Archive for the ‘gypsum products’ Category
‘Not good timing’: Drywall prices rising – Finance and Commerce
Federal data released Thursday show that prices are climbing for a variety of construction materials including drywall products, which are heavily used in homebuilding.Last fall, suppliers of gypsum products said they intended to raise prices 35 percent on Jan. 1, and some local builders say they have seen drywall prices increase between 20 percent and 30 percent in 2012. Manufacturers said the poor economy necessitated price increases in gypsum. But local builders say the price hikes are problematic for a residential construction industry still struggling to regain its footing.
via ‘Not good timing’: Drywall prices rising – Finance & Commerce.
Related articles
- Sharp Rise in Gypsum Prices Likely in New Year (eyeonhousing.wordpress.com)
- Top 2011 Posts:Sharp Rise in Gypsum Prices Likely in New Year (eyeonhousing.wordpress.com)
Gypsum Association Commissions Extensive Life Cycle Assessment Study – Times Union
In support of the study, primary life cycle inventory (LCI) data were collected for three major gate-to-gate processes in the production of gypsum wallboard (natural or crude gypsum ore extraction, gypsum paper manufacture, and gypsum wallboard production) for the reference year 2010. The manufacturing plant study sample included all Gypsum Association member companies and represented about 30% of all gypsum wallboard produced in the USA. To ensure representativeness, the manufacturing plant study also considered the scale of operations including a mix of small, medium and large facilities, their geographical location in each US census region and their source of gypsum (adjacent quarry, mine, or imported gypsum ore) as well as their use of flue gas desulphurization (FGD) gypsum.
Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/business/press-releases/article/Gypsum-Association-Commissions-Athena-Institute-3335326.php#ixzz1maHsKygW
American-Made Drywall Emerges as Potential Danger – ProPublica
Ninety-seven homeowners in four states have joined lawsuits against U.S. drywall manufacturers in the past year, claiming that their drywall is releasing enough sulfur gas to corrode wiring and appliances and cause headaches, nosebleeds, labored breathing and irritated eyes—complaints that until now have been mostly associated with Chinese drywall. Many families have abandoned their homes, fearing long-term health problems. Some are facing foreclosure, or even bankruptcy.
via American-Made Drywall Emerges as Potential Danger – ProPublica.
Hike in drywall costs expected to hammer builders
According to a report in Hanley-Wood’s ProSales Online, USG’s Nov. 3 announcement of a price increase was followed by similar announcements by CertainTeed Corp. in Valley Forge, National Gypsum Co., Lafarge, and Temple-Inland Inc.
USG, which reported $297 million in profit in the boom year of 2006, sustained huge losses in 2010′s first three quarters – including $100 million in the third quarter, reflecting “continued weak market conditions and extraordinarily low shipping volumes,” said chairman and chief executive officer William C. Foote.
In 2009, production of drywall industrywide was almost half that of 2006.
via Hike in drywall costs expected to hammer builders | Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/15/2010.
Lowe’s Amends Settlement to Get Drywall Victims More Money – ProPublica
Lowe’s Companies Inc. has dramatically increased the amount of money [1] it is prepared to offer customers whose health or homes were harmed by defective drywall they bought from its stores. Those customers are now eligible for up to $100,000 in cash, instead of the maximum $4,500 in cash and gift cards that was previously agreed upon in a class action lawsuit that is being negotiated in a Georgia state court.
via Lowe’s Amends Settlement to Get Drywall Victims More Money – ProPublica.
Judge awards families $2.6M over Chinese drywall
(AP) NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge in New Orleans has awarded seven Virginia families $2.6 million in damages to pay for the removal of sulfur-emitting drywall made in China that has been linked to corrosion and possible health effects.
via The Associated Press: Judge awards families $2.6M over Chinese drywall.
Federal guidelines issued for identifying corrosive drywall
From the Consumer Product Safety Commission:
HUD and CPSC’s two-step guidance requires a visual inspection that must show blackening of copper electrical wiring and/or air conditioning evaporator coils; and the installation of new drywall (for new construction or renovations) between 2001 and 2008. To view the full text of this guidance, visit HUD’s website or CPSC’s website (both documents PDF).
The guidance also describes obtaining additional corroborating evidence of problem drywall, since it is possible that corrosion of metal in homes can occur for other reasons. For example, homes with new drywall installed between 2005 and 2008 … must meet at least two additional criteria related to: the chemical analysis of metal corrosion in the home; elemental markers in the drywall; markings on the drywall; or specific chemical emissions from the drywall. Homes with new drywall installed between 2001 and 2004 must meet a total of at least four of those criteria. Collecting evidence of these corroborating conditions may require professional assistance and analysis.
Be sure to check the timeline on the right side of this site for more gypsum-related events and news.
Richard Gibson: You’ve Got Gypsum!
From the first chapter of What Things are Made Of by Richard Gibson:
You’ve got gypsum!
Virtually every home in America contains a great volume of one mineral: gypsum, the primary constituent of wallboard.
Gypsum (chemically, calcium sulfate) crystallizes from supersaturated sea or lake water when the water evaporates, much like common salt precipitates from such water. In the United States, Oklahoma is the leading producer of gypsum—nearly 3,500,000 tons of it, worth more than $26 million in 2007….
Gypsum videos, old and new
If you look over to the right side of this blog, you’ll see a selection of videos I’ve been collecting related to gypsum and the gypsum industry. Today I found a couple of gems via the Internet Archive (aka The Wayback Machine). One is a training video from the Gypsum Association. You might not be interested in the safety tips, but you do get to see a lot of hunky quarry workers and big machines.
The second video features the 1965 Parade of Homes in Birmingham, Alabama. But these aren’t just any homes — they’re Quiet Homes, which have been “quietized” with such space-age materials as Gold Bond Deciban, gypsum board, and caulk. Now mom and dad can watch Gunsmoke in peace while the kids play their rock ‘n’ roll records on the hi-fi upstairs. Also features hunky drywallers.
