Contractor Advantage November / December 2012

ALSO:Business Training +

Greener Walls +Energy Star +

November/December 2012

CONTRACTORADVANTAGEC A N A D A ’ S M A G A Z I N E F O R P R O F E S S I O N A L C O N T R A C T O R S

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Features

Inside

Contents

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 | 3

Contractor Advantage

Castle Building Centres Group Ltd.,with building supply outlets in every province, is Canada’s leading supplier of lumber and building materials to professional contractors, builders

and renovators.

Publications Mail Agreement #40006677 Return undeliverable Canadian

Addresses to: 100 Milverton Drive, Suite 400

Mississauga, Ont. L5R 4H1

Advertising EnquiriesVendors whose products are carried in Castle Building

Centres stores have the opportunity to advertise in

For more information or to reserve space in the next issue, contact:

Jennifer Mercieca Director of Communications

Phone: 905-564-3307 Fax: 905-564-6592

E-mail: [email protected]

Published and designed exclusively for Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. by Business Information Group

Material Contact: Jessica Jubb 416-510-5194

Copyright 2012

Editorial Director Castle Building Centres Group Ltd.

Jennifer Mercieca

Managing EditorPaul Barker

Art Director Mark Ryan

ContributorsNestor E. Arellano Lawrence Cummer Victoria Downing Stefan Dubowski

Josh Kerbel Michael Menard

Paul Rhodes David Chilton Saggers

John G. Smith

24

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November/December 2012 Vol. 18 No. 6

NEWS WATCH / 05 2013 colour trends

NEW PRODUCTS / 07 New and improved products

BUSINESS STRATEGIES / 10 Reaching the market

SMART MONEY / 12 Buy versus lease

ECONOMICS 101 / 14 Four steps to success

ONLINE MARKETING / 16 Living in a mobile world

LEARNING CURVE / 17 How to be ‘exceptional’

Training Days / 18Even the most experienced contractors need to embrace training as a lifelong process.

Follow the LEEDers / 24LEED is one of the best-known marketing tools for contractors who want to gain a competitive advantage.

Greener Walls / 31Insulating values and new technologies combine to create lasting environmental benefits.

Engineered for results / 37Builders are looking to engineered wood to literally and figuratively take wood to heights never before seen in Canada.

Become an energy star / 44What does Energy Star mean? It is both a symbol and system indicating energy efficiency and can be found on nearly 40 types of products.

The inside scoop / 48A primer for making the perfect interior paint-to-surface pairing.

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News Watch


Next year’s colour trends unveiled by Dulux, Sico and CILDulux, a subsidiary of AkzoNobel, has an-nounced the colour it said will be trending through its paint lines in 2013. Homeown-ers will be turning to blues to find refuge from their technology-heavy workdays, as well as find a variety of uplifting and sooth-ing choices.

Studies conducted by AkzoNobel globally have established blue to be the most popular colour, a favourite of more than half popula-tion and the least disliked in most cultures. In home décor, the company said prevalent blues of the past few years have been lighter shades; however, next year a darker blue, tinted with violet or purple will be popular. The company recently named Inspired Vio-let the Dulux paint colour of 2013.

“It is a colour that emits a feeling of tran-quility and stability in the midst of our increas-ingly hectic lives,” said Martin Tustin-Fuchs, Dulux paint brand director for AkzoNobel.

According to AkzoNobel, the colour is a good choice for home offices, bedrooms, fami-ly rooms and living areas, but also smaller spac-es such as bathrooms and vestibules. As a dark shade, the company said the colour combines well with most others, but especially saturated brights, citrus colours, warm neutrals and other blues, purples and greens. A cool colour, blue is “warmed up” when accessorized with

natural objects, browns and tans, like wood or leather furniture.

