialty sub on more than just GCing a new-home build. They can put their impressive design and fabrication experience together with you to work on a hybrid building (a stick frame with timber frame elements) or an outdoor structure such as a garage, gazebo or porch.

If you think about it, building systems — and their builders — must be strong to survive all this time.

Normerica

USG heard our lamentations and developed a new formulation for its Sheetrock brand joint compound. It has a unique quality that binds dust particles together into heavier clumps, enabling them to fall to the floor instead of seeking out the sock drawer. The company specifies the mix is ideal for all types of remodeling products. It weighs up to 35 percent less than conventional compounds, which USG says makes handling and application "quick and simple." (I've sanded a dump truck load of compound in my career; I'll give 'em "quicker.")

USG adds that the some builders are realizing a 30 percent to 50 percent savings in compound consumption. The material is low-shrinkage, has excellent adhesion and provides good crack resistance. What's more, when mudding metal such as corner bead, it takes two coats instead of three, USG says.

No dust plus a saved step on the outside corners. Now that's a sweet mix.

USG

Structus says that No-Coat delivers superior strength and durability compared with corner bead; faster installs (I like this!); and what amounts to increased efficiency. Not only does the system install faster and with less mud than other systems, but it'll last, so you're saving coming and going. And once you're gone, your customer won't need to call you back. They call that callback killer win-win.

Structus Building Technologies

This particular series of sealants exceed the VOC (volatile organic compound) regulations, which help improve indoor air quality. And the company claims that they haven't sacrificed their reputation for high performance and long-lasting strength in the new formulas.

The line includes a latex-based drywall and panel construction adhesive and a weather-resistant subfloor and deck adhesive. Sealants in the Green Series include a flexible draft and acoustical sound sealant; an acrylic urethane interior/exterior sealant; an expanding sealant that insulates to an R-5 factor per inch of foam; and a smoke- and draft-stop sealant that is designed to seal fire separations.

Hats off to the Green Series for offering us the option of building green, right down to the crevices in our construction projects.

Henkel OSI Green Series

Kuhns Bros. is a veteran. The company kiln-dries their logs, decreasing checking, shrinkage and weight while enabling the finish to be applied ASAP. Kuhns Bros. also works with architects and homeowners to zero in the design and cut the package. And they have sweet post and beam/log detailing on the interior — along with killer custom details like bunk beds, porches and glorious handrails for stairs. (I see these and think about hybridizing them into other projects.)

The designs are truly custom, loaded with clerestory windows through which that mountain, lake, or wooded refuge is as clear as the dream that got your customer there.

Or, if you just want to know more about log homes, take a weekend class on how to build one. Big tools usually means big fun!

Kuhns Bros.