Metal framing is a very practical approach to building. It solves a lot of the problems that builders face when building with traditional materials. The low cost and benefits are attracting the eyes of many businesses, organizations, and now residential builders.

Steel framing lowers your construction costs

When you build with steel, there are no warranty issues, because metal will not shrink, warp, or split. You have no nail pop issues or drywall cracks that need fixed once your structure is finished. You also save on all the job-site expenses involved with hauling off and getting rid of wood and discarded materials. An additional benefit is a significant savings on builders risk insurance.

Metal framing studs weigh about a third less than their wood counterparts. That makes them much easier to handle. They can also be installed using a 24 inch center. When it comes time to market the building, consumers understand the value of metal framing from its known durability. Metal framing will not rot, get termites, mold, or pick up any type of insect infestations. These types of problems give homeowners fits on a regular basis.

Metal framing promotes IAQ (indoor air quality) because it will not emit any VOCs (volatile organic compounds). In today's 'green' world, metal framing is very attractive. This is because it contains a bare minimum of only 25% recycled steel, and is itself 100% recyclable. That makes it a 'green' enthusiasts dream. Metal framing will also perform better during seismic events and high wind situations.

Additional Benefits of Metal Framing

Panelized Construction - Speed and less work are two more benefits of metal framing. In most all residentialáapplications that are wood framed, the material used for the floor, the walls, and the roof sheathing, will be plywood or OSB. When panelized construction is done, a lot of these steps will be eliminated, and the only framing responsibility will be to position and fasten the already pre-assembled components. It's faster.

Metal is lighter and much easier to move around - With stick framing builders have to cut their lumber to size, frame , insulate, drill holes for the wiring, and sheath. With steel panels you have a custom made piece ready to put in place. When they arrive at the job-site, they are already cut to size, framed, insulated, with molded wire chases. The steps that are eliminate lower the labor costs quite substantially. Any adjustments are easily made onsite and in no time.

The bottom line is this - Metal framing is better than wood because it is stronger for withstanding hurricanes, earthquakes, big snows, high winds, and all types of weather. It is environmentally safe, won't warp, is non-combustible, and is not eaten by termites. There are loads of benefits to take advantage of.

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As building science improves, the attention paid to the building envelope, the parts of the structure that separates the outside from the inside, is becoming more and more detailed. But what parts make up the building envelope, and what functions do they serve in that capacity? In this post, we'll take a solid look at what a solid building envelope entails.

Bottom FlooráandáFoundation Wall System

How many times have you heard about problems with leaking basements or drafty sill plates? Sealing your foundation wall system is just as important as having good drainage away from your walls.

• Sheet Foam. If you have concerns about heaving from ice heaves, insulating your foundation floor with sheet foam can help reduce this problem. It's a common tactic used in northern climates where it's too hard to get to the frost line.
• Membrane. Worried about damp soil or water infiltration? Modern waterproofing membranes provide long-term, durable protection for your basement.
• Sealant. For those problem areas where your utilities come through or you have small drafts, caulk or weatherstripping can go a long way to help keep the cold winter air out.
• Spray Foam. For larger gaps or to provide better insulation, spray foam is an excellent option. It helps seal as well as providing a heat barrier.

Above-Grade Wall System

As an example of poor wall design and retrofit, a small farmhouse dating to the late 1800's had wooden clapboard siding on the outside and stucco on wooden lathing strips on the inside. During one particular renovation, the stucco was removed by being struck until the cement cracked, and it was then removed from the interior of the house and replaced with wood paneling. At the same time, insulation was added by drilling through the upper part of each wall cavity and blowing in cellulose. Unfortunately, the stucco keys from the backside of the lathing fell down to the bottom of the wall cavity, allowing wind to blow through in the winter, creating a terrible draft. Hence the importance of good wall design.

• Insulation. Whether you're considering blowing cellulose in a retrofit, installing fiberglass batting to a new construction or adding sheet foam to the exterior, insulation is your first line of thermal defense in your walls and roof.
• Studs. If you get extreme winds or cold, you may want to consider doing an offset design with your studs to prevent thermal transference.
• Structure Wrap. Whether you're adding house wrap or a more specialized commercial structure wrap, this layer helps prevent air from entering the building envelope anywhere except where you want it to.
• Tape. Don't forget the joints! To get the best performance, make sure you seal the joints in insulation, sheet foam or houseáwrap with tape, otherwise these areas become prime areas of air infiltration.

Through-Wall System

Any point air can pass through the structure's walls is a potential point of failure for your building envelope. There are three basic points where a building component passes through the envelope entirely.