The company also suggested that today’s fast-paced interconnected lifestyles have in-spired three themes for 2013 in its Sico paint brand: Collective Passion, Switching Off and Visual Solace. Collective Passion is inspired by social media and showcased through sub-tle layering of closely connected pastels and corals. Switching Off uses “silent colours,” from soft and airy hues to the deep colours of still waters, starry nights, dusk and dawn to clear the mind. Visual Solace is inspired by gardens in bloom and classical art to cre-ate comfort through floral pink, mauve, dusky violet, bronze and delicate neutrals,

the company said.Users of the com-

pany’s CIL brand, meanwhile, will seek

a “palette of joyous and uplifting colours in 2013, including candy reds, papaya oranges and light mustard yellows, to spruce greens, deep blues and saturated neutrals.” As a result, the CIL paint colours trending next year will be vibrant brights, dusty pastels and “fluro-infused” neutrals.

“These are colours that can be easily in-corporated into any room in the home,” said Alison Goldman, CIL brand manager for Ak-zoNobel.

The full Dulux, CIL and Sico 2013 co-lour palettes can be seen at www.dulux.ca, www.cil.ca and www.sico.ca.

The standalone monthly seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of housing starts was 220,215 units in September, down from 225,328 in August, accord-ing to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

September’s housing starts were in line with trending data. Housing starts in Canada trended at 224,419 units annually in September, based on the six-month moving average of the SAAR, which is used to provide a clearer pic-ture by accounting for variable monthly swings.“Housing starts in September were largely in line with the latest trend figure,” said Mathieu Laberge, deputy chief economist at CMHC. “The monthly decrease posted in September was mostly due to a decrease in urban multiples starts. As expected, the number of multiples starts in Ontario, particularly in Toronto, reverted back to a level more in line with the average pace of activity over the last six months.”

CMHC reports slight decrease in September housing starts

Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. would like to our valued advertisers and readership and

wish everyone a

All the best for a prosperous 2013 and please join Castle in celebrating our milestone 50th Anniversary 1963-2013

The Building Excellence of

thankHappy Holiday Season.

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New Products

Building Blocks


+Innovative Products for Today’s Renovators

+TREX ADDS TO TRANSCEND DECKING LINE WITH ‘TIKI TORCH’ Trex Co. has expanded its Trex Transcend decking line to include a variegated, light-brown colour the company has dubbed Tiki Torch.

The colour, a warm, earthy shade with reddish-brown hardwood streaking, is designed to complement the com-pany’s two existing tropical-inspired decking products, as well as its five decking colours. Combined with Tree House (warm earth tone), Vintage Lantern (deep-bur-nished bronze), Fire Pit (spicy red), Gravel Path (pristine grey) and Rope Swing (a light taupe), or tropical options of Spiced Rum (earthy umber) and Lava Rock (reddish black) the new colour helps create a range of aesthetic options.

Although Tiki Torch has an appearance of tropical wood, there are no environmental stresses associated with importing endangered hardwoods. It contains 95% recycled content.

Each Transcend deck board is available in 12’, 16’ and 20’ lengths, and in square and grooved profile options.

Grooved boards accommodate the Trex Hideaway Hidden Fastening System for a finish free of nails and other visible fasteners. Tiki Torch is also available in 1”x8” and 1”x12” fascia boards.

All Transcend decking includes a 25-year limited fade and stain warranty. Further information is available at www.trex.com.

TASK TOOLS RELEASES HARD-GRIP SCREWDRIVERS, UTILITY KNIVESTask Tools has released new lines of hard-grip screwdrivers and utility knives the company says are created with the latest materi-als and innovations in design.

The Task Hard Grip Screwdriver features a handle made of cellulose-acetate to make them shatter-proof, non-flammable and resistant to oil, grease, and water and chemicals. The Elite series of hard-grip screwdrivers features industrial-quality clear acetate large-diameter handles to allow greater force and come with two-piece Genuine Robertson, Phillips, Slotted and Torx tips. The Task series features professional-quality opaque acetate handles and offer a wide selection of Genuine Robertson, Phillips and Slotted tips. The screwdrivers are available individually or in sets and range in price from $1.69 to $7.99.

