Winter 2013 News

Vegetated roofing is one of the fastest-growing construction trends.  According to one survey, it has doubled in popularity just in the last 12 months.  The trade group Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) announced the results of their 2012 Annual Industry Survey of Corporate Members in May.  Among the most astonishing results was the rate of acceptance of green roofs.

“The green roof industry grew by 115% over the course of 2011, up significantly from 28.5% growth recorded in 2010,” said Steven W. Peck, president of GRHC.

While Peck didn’t speculate on the factors driving the growth rate, it’s possible that the new wind and fire codes, as well as government incentives, played a major role.

International Leak Detection (ILD), the leading provider of roofing and waterproofing integrity testing, has announced a partnership with Sika Sarnafil, a leader in thermoplastic roofing and waterproofing systems.  The agreement provides Sika Sarnafil’s U.S. customers with state-of-the-art leak detection technology.

Sika Sarnafil waterproofing assemblies are now compatible with ILD’s proprietary technologies—Electric Field Vector Mapping (EFVM) and Vector Mapping Grid (VMG)—enabling the system to be tested and verified as watertight shortly after installation or any time thereafter without the traditional lengthy and costly investigation.

“We are committed to providing leak-free protection and longevity for building owners,” said Brian J. Whelan, senior vice president of Sika Sarnafil. “While our systems are known to be dependable, it is not uncommon for waterproofing membranes to be damaged after installation during ongoing construction. This damage could go undetected until a leak develops after the project is completed. International Leak Detection’s EFVM technology will help us make sure Sika Sarnafil roofing and waterproofing systems continue to stand the test of time and provide our customers with cost-effective and long-lasting solutions.”

Sika’s products are frequently used in green roofs and plaza deck applications where the waterproofing system is covered and concealed by plants and pavers; which could be very costly to remove and replace during a leak investigation. With the combination of ILD’s VMG and EFVM testing method, the integrity of the membrane can be confirmed prior to the installation of overburden and throughout its lifespan with pinpoint accuracy.

“ILD is honored to work with Sika Sarnafil to deliver the highest level of quality control testing service available for their membrane installations,” noted Chris Eichhorn, president of ILD.

The Basement Health Association (BHA) has partnered with two organizations to bring more value to its membership.

Membership in Basement Health Association will now include a complimentary subscription to this magazine, produced by Summit Publishing. The publication often features the expertise of BHA members. This new member benefit begins with the Winter 2012 issue.

BHA’s partnership with HomeAdvisor (formerly Service Magic) offers members significant discounts to lead generation services. HomeAdvisor will waive the enrollment fee for BHA members, who will also receive a discounted rate on all leads received through the service. HomeAdvisor. The credits will be applied to the BHA member’s account and used solely for the purchase of additional leads from HomeAdvisor.

In addition to these two new programs, the association has expanded its seminar schedule at the 2013 World of Concrete. BHA is a co-sponsor of this major industry event, and has a limited number of exhibit hall admissions available for free.  Register for the World of Concrete through the BHA website (www.basementhealth.org) or enter group code A15 to qualify for free exhibit hall admission and other event discounts.

Firestone Building Products is significantly expanding operations at two factories that produce roofing membranes

In October, the company completed a $36 million expansion of its EPDM manufacturing plant in Prescott, Arkansas. The 52,500 sq. ft. expansion makes the Prescott facility the largest EPDM manufacturing plant in the world.”

“Firestone’s decision to stay and expand in Prescott is an investment not only in Arkansas, but in the dedicated workforce that has brought them success here,” Governor Mike Beebe said.

Just one month earlier, the company broke ground on a major expansion to its TPO manufacturing plant located in Tuscumbia, Alabama. The addition of 150,000 sq. ft. will more than double the size of the existing building.

Construction began in September, and should be completed by the second quarter of 2013. The space will initially be used as warehouse capacity, but at some point, an additional TPO manufacturing line will be put into production, currently scheduled to begin operation around July 1, 2015.

TPO (Thermoplastic polyolefin) single-ply roofing membrane provides exceptional resistance to ultraviolet, ozone and chemical exposure, and are among the fastest growing commercial roofing products.

