Tile backer

Temple-Inland has added another new product to its growing GreenGlass family, called GreenGlass tile backer. The tile substrate is designed for walls, ceilings, shower and tub enclosures, countertops, and residential or light commercial floors. GreenGlass is ideal for use in commercial and industrial kitchens, laundry or utility rooms, bathrooms, locker rooms, laboratory white rooms, operating rooms, enclosed swimming pools, residential steam rooms…and even in high-humidity non-tile areas. GreenGlass features a built-in moisture-blocking acrylic coating that resists water penetration through its surface, plus a water-resistant gypsum core formulated to include the TemShield Mold Protection System. Faced on both sides with naturally mold- and moisture-resistant fiberglass mats, this combination has been shown to be highly mold-resistant when tested as per ASTM D3273. www.greenglasssales.com :: 800-231-6060

Glulam

Rosboro has introduced the first full-framing width, architectural-appearance stock glulam. The new product—X-Beam— signifies exponentially increased convenience for those who build with engineered wood. The X-Beam allows distributors and retailers to stock one set of SKUs for exposed and concealed application; it also eliminates the extra jobsite labor of shimming to compensate for the width difference between traditional glulam and standard framing material. The X-Beam’s increased width translates to greater load-carrying capacity, so builders have all the inherent advantages of glulam plus greater strength and a more refined appearance. www.rosboro.com :: 888-393-2304

Saddle box

Weather Guard brand has introduced an all-steel, low-profile saddle box. Secure, durable and convenient to use, the saddle box is designed to maximize visibility and enhance safety. The all-steel box comes in two sizes to fit both full-size and compact pickup trucks. The box’s heavy-duty steel construction is topped off with a powder coat finish and comes in either a black or white. Another important quality about this product is that installation is quick and easy with crimp-free/drill-free mounting brackets. The saddle box also features gas shocks that ease the lid open at the push of a button. The box’s cover, when fully open, sits at a 90-degree angle, providing unhindered access to the inside. www.weatherguard.com :: 800-456-7865

Storage

The Curve takes luxury blind corner storage to the next level by incorporating the beauty of chrome oval wire with the sophistication of glass. The individual door mountable shelves provide a custom two-drawer look for blind corners and allow for complete access to cabinets, utilizing an amazing 775 square inches of surface area. Available for left and right hand blind corners, the Curve has fully adjustable mounting brackets that allow it to work in full height, drawer/door, or custom two-drawer applications with a minimum inside width ranging from 35 11/16 inches to 43 13/16 inches and a 17 1/2-inch width door opening. www.rev-a-shelf.com :: 800-626-1126

Sustainable studs

Weyerhaeuser has unveiled Green Studs, which are independently certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Standard (SFI) and are Green Approved by the NAHB Research Center for use in the National Green Building Standard. In addition, Weyerhaeuser uses strict grading standards and advanced milling and manufacturing practices to create straighter studs than conventional lumber, and applies a mold inhibitor to each board. Weyerhaeuser Green Studs are manufactured in Oregon from Douglas fir. Depending on location of the jobsite, they can qualify for regionally sourced materials points under green building programs such as the National Green Building Standard and LEED for Homes. www.weyerhaeuser.com :: 888-iL evel8

Truck accessory

Highway Products Inc. has introduced its 2010 model of Pickup Pack for Builders’ Pickup Trucks. Pickup Pack works as a mobile office and combines lockup security and maximum storage, and is highly customizable. Pack includes a gull wing saddle box, two lockable low side boxes, a flat or dome center hatch, and a removable ladder rack. When closed, the hatch locks the tailgate, making the bed area secure and weather resistant. Optional Roller Coaster cargo tray that installs in your truck bed and holds up to 2,000 pounds slides your gear out of the truck bed fast and easy. The unit is made of thick marine-grade aluminum. Stainless steel T-handle locks provide lockup security to your tools. These units are available to fit all truck brands, models and bed sizes, and come with a five-year warranty. www.800toolbox.com :: 800-866-5269

Sidewall sprinkler

Viking Corporation has announced its 4.0 (58) K-factor residential, flat plate concealed, horizontal sidewall sprinkler. The VK480 provides a horizontal sidewall sprinkler installation option with a true, flat plate, concealed appearance. Using the VK480’s special installation pipe guide, the new sprinkler installs into a standard 2 x 4 stud wall. The pipe guide, which is shipped standard with the sprinkler at no additional charge, ensures the proper location of the sprinkler to allow for ¼-inch (6 mm) adjustment of the cover plate. The patent-pending sprinkler is cULus listed for up to 16 x 18-foot (4.9 x 5.5 m) coverage areas. The VK480 has a temperature rating of 165°F (74°C) with a 135°F (57°C) cover plate. The cover plate’s standard finish is white. Through Viking’s industryleading custom paint program, Viking can apply virtually any brand and type of paint to the cover plate as well. www.vikinggroupinc.com :: 800-968-9501