Task Signature Utility Knives are snap-off blade knives featur-ing Power Black Blades which are harder, sharper and more pli-able than other blades, according to Task. The knives and replace-ment blades are available in 9 mm, 18 mm, and 25 mm lengths and are available both in auto-lock and ratchet lock. Two extra blades concealed in the handle of most models in the series of-

fer quick-and-easy replacement. The knives are priced from $5.99 to $10.99, and blades are available in five, ten and fifty packs. Further information is available at www.task-tools.com.

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New Products


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MIROLIN TUB SHOWER OFFERS EASY ENTRYMirolin Industries Corp., a Masco Company, has released the Parker Tub Shower, a new tub shower series available with either a 20” standard threshold height or 16” threshold for easier entry.

In addition, the Parker tub showers are available in one-piece (60” x 32” x 89 ½”) and multi-piece (60 x 33” and 85 ½”) models. Multi-piece models feature Mirolin’s Snap Fit system for easier installation. The tub showers are compatible with 60” standard opening and designed for above floor rough in.

According to Mirolin, the benefits of the Parker series include spacious bathing well and relaxing lumbar support; four shelves, S-shaped grab bar and hydrotherapy options with a removable front access panel. The tub showers are made of vacuum-formed acrylic reinforced with fiberglass, with a scratch, stain and mildew resistant finish. They are also pre-trimmed to result in less waste.Further information is available at www.mirolin.com.

CERTAINTEED DIAMONDBACK GLASROC UNVEILS TILE BACKER FOR FLOOR AND COUNTERTOP APPS

CertainTeed Gypsum has announced that Diamondback GlasRoc tile backer, traditionally available for walls and ceilings, is now of-fered for floor and countertop applications.

Diamondback is reinforced with embedded glass mats to add strength and mold resistance, and feature a polymer coating that reduces tile slippage during installation. The new ¼” backers are designed to meet ASTM C 627 Robinson Floor Test required to be used as an underlayment, and weigh 40% less than traditional ce-ment boards, making them easier to handle, cut and install.

The company says the backer is ideal for use in bathrooms, kitch-ens and high-moisture interior areas, and suitable for both wet and non-wet installations in both residential and light commercial applica-tions. Available in 3’ x 5’ and 4’ x 4’ sizes, Diamondback conforms to the ASTM C 1178 for Coated Glass Mat Water-Resistant Gypsum Back-ing Panels and offers the best level of mold resistance when tested in

accordance with the ASTM D 3273 standard. It is backed by a limited, lifetime warranty for residential applications and a limited 20-year warranty for commercial applications. Further information is avail-able at www.certainteed.com/gypsum.

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Business Strategies

BY VICTORIA DOWNING

10 | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

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Victoria Downing is president of Remodelers Advantage Inc. and is a leading authority in the remodeling industry. She has authored and co-authored several industry books, including The Remodeler’s Marketing PowerPak. She can be reached at [email protected] or by phone at 301 490-5620 ext. 105.

Third-party endorsements are the most effective for remodelers. Learn how to maximize the number and results from referrals.

Reaching The Market

The best leads come from referrals and not “cold call” type marketing, because referrals are sprinkled with the magic dust of third-party endorsement.

A referral lead often arrives virtually pre-sold by a past customer or company fan. For example, the referrer might say something like: “We used Jones Design/Build Company for our remodeling. I don’t think they are the cheapest remodelers in town, but we found we could trust them.

“They had great design ideas. We had a few snags during construction, but Jones always took care of them. The whole expe-rience was surprisingly painless, especially compared with the horror stories you hear.”

That endorsement is worth hundreds of dollars of advertising, which might lead a pros-pect to your door but still not pack the credibil-ity punch of such a personal recommendation.

Clearly, your marketing program should target referral-quality leads, but do not sit back and wait for the referrals to drift in. Nurture relationships with subs, suppliers, community leaders, real estate agents, past clients and other contacts in the community. By doing so, many remodelers actually gar-ner 90% or more of their leads via referral. Only if referrals run short do they turn to the lower-quality, higher-cost leads gener-ated through advertising.