“Expansion to the Firestone Shoals plant will allow us to gain some much-needed warehouse space for the short term and increase our manufacturing capabilities to meet customer demand in the future,” said Tim Dunn, president of Firestone Building Products. “We are happy to be able to continue that relationship and grow our business.”

Pecora Corporation, a manufacturer of weatherproofing products since 1862, has acquired Carlisle Coatings and Waterproofing Incorporated’s (CCW’s) deck coating product line.

The purchase includes all brands and formulations of the deck coating product line. The products will be co-branded by Pecora and CCW for an appropriate period of time until the acquisition integration is complete and well understood in the marketplace.  Until further notice all orders will continue to be processed through CCW.

CCW, an industry leader in commercial waterproofing and air and vapor barrier solutions, agreed to sell the line as it didn’t match the company’s core competency of providing solutions for the non-residential building envelope market.  For Pecora, the addition of the elastomeric deck coating line adds excellent products with an outstanding reputation and an established customer base while promoting production and distribution efficiencies.

MFM Building Product’s IB Underlayments have been approved as hurricane resistant in Florida’s Miami-Dade region.  The MFM IB line of underlayment products are self-adhering, mineral-faced membranes that self-seal around nails and other fasteners. They’re typically applied to roof decks at edges, valleys, vents, skylights and chimneys to protect from leaks caused by ice dams, melting snow and wind-driven rain.

Now, several of the MFM IB product lines, including  IB-3 IceBuster, IB-3 StormStopper, and IB-3 ShingleStarter, have been “formally approved by Miami-Dade to comply with the Florida Building Code including the High Velocity Hurricane Zone.”

A copy of the official report, numbered NOA No. 11-1205.03 can be found at www.miamidade.gov.

Carlisle SynTec Systems, a manufacturer of single-ply roofing materials, is pleased to introduce its newest instructional video:  Low-VOC Regulations for the Commercial Roofing Industry. This video demystifies the VOC regulations recently implemented by the Ozone Transport Commission (OTC).  The OTC comprises the nation’s 13 northeastern states.

The new video explains the laws regulating  roofing adhesives and primers and also offers installation tips and techniques for some of Carlisle’s VOC-compliant alternatives.  The video is now available on Carlisle’s YouTube channel at http://goo.gl/fvid0.

“As regulations become more stringent, Carlisle is committed not only to providing products that meet such requirements, but also to offer the appropriate educational and instructional background needed to use them,” said Eric Pushart, EPDM marketing specialist at Carlisle.  “Our goal is to play an active role in making low-VOC regulations easy to understand and low-VOC products intuitive to use.”

Grace China Ltd., a subsidiary of W. R. Grace & Co. broke ground in August for a new waterproofing products factory in the central Chinese city of Ezhou.

The planned 100,000 sq. ft. facility is located on a 10-acre site and is scheduled to be completed in the second half of 2013. The facility is expected to double Grace’s regional production capacity for specialty waterproofing products sold to Chinese customers and exported to the rest of Asia, Latin America and other fast-growing emerging markets.

In September, BASF’s Construction Chemicals division moved into its new Construction Centre in Toronto, Ontario.

The new building offers on-site customer service and support, manufacturing and warehousing capabilities, and is centrally located to ensure optimal service to BASF’s construction partners in the industry. Additional benefits include increased service to the Canadian marketplace and enhanced distribution and logistics to deliver products on time.

The BASF Construction Centre will feature a full line of products from the Construction Chemicals business, including cementitious flooring and concrete repair products, deck membranes, grouts and joint sealants, waterproofing products, and products for EIFS wall assemblies

“With the opening of the Construction Centre, we are reinforcing our commitment to serving the needs of construction professionals in the Canadian marketplace,” said Brian Denys, head of BASF’s construction systems division.

Polyglass U.S.A., Inc., which makes modified bitumen membranes and roof coatings for the commercial and residential roofing industry launched a new website for the Canadian market. Available in English and French, the site allows the user to access most information within two to three clicks.

“With our growing presence in the Canadian market, we felt it critical to provide a resource that best serves the needs of Canadian roofing contractors, building product distributors, architects and building owners,” said Polyglass marketing manager, Melissa Mulligan.