The following items were compiled by reporter Bill Bregar at the Builders' Show, held Jan. 27-30 in Houston.
Several units of New York-based Ply Gem Industries Inc. showed vinyl building products.
Variform Inc. of Kearney, Mo., showed its New Generation Timber Oak siding, which looks like stained, seasoned hardwood. Variform said it uses a patented pigmentation process that fuses the color into the vinyl, rather than just coating it, to prevent chipping and peeling.
Ply Gem's vinyl window fabricator, Great Lakes Window Inc. of Toledo, Ohio, introduced a French casement window with an integral mullion that swings out with the sash to provide an unobstructed, panoramic view.
Richwood Building Products Inc. showed its Recess J-Block accessory for siding. It allows homeowners and professionals to install siding around electrical receptacles easily. The Richwood, Ky., firm injection molds the product from polypropylene.
Caradon Better-Bilt exhibits window line
Caradon Better-Bilt unveiled a vinyl window line for the Western residential market, called Homemaker II. Better-Bilt fabricates the windows at its plant in Prescott Valley, Ariz., using profiles extruded by Veka Inc. ofFombell, Pa.
Better-Bilt recently invested $2 million in new, automated, vinyl-production equipment at the Arizona plant, according to Burt Nicholson, product manager.
Better-Bilt also has a plant at its headquarters in Smyrna, Tenn., supplied with vinyl profiles by Chelsea Building Products of Oakmont, Pa.
The company is part of the International Windows and Doors Group of Caradon plc of London.
Certain Teen offers garden window line
CertainTeed Corp. highlighted new garden windows and siding with new colors at its booth.
The Valley Forge, Pa., company showed its New Castle line of garden windows boasting a sleek, trim look and double-pane, gas-filled glazing.
In siding, CertainTeed added three colors to its Cedar Impressions line, which resembles cedar shakes. To its Mainstreet family of siding, the company added four new colors and three new profiles.
New plastic bricks light up and snap fit
Argee Corp., a Santee, Calif., plastics company that invents its own products, showed an edging system of plastic bricks that light up.
Argee injection molds the bricks, which have spikes underneath so they can be pressed into ground. They snap together. The company would not identify the type of plastic used to make the ``Let's Light It!'' bricks.
Dow offers thicker Wallmate insulation
Dow Chemical Co. introduced a new, thicker size of its Styrofoam Wallmate insulation, madeof extruded polstyrene.
Dow markets Wallmate as insulation for basement interiors. The new size is 2 inches thick and has an insulating R-value of 10. Dow originally introduced Wallmate in a thickness of 11/2 inches.
Armstrong kicks off vinyl floor products
Armstrong World Industries Inc. of Lancaster, Pa., showed two new lines of vinyl flooringproducts.
Solarian Traditions, available in eight designs and 37 colors, is targeted at new-home construction. Armstrong said the flooring weighs 3.1 pounds per square yard, has an overall gauge of 75 mils and increased surface and backing layers.
``Global'' is the theme of two other new flooring designs, Rhythms and Passages. Designs include a line of 15 solid colors, a three-dot geometric pattern and a zig-zag and dot pattern.
Briefly...
Congoleum Corp. of Mercerville, N.J., showed its new Futura line of vinyl flooring. Futura is 122 mils thick - 32 mils of felt backing, 25 mils of vinyl compact coat, 43 mils of high-density foam cushion, a 20-mil ultraclear vinyl layer and a 2-mil layer of UltraGard high-gloss surface.
Clopay Building Products Co. of Cincinnati showed its new 4000 series of garage doors that use expanded polystyrene as insulation.
Rehau Inc. of Leesburg, Va., introduced the S-773 prime casement window design for new construction. Features of the Rehau window reduce material and labor costs and include a 27/8-inch frame depth with a nailing fin.