Staying in Touch with Past ClientsHere is a chilling statistic: one happy client tells three people about your company, but one disgruntled client grouses to 15. Reap the full referral value of your happy custom-

ers by keeping your company name in front of them.

Talk with or mail something to them three or four times a year. This regular con-tact keeps the referrals coming in indefi-nitely, not to mention generates repeat busi-ness from the clients. Over time your clients may even develop an emotional investment in your company and its success in winning referral jobs.

Here is a sampling of ways to stay in touch with past clients:

Send a thank you note for every referralAll it takes is a short paragraph that says, “Thanks so much for sending Ken and Mary

Smith to us to discuss their room addition. We couldn’t keep providing high-quality re-modeling projects for discriminating clients if it weren’t for good friends like you.”

Send a holiday card Do not rely on a Christmas or New Year’s card. It will get lost in the piles of cards your clients receive. Instead, consider Valentine’s Day (“Roses are red, violets are blue, we’re grateful for wonderful customers like you”) or Halloween (“Remodeling is a tricky business, but it’s a treat working with clients like you”). Approached with wit and style, these offbeat missives can be eye-catching and memorable.

Distribute a newsletterMore and more remodelers are staying in touch with clients through newsletters that pass along company news, share practical tips for homeowners and feature impressive before-and-after photos of projects. Atlanta remodeler Bill Weidmann gets all his jobs by referral by sending a newsletter to past




Business Strategies


customers three or four times a year. They might forget you, he says.

Invite clients to home shows, open houses and other social events where you can reconnect with them and show them your latest and proudest work. If you are exhibiting at a home show, offer free tickets to past clients and invite them to stop by your booth. Design/build remodelers report good results with receptions in recent clients’ homes too. The homeowners invite their friends and neighbors to see the completed remodel. The remodeler adds past clients to the list and picks up the tab for the event. When former clients visit, their bonds with the remodeler are strengthened. While there, they chat with prospective clients and sell them on working with the company.

Friends of the CompanyNetworking is heavily used in the business world to develop new business. Design/build remodelers should use networking actively too. When a friend of the company, such as a local home inspector, refers a new client, that inspector has supplied a high-quality lead.

Meal plan: Every month take an influential community member to breakfast or lunch. Your guest might be a banker, architect, eco-nomic development official, preservation soci-ety activist, real estate broker or minister. Any of these people could become a proponent of your company and a valuable referral source.

Civic action: Working with other community leaders on a common goal presents an excel-lent opportunity to meet and greet potential

clients are referrers. Select a community orga-nization or charity and become an active par-ticipant. Sign up for an influential committee and devote time and effort to help the cause.

Industry impact: Get involved with build-ing and remodeling industry associations. Home builders often are asked to recom-mend remodelers. Remodelers who special-ize in insurance restoration are asked to rec-ommend design/build specialists. Tap into this flow of referrals by interacting with your peers in industry organizations.

Community profile: Many design/build re-modelers garner a big slice of their annual vol-ume through social connections. As members of the yacht club or country club, they pick up referrals through social channels.

Paul Rhodes is a partner at Soberman LLP. His professional experience includes providing assurance and advisory counsel to a number of clients in construction, manufacturing, real estate and internal audit engagements. Paul is a member of the Toronto Construction Association.

Smart Money


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BY PAUL RHODES

Deciding whether to lease or buy capital assets can be complicated, and depends on a number of factors from cash flow and security to the type of asset being acquired.

Buy Versus Lease

Any business owner is likely to face the ques-tion of whether to buy or lease capital assets. Capital assets are those assets to be used in the business for a long period of time and, depending on the nature of the business, may include: premises, computers, furniture or plant and equipment. This article will review the factors to consider in making the decision.

