Content about Composite materials

Lowe’s will begin carrying a line of outdoor sheds made of structural insulated panels (SIPS) at its 1,700 retail locations, as well as through its website. But unlike traditional SIPS – rigid foam insulation between two panels of oriented strand board (OSB) – the new product will be made with sheets of magnesium oxide, often referred to as MgO.

Weyerhaeuser has announced the addition of a production line this summer for its radiant barrier sheathing (RBS) at its oriented strand board (OSB) mill in Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan. The added manufacturing capacity will help meet demand for the product in California, Arizona and Nevada, the company said.

Forest products supplier Weyerhaeuser has announced a mail-in rebate program for building industry professionals this summer on several of its oriented strand board (OSB) products. The company is offering $3.00 cash back per panel of 7/8-in. or thicker of Weyerhaeuser Edge Gold flooring (or $1.50 for each 23/32-in. panel), and $1.00 per panel of Weyerhaeuser Radiant Barrier Sheathing (RBS) -- up to 100 panels for each product line. Building material dealers also can earn rebates of $0.25 per panel, up to $250 total for Edge Gold flooring and up to $100 total for RBS. 

A price index of lumber and panels used in actual construction for March 30, 2012

KB Home is being sued by a group of homeowners in Cary, N.C., because it installed weather barriers behind fiber cement siding in some residential developments but not others, according to a case summary provided by North Carolina Lawyers Weekly. 

A Business Court judge certified the lawsuit, describing the class as "all persons in the state of North Carolina who own a home that was constructed by KB Homes without a weather-restrictive barrier behind the exterior veneer of Hardiplank cement fiber lap siding."

Wilsonart International, a maker of countertops and sinks, has named Kristen Manos as its new president. She replaces Bill Gaetano, who announced his retirement late last year. DiGaetano has been president of Wilsonart since 2005 and is a 33-year veteran of the Temple, Texas, company. 

Demand for wood-plastic composite and plastic lumber, used in decking, railing, trim and other building materials, is projected to rise 13% per year until 2015, according to a report from The Freedonia Group.

BlueLinx Holdings, the Atlanta-based distributor of building products, has announced plans to launch a complete line of privately branded engineered lumber products. The company currently is finalizing agreements with suppliers, and anticipates that the new line will be available beginning Feb. 13, 2012. The Engineered Lumber Purchase Agreement with Georgia-Pacific Wood Products, under which BlueLinx currently distributes engineered lumber, will expire in accordance with its terms on Feb. 12, 2012.

A price index of lumber and panels used in actual construction for Oct. 7, 2011

Parallam parallel strand lumber (PSL) came on the scene at the Expo 86 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and quickly left a mark on the building industry, according to Carlos Guilherme, VP engineered lumber products for Weyerhaeuser.

"The invention of Parallam was one of those building material breakthroughs that happen maybe once or twice in a generation," Guilherme said. "Engineers and scientists invented a new product that took a great building material -- wood -- and made it even better."

Louisiana-Pacific Corp. has announced that its Dawson Creek, B.C., mill will curtail production of oriented strand board (OSB) beginning Aug. 25. The mill will continue to manufacture LP TechShield Radiant Barrier Sheathing to support its customers' needs in West Coast markets. 

The Dawson Creek OSB mill was constructed in 1987 and currently employs 114 people. After winterization and preparations for press shutdown are completed, about 26 employees will be retained to operate the TechShield Radiant Barrier line, and maintain the plant and equipment.