• Windows. There are a variety of new technologies at play in windows, from insulated, multi-pane windows that help create insulative space between panes to special coatings that reflect heat back into a structure.
• Doors. Exterior doors in our part of the country should always have insulation to help prevent thermal bridging. A properly-fitted storm door that helps keep wind off your exterior door will help keep your home warmer.
• Weatherstripping and Caulk. Your doors and windows are only as good as the sealant used to keep the wind out around them. A 1/8" gap around a door is the same as a 6" hole in the middle.
• Utility Inlet or Outlet. Don't forget to seal around these key areas. For exhaust systems, make sure to put baffles in that willárestrict airflow when they're not in use.

Roofing Seal System

If your roof won't keep the water out, what's the point? Having your roof well-sealed helps prevent moisture from building up inside, causing significant damage and potential health issues.

• Sealant. This keeps water from getting behind flashing or around pipes or vents that protrude through the roof.
• Extra Protection in Problem Areas. If you have valleys, dormers or other areas where water tends to leak, make sure they're sealed up right.
• Roofing Material. You can have the best roof in the world, but it won't protect your home if it's not wind resistant. Make sure your roof design will hold up to harsh weather.

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If you've every worked a disaster recovery, whether it's a hurricane, bad snow storm or flooding, you're probably already familiar with how badly standard drywall can take on moisture and create serious mold problems. Following the Joplin, Missouri EF-5 mile-wide tornado that wiped out the center of this small Midwestern city, doctors began to notice numerous complaints where wounds suffered from the debris in the tornado actually began growing mold, eventually leading to the death of five additional victims. Though most molds and mildews found on a daily basis aren't quite this serious, they can still cause significant health problems if left unchecked. The best way to keep these problematic fungi from taking over your home and making you sick? Mold-resistant drywall. Here are more details on how this specialty drywall can help keep your home in good order.

What is mold-resistant drywall?

Regular drywall contains some amount of moisture, but not enough to outright cause problems with mold. To reach that point, it needs to get wet, though not very much, for mold to colonize and spread, often through the paper coating. By comparison, mold-resistant drywall is paper-free, to keep mold from having a place it can get a foothold. It also is more resistant to moisture, though it's not fully waterproof, so it soaks up less moisture, making a less habitable environment for mold and mildew.

How does it work?

Regular drywall is manufactured using a gypsum slurry that has had air added to it which is then poured between two pieces of special facing paper, then the entire assembly is passed between rollers to ensure a uniform thickness. It then has the edges formed and sealed before being cut to length and dried. Mold-resistant drywall goes through a very similar process, but without the paper facing on both sides. Without the paper, it's harder for moisture to wick up the board and further into the gypsum in the middle, so mold doesn't really have a place to grab hold. It also absorbs moisture much more slowly than the gypsum portion of standard drywall. Though it's not a completely moisture-proof wallboard, it is much more resistant to moisture than standard drywall.

Does it cost a lot more?

Though it is a little more, moisture-resistant drywall is not especially expensive. You'll pay a few dollars more per sheet as a premium for the mold- and moisture-resistance, but compared to the cost of ripping out the drywall, repairing the wall and refinishing it, the cost is fairly reasonable for areas where moisture may end up being a long-term problem.As a value-added product, it can often be an easy sell to prospective clients as it provides them with additional protection both at the time of construction as well as insurance against problems in the future.

Where should I use it?

Mold-resistant drywall is best used in places where moisture may be a problem, such as in a basement, garage, kitchen or bathroom. Another part of your home to consider are those areas that tends to have cool, moist environments where mold and mildew can thrive and spread. If you have areas where you've noticed condensation forming on the wall surface in the past, it's also an area that's a prime candidate for mold-resistant drywall, though you may also want to consider adding an effective, well-sealed vapor barrier and insulation to help reduce heat transference and condensation.

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When you work in contracting, you expect to breath in some junk on occasion. But when it comes to insulation, a little can go a long way. Whether it's chemicals, irritants or other harmful substances, having the proper respiratory protection when insulating can help protect your lungs. Here's our guide on respiratory PPE, what type is used in what situation and what the drawbacks are of any particular piece of equipment.