The first step is to consider whether owner-ship of the asset is necessary. For a construc-tion business, which adds value to material by incorporating it into a project, the answer de-pends on the following:

• How often will the asset be utilized? For example, if the asset in question is used for only one in 10 projects, the outlay of cash for the leased asset would still have to be made during the other nine proj-ects even though the asset is not used. In this case, the best alternative may be to use a sub-contractor for the operation and not purchase or lease the asset at all.

• What will be the effect of using the asset on productivity and profit mar-gins? The greater the additional mar-gin, the more likely it is that the asset should be acquired directly, as op-posed to the process being performed in some other way.

Once it has been decided that ownership of the asset makes economic sense, the deci-sion as to whether it should be acquired by purchase or lease can be considered.

Cash flow: For a new business the availability of cash is always the most important concern. In addi-tion to requiring capital assets, the business will also need cash to purchase materials, pay employees and other expenses as they become due.

For a new business, and especially a busi-ness that is rapidly growing, it is usually the case that cash has to be paid up front before any cash can be collected from customers. For instance, even after a sale has been in-voiced there is often a delay before the cash is collected.

All these factors suggest that leasing or purchasing the asset with a loan are pref-erable, instead of purchasing for cash, be-cause the payments for the use of the asset are spread over a longer time period and available cash is free to be used for higher priorities.

Cost: If surplus cash is available, buying with cash is cheaper than leasing or buying with a loan, because the leasing company will charge a premium for financing and interest will be payable on the loan.

Availability of security: To obtain a loan from a financial institution, collateral is likely to be required as security. There may be few assets available within the business, and a bank is unlikely to accept only the asset purchased as collateral for a

Smart Money


loan. This may mean that personal assets, including a personal residence, must be used to secure the loan, which is not likely to appeal to the business owner. In this case, leasing the asset may be preferred because a leasing company will usually accept the asset itself as security for the lease.

Type of lease: There are several types of lease agreements, which may give an advantage over purchas-ing the asset.

For example, if the technology sur-rounding the asset is constantly changing, as is the case with computer equipment, a lease will allow the equipment to be re-placed with the latest technology when the lease ends. Alternatively, if the asset is not expected to become obsolete and will still be usable when the lease ends, then a lease with a purchase option or renewal option would be advantageous.

Note that lease terms can be complex and must be fully understood before an agreement is entered into. Professional ad-vice may be required.

Tax: The difference in tax treatment between purchasing and leasing an asset will also have a bearing on the decision.

As a general rule, the total consideration paid for the asset can be deducted for tax purposes, although the timing of the deduc-tion may be significantly different between the two options. For example, all the lease payments paid during a lease are usually de-ducted for tax during the lease term; if the asset is bought the period the deduction can be taken for tax is often longer.

Other factors can affect this general rule including federal budgets which often allow an immediate or quick deduction of the cost of certain purchased capital assets and the

period over which the asset will be owned. To conclude, the answer to the question

of whether to buy or lease ultimately de-pends on the nature of the business and of the assets required. No cut-and-dried answer exists because the circumstances will differ from business to business and asset to asset.

The decision involves some degree of risk. For example, if the asset is purchased the business may become tied to obsolete equipment; if the asset is leased there is a long-term commitment to make periodic payments. While risk cannot be completely avoided, a proper consideration of the char-acteristics of each option will mean the na-ture of risk is known and an informed deci-sion can be made.

This article has been prepared for general in-formation. Specific professional advice should be obtained prior to the implementation of any sug-gestion contained.

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BY MICHAEL MENARD

No matter what industry you are in, long-term business growth depends on strategy, idea generation, project selection and execution.

Four Steps To Success

Economics 101

Most organizations know that in order to grow and be an industry leader, they have to continually innovate and undertake key projects that lead to growth. Unfortunately, many companies do so in a haphazard or non-strategic way.

Here is what typically happens: Leaders keep saying “yes” as various projects and ideas are presented to them for investment. They say “yes” until they run out of resourc-es. The projects and ideas first on the list get funded in contrast to the best of all ideas across the organization. The sad truth is the early bird does get the worm. As a result, they waste money and resources, lose mo-mentum, and then wonder why they never achieve their strategic goals.