Bidet

Coway has unveiled its Premium Bidet product line, which includes the BA-13 and BA-17 models. The BA-13, which was customized for U.S. homes to fit any toilet type or size, offers all the high-tech elements that complete the modern bathroom. The BA-17 is the next generation eco-friendly bidet, which is self-powered using pressure from the water flow to generate sufficient electricity. Coway’s bidet uses less than a gallon of water per day for the average family, reduces a need for toilet paper, and saves energy. www.coway.com :: 213-480-1600

Roofing and siding gets cleaner and easier

I’ll show you how old I am by telling you a secret. As a young punk kid I played with cap guns a lot. Actually anything that would blow up or make noise made me a happy kid. So when I was given the opportunity to look at Paslode’s Model #CS150 pneumatic Cap Stapler, a new cap gun on the market, I jumped at the chance. I was soon made aware it wasn’t like my old daisy cap gun of yesteryear.

Wind is a factor of the job no matter what time of year. Winter or spring weather isn’t very forgiving if you’re not prepared for it. Being prepared for the season is the reason for having one of these Paslodes.

On the roofing and siding jobs this past spring, we were very happy to have the gun. If you have ever installed roofing you know the felt goes down first, then you get to pound the roofing in place. Seems simple enough, unless you paper off the whole roof before you realize there isn’t enough day to finish installing the roofing. If you have just tacked down the paper with a stapler and it gets windy overnight, you’re in for a world of hurt in the morning. With the cap stapler you can paper off the whole roof and not worry if you don’t get it roofed before the daylight ends.

Redhook Ale Brewery’s Redhook Blonde is a golden ale with a soft malt character and medium hop profi le, making it a very good session beer. Redhook Blonde is a perfect beer to have while spending an afternoon outdoors at a picnic or on a rainy day at the pub for happy hour. Redhook Blonde combines the best attributes of a fl avorful golden ale with the refreshing qualities of a lager. The ale is brewed with three different malts and two hop varietals. Additionally, lightly roasted barley and a touch of wheat give Redhook Blonde a fl avor profi le to appeal to a wide range of beer drinkers. www.redhook.com

Deschutes Brewery’s super sessionable summer seasonal, Twilight Ale is a crisp and effervescent ale that makes for a perfect beer for summer barbecues, trailhead gatherings, outdoor concerts and other freshair activities. Twilight Ale is perfect to enjoy just as the sun sets during those extended summer evenings. Twilight is a straw-colored ale with a vigorous hop essence and a subtle, wafer-like body that complements the fl avor of this special seasonal brew. It is a unique blend of several hops and malts: Cara-Pils and Carastan malts with the late addition of whole-fl ower Amarillo, Cascade and Tettnanger hops. www.deschutesbrewery.com

BridgePort Brewing Co. offers its third-generation Stumptown Tart, a Belgian-style Framboise infused with 2,000 pounds of Oregon red raspberries grown for Willamette valley Fruit Co. in Salem, OR. Stumptown Tart blends an aged oak barrel and a fresh Belgian Tripel. Stumptown Tart is touted as a brew that hits the drinker up front with fresh fruit fl avor and fi nishes with the spicy, oak fl avors of the two blended ales. Don’t be fooled by this pretty face: each bottle is 7.7 alcohol by volume (ABv) but still light on the tongue, making this a great summer brew. www.bridgeportbrew.com

Widmer Brothers Brewing’s Sunburn Summer Brew is a blond ale with a light caramel body and subtle, refreshing hop aroma. This brew uses Citra hops, a new hop variety that only a few breweries have access to, that helps create a balanced and fl avorful beer with little bitterness. Sunburn is one of four seasonal brews Widmer Brothers will release this year, providing variety that highlights the tastes of each season. Sunburn is available through August on draft and in six-packs at select retailers on the West Coast. www.widmer.com

The ultimate drinkable, summer beer? Perhaps. Pabst Blue Ribbon is a lager brew crafted with an infusion of 6-row barley, a carefully balanced carbohydrate profi le from corn syrup, and a unique combination of Pacifi c domestic hops blended with an imported Yugoslavian variety. Fermented with a pure culture of yeast and aged at high gravity, PBR is cellared and fi nished to the smooth, robust likeness of a fi ne pilsner. And if you’re looking to shed a few pounds or save room for that next cookout, quaff a couple PBR Light beers. Brewed with the traditional grains and malts of a fi ne lager, and is tailored to the brewing specifi cations of a low-calorie beer. www.pabstblueribbon.com