Insulation Types

• Fiberglass Insulation - For the most part, fiberglass is one of the serious concerns in insulation and weatherization processes. If fiberglass is released into the air during cutting or rough handling, it can be drawn into the lungs, where it causes mechanical irritation and has been linked by several agencies to cancer.
• Sprayed Polyurethane Foam - With the increased interest in spray foam, polyurethane is being used by new applicators who may have not had sufficient training on safety. Because this type of foam releases isocyanates, a chemical vapor that is one of the top causes of workplace-related asthma, proper care must be taken to provide ventilation and appropriate respiratory equipment.
• Cellulose - Cellulose is the oldest type of insulation mentioned in this guide, but that doesn't mean it's harmless. It can cause significant mechanical irritation due to dust. A dust respirator is important when blowing in dry cellulose to prevent it from being inhaled.
• Sprayed Polystyrene - When polystyrene is sprayed into a cavity, it can release styrene. Styrene has been linked to various chemical issues, including respiratory irritation and neurological effects, so having a proper chemical respirator is vital to protect your workers' health. Keep in mind that, much like sprayed polyurethane foam, sprayed polystyrene may aerosolize to a certain extent if an aggressive application approach is used, making a respirator doubly necessary.
• Latex-Based Sealant - Though most people don't have any issues with latex sealants, people with a sensitivity or allergy to latex may find that they have problems with respiratory irritation and allergic reactions when using this type of sealant. Care should be taken by these individuals to avoid contact with the substance and to wear an appropriate respirator during application.

Types of Respirators

As you can see, most issues are related to either mechanical, chemical or sensitivity to a particular material. There are a few different options to consider for protection, but they must meet the particular problem related to the material.

• Half-Face N95 Masks - These types of particulate masks will provide a variety of fits, from essentially a sheet of filter held in place by ear straps that is only protecting against something blown directly against the face to a good, adjustable fit over the nose and multiple straps to keep the respirator fit tightly to the face. Areas to consider are whether the work environment will cause safety glasses to fog up, in which case looking for a one-way valve on the respirator is handy.
• Single or Dual Cartridge Respirators - These respirators can use a wide range of different cartridges to meet different concerns. They work well for both mechanical and chemical irritants. They tend to be built more strongly than half-face masks and provide a much better seal and fewer points of failure than the half-face masks. They are available to use either with separate safety glasses in a half-mask form or in a full-face mask that includes eye protection.
• Powered, Supplied and SCBA Respirators - Though these aren't usually incorporated with installations, they are sometimes required in retrofit situations where air quality, asbestos or similar concerns are present. These provide forced air, air from a supply line or independently tanked air.

By making sure you and your crew have the right respiratory protection equipment for your insulation job, you can help ensure you'll be able to keep working for years to come in good health. If you need more safety information download our free Safety and Health Brochure below.

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There are times when a homeowner will need a certain type of room in their house to be extra quiet and free from noise. It could be a home theater, music room, home office, study or a bedroom that is adjacent to especially noisy rooms like laundry rooms and children's bedrooms.

Building technology has now perfected modern, sound dampening construction materials for walls, ceilings and floors that can reduce noise levels by 75% with STC ratings up to 80. These noise reducing products are available for both new construction and remodeling/renovation applications as well.

Quiet Rock from Quiet Solutions

One approach to soundproofing a room is to use a "drywall like" product from a company like Quiet Solutions. They manufacture a sound dampening panel called Quiet Rock which produces superior acoustic performance that makes use of what they call their "thin wall technology" which exceeds STC code requirements for both residential and commercial construction. Quiet Rock is designed to outperform traditional soundproofing methods such as multiple layers of drywall, channeling systems and soundboard.

These soundproof gypsum panels come in different thicknesses and STC ratings for both new projects and remodeling applications. They can be installed over existing drywall on walls and ceilings. Most of these acoustic panels finish off just like standard drywall.

Products from United Plastics

An alternate way to achieve similar types of soundproofing results is with products manufactured by United Plastics. This company produces their dB line of noise reducing materials for wall and flooring applications.

The dB-3 sound, air and moisture barrier is a 100% recyclable plastic based material that is installed underneath the finished wall surface. The material can be fastened directly to the framing using screws or, it can be glued or stapled to the backside of the drywall itself before it is hung. Installing dB-3 will dampen sound and reduce noise levels by up to 75% while achieving STC ratings above 50.

For floors, db-4loring is a sub-flooring material than can be installed under carpet, hardwood, ceramic tile and vinyl flooring. It will dampen both airborne and impact sounds, making for much quieter living and working spaces. DB-flooring is an environmentally smart product that is also 100% recyclable.

For remodeling projects, there is dB2-4walls, "acoustical wallpaper" type of product that installs with adhesive, just like wallpaper. DB2-4walls can be primed and painted over and provides cost-conscious soundproofing over existing walls and is ideal for the DIY homeowner. It comes in sheets or rolls and will transform thin, noisy walls into ones that are sound suppressing.

You can use these superior noise dampening products from either Quiet Solutions or United Plastics to efficiently and effectively soundproof any room in your home.

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Photo credit: Rosino / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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