That does not have to be that way. There is a proven approach that enables lead-ers and decision makers to make a greater contribution to the business, activate the strategic plan, achieve the desired balance, and optimize allocation of limited resourc-es. Here are the four things you need to get right in order to make better decisions so you can maximize your company’s Capital Efficient Profitable Growth (CEPG).

Define your strategyBefore your company can undertake any new initiative, you first have to identify your strategy. In other words, who are you and what do you want to do? Unless you know this information, it is difficult if not impos-sible to move forward in a productive way.

While most companies have a general idea of their strategy based on their vision or mission statement, often it is not focused

enough to translate into specific strategic goals. For example, suppose you are a bev-erage company who offers a variety of soft drinks. How do you grow? You could intro-duce one new beverage after another and expand into new markets at random, but that will quickly drain your resources. A bet-ter approach is to define a specific strategy for growth. For instance, you may decide that you want to be the North American leader in bottled water. Now you have a fo-cused strategy to guide your efforts.

Generate ideasArmed with your strategy, you can now gen-erate ideas that support the strategy. Some people call this step innovation or creative brainstorming. Whatever you call it, the goal is to come up with possible options for ad-vancing the strategy.

Going back to our beverage company example, if the strategy is to be the North American leader in bottled water, your team

needs to generate ideas that fit the strategy. Some ideas could include adding nutrients to the water, adding protein to the water, adding exotic flavours to the water, or offer-ing different bottle shapes or sizes.

Prioritize and select the best ideasNext is to select the portfolio of ideas that are the best for the company to pursue and that will advance the strategy. As you do the prioritization and portfolio selection pro-

cess, you need to ask two key questions. The first is, “Will this portfolio of ideas and proj-ects deliver our strategic goal?” If the answer is no, then you have to do something differ-ent. Either you alter your strategic expecta-tion or you increase the number of ideas. Keep going through these iterations until you can say, “Yes, our portfolio has the po-tential to deliver our strategy.” And remem-ber, at this point you are simply assessing whether the portfolio will meet your strate-gic goals. You are not assessing whether it is something you actually could do.

Once you agree that the portfolio of ideas and projects will help you meet your strategic goals, the second question to ask is, “Do we have the resources (time, money,

Michael Menard is the author of “A Fish in Your Ear: The New Discipline of Project Portfolio Management” and co-founder and president of The GenSight Group, which provides enterprise port-folio management solutions for strategic planning, project portfolio management and business performance optimization. Further information is available at www.afishinyourear.com

Before your company can undertake any new initiative, you first have to identify your strategy. In other words, who are you and what do you want to do? Unless you know this information, it is difficult if not impossible to move forward in a productive way.

http://www.afishinyourear.com

Economics 101


people, equipment, etc.) to fund the portfo-lio?” If the answer is yes, then celebrate and move on to step four; however, if the answer is no, then you need to circle back and solve the equation. Can you lower your strategic goals? Can you generate bigger, better ideas? Can you add resources? Change the timing? Scale back the idea? Once you have a port-folio that allows you to say yes to both ques-tions, you have completed the prioritization and selection process.

Execute on the ideas.Finally, it is time to take action and actually execute the portfolio of ideas. This is where project management comes into play. As you execute each step to support the strat-egy, outline the detailed activities needed to complete the project on time and on budget. Assign key people to be responsi-ble for each role, and establish checkpoints so you know if the project goes off track.

The more thoroughly you manage the ex-ecution of the portfolio, the more success you will have.

Get it Right…Now! No matter what industry you are in, long-term business growth depends on these

four things: strategy, idea generation, project selection and execution. When you take the time to implement this process in your company, not only will you make better strategy decisions, but you will also achieve the breakthrough results that achieve the ultimate goal: increased CEPG.

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As you execute each step to support the strategy, outline the detailed activities needed to complete the project on time and on budget. Assign key people to be responsible for each role, and establish checkpoints so you know if the project goes off track.

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Unless you have been living under a rock, the term mobile app should be a common one, with companies like Apple and RIM spawning an entire ecosystem of companies developing mobile applications for iPhones, Android smartphones and Blackberries across every spectrum of the business and entertainment world.

Productivity, entertainment, communica-tion, health, shopping; if you can name an activity or an interest, there is probably an application for it. The fact that more than 250 million people access Facebook via a mobile device and that there are over five billion smart phones in the world, leads to the irrefutable conclusion that the future of computing is mobile.

Why is this relevant to you and the market-ing of your business? Well assuming the pur-pose of your business’ marketing efforts is to bring in new customers, you need to know where your prospects are spending their time.

I am going to make the assumption that most of the readers of this article are not about to run out and build a mobile applica-tion for their business, after all you are in the construction business, not the digital product business. That said, there are a few essentials that your business should address in the mobile world.

Mobile-friendly WebsiteFirst off, look at your Website; how does it look on a mobile platform? Is it useable? Is the copy legible? Does it consider how

people actually make use of mobile devices? If you have not really done much with your Website over the past five years, chances are the answers to at least one of the above ques-tions is no, which in that case it is time to really consider revamping your Website.

Now before you go getting yourself in a tizzy about having to spend more money on that Website of yours, I want you to take a deep breath and realize that the cost of de-veloping a Website has probably fallen dra-matically since your last Website makeover.

If there is one thing you take away from this article, it is that your new Website must have a responsive design. In non-geek speak this means that your site must adapt to dif-ferent screen sizes, from handhelds to desk-tops, to provide users with an optimal view-ing experience, namely easy reading and navigation. And while this might sound in-timidating it is really not, because there are many out of the box frameworks that pro-vide this functionality automatically, and at little to no cost. A perfect example of one to talk to your Web designer about is Twitter Bootstrap, which currently powers high-end sites like NASA and MSNBC. You can learn more about Twitter Bootstrap here: http://twitter.github.com/bootstrap/

If you do not have the ability to build a mobile application for your business, but want to market to reach mobile device users, a mobile-friendly site is essential, especially if you want to start promoting yourself with mobile advertising. Think about it. If you do

not have a mobile site, where are you going to send the traffic from your mobile ads?

Mobile AdvertisingIf a good chunk of your potential customers have their eyes glued to their mobile devices, then your company should probably consider advertising on them. The next step in the pro-cess is determining just how to go about doing it.

There are really two options for a small company looking to get into mobile advertis-ing. The first is the using of Google Adwords to target users conducting searches from their mobile devices. The Google Adwords platform will let you specifically target mo-bile devices so that non-mobile users do not get directed to your mobile Website. If you do not think this is a viable option for your business, consider how often you do on-the-spot research via a mobile Internet browser when making a purchase decision.

The second, and probably more effective method of mobile advertising, is to buy ads directly within mobile applications. One of the great things about the boom in mobile application development is that someone has probably already created an application or two that target the demographic that your business is geared towards. All you need to do is become connected with a mobile ad network (there are tons out there), create a few ads, set a daily budget and direct the traf-fic to your mobile Website.

The Bottom LineWithout getting into the nitty-gritty specific of costs, you should probably budget about $10,000 to $15,000 to get up and running in the mobile world, with the understanding that spending on mobile advertising, when properly done, is an investment in your sales funnel, not a one-time cost.

If a good chunk of your potential customers have their eyes glued to their mobile devices, then your company should probably consider advertising on them.

BY JOSH KERBEL

Living In A Mobile World

Josh Kerbel is Managing Director of Sales Funnel, a digital marketing agency that specializes in lead generation and prospect management systems. To get a copy of the free white paper, 8 Steps to Internet Marketing Success, please send an email to [email protected].

Online Marketing


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Learning Curve


Two books teach the theory and best practices about people management in construction and how to become an exceptional leader.

How To Be ‘Exceