Recently, the St. Louis HBA hosted the New Product Showcase at Greensfelder in Queeny Park.  This event is an opportunity for vendors and manufacturers to get a one on one opportunity to speak with the individuals and company representatives who use their products every day in the field.  

Some of the more interesting products that I took notice of are more geared to the greener side of building, although a vast majority of new products are actually products that we are already familiar with, just redesigned to me more energy conscious.  Case in point, the newer 1.2 gallon flush toilets.  For a while now, the standard 1.6 gallon flush has been replacing the old 3 gallon flushers as water conservation becomes more important to consumers.  Although the 1.2 does not seem like much of an innovation, the entire design of toilets is changing to accommodate the lesser water volume to accomplish the same task, without requiring that “second flush”.

I will talk about two products that I took a special interest in that I think illustrate the whole point of hosting the New Product Showcase.  The first is blown cellulose insulation.  Made mostly of recycled newspaper, cellulose insulation has been on the market for nearly 6 decades, and only recently has some critical shortcomings of the product been addressed.  Notorious for sagging and self compacting in wall cavities, the old cellulose would leave large gaps at the tops of walls that would cause condensation of water vapor and consequently mold and rotting.  The newer products are now using mold resistant treatments to the insulation itself, but more importantly, advances in adhesives have allowed for guarantees of no sags and compaction in any cavity the products is properly applied.  As a remodeler, we want to offer our customers the best insulation possible.  Sprayed icynene has been at the industry forefront for a few years now because it does not leave any air gaps, is completely mold and moisture resistant, and can be applied to nearly any surface.  Major drawback from a remodeling standpoint are the incredible mess the product can make, the lack of on-site recycling of trimmings, and the incredible difficulty it requires to re-remodel a space insulated with icynene.  It is no easy chore to say, feed a satellite wire down a wall cavity after icynene has been sprayed.  Cellulose however, is very easy to retrofit.  A steel rod can make a path for a wire just wide enough to let the wire pass through and not make any larger spaces.  When cellulose is installed, the trimmings are collected and reapplied, so that the overall material requirement is far more accurate than with foam which has some degree of waste, and this process can even be used in a re-remodel.  The cellulose can be collected and stored for reinstallation.  The innovations in the cellulose insulation industry are encouraging, especially as we as consumers become more and more energy conscious with our remodeling projects.

The other product that I took great interest in is cement board siding.  Talk about a versatile product.  We are no longer limited to a lap siding look, but now have a cement board product that looks exactly like cedar shake, stone, and brick.  Complete systems built from the ground up are being incorporated in exterior coverings that not only look as good as the original, but perform better from an economical and ecological standpoint.  The clean crisp lines of classic wood siding is easily replicated by cement board, but without the need for frequent maintenance.  Vinyl siding never quite pulled off the lines achieved by wood siding, but remains the cost effective material of choice for siding.  While only 30% more expensive, cement board does not chalk, mildew, or become brittle with age like vinyl does.  And with new advancements in color technology, you can now order your cement board siding pre-colored, through and through, so there is no need for painting for many years.  The cement board products that emulate stone and brick look extremely convincing.  Already in use in the St. Louis area, it is a very cost effective way to achieve the look of brick, without the time and expense of conventional masonry.  Even up close, you have to know what you are looking for to tell that the product is not actual brick or stone.  It feels the same to the touch, and looks remarkably similar.  

I suppose it is a little weird to get so excited about a building material, but the results that you can achieve with using these products, and others that were showcased, it gives us an opportunity to offer our clients something special that might not otherwise be considered.  So keep an eye on our projects, and you might see something that has never been used before.

Questions and Comments are Welcome!

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Consolidated Construction is committed to providing the best possible customer care for your remodeling project.  As we continue our eighteen year history of precision craftsmanship and attention to design, we will provide neighborhoods in Webster Groves, Kirkwood, Glendale, Brentwood, Ladue, Clayton, Des Peres, and surrounding areas with quality home remodeling that reflects the dreams of our customers.  Exacting attention is paid to preserving historical accuracy and architectural detail to enable a seamless integration of old and new, while using top of the line materials and Green Building alternatives.