Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/255439
It can be applied in temperatures as low as minus 10 degrees Celcius. "It was in development for five or six years. It's for the restoration market. We wanted to make sure it was well field-tested and stood the test of time," says Anthony Rapone, marketing manager at Durabond. There are, as one might expect, many products on the market that fit the bill for both new and restoration applications. Foam insulation is a case in point. Icynene Inc.'s main closed-cell spray foam insulation product, MD-C-200, is designed to both insulate and air seal a building for the lifetime of the structure. "MD-C-200 is air-impermeable with a built-in vapour retarder and is guaranteed to perform as specified for the life of the building," according to the company's website. This type of insulation has other advantages. "What's good about closed-cell is that when events like Hurricane Sandy hit, or the floods in Calgary in June [2013], it does not absorb any water. You basically save your home. Or, at least, you don't have to rip the walls down and replace the insulation," says Betsy Cosper, VP marketing at Icynene Inc. She notes that the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency ( FEMA) has rec- ommended the use of closed-cell foam insulation and says it increases the struc- tural strength of a building. It can also save on heating and air-conditioning costs. "Some of our most developed markets are in the southern U.S. because air-condi- tioning is so expensive. An important reason for using spray foam in Canada is also energy efficiency and potential savings of up to 50 per cent on heating," Cosper says. Energy efficiency is an increasingly strong priority on the design side of the restoration sector. "More people are looking for long-term sustainable solutions, especially in energy efficiency," says Zen Szewczyk, executive director of sales and marketing at IRC Building Sciences Group. Restorations and retrofits today often involve additional insulation using EIFS, or installing exterior insulation with metal cladding or the use of structural insu- lated panels (SIPs). "This often means covering brick or masonry. People want to increase the thermal efficiency of the building itself, so the HVAC system doesn't have to work as hard," he says. The energy efficiency strategy also entails improving the lifecycle of some enve- lope components – roofing insulation, for example. On many projects, when the membrane is replaced, everything above the deck is replaced, including insulation. But IRC is using another approach, one that protects and retains the existing insu- lation. "We're promoting a fixed insulation system, also known as a lightweight insulating concrete system ( LWIC). The formulations have been improved and the system has come into its own," Szewczyk says. Improving sound attenuation and structural strength can both be key objectives on restoration projects. Sound-reducing mats or underlayments directly below the finished floor are an effective way to improve the comfort level in multi-unit residential buildings. "The most common complaint from residents in multi-family buildings is noise," says Dave Nicholson, international technical manager at Maxxon Corporation. In light of this, the company has added high- performance, called HP, to its Acousti-Mat line of underlayments. What might be described as a non-invasive method for beefing up an old building involves the use of fibrous reinforced polymer ( FRP). "It's a structural wallpaper, applied to a wall or column, slab or beam. What you're trying to do is supplement the steel you wish was there," says Jeewan Khabra, senior project engineer at Fibrwrap Construction Services. The company's FRP is available in three main fibre types – carbon, glass or aramid, more widely known as Kevlar. n Renaissance Sage, rocked finish, matches the original stone's profile at Château de l'Ile retirement home, Gatineau, Quebec. Photo courtesy Arriscraft International. february 2014 /27 restoration Products & Services p24-27Restoration.indd 27 14-01-22 10:26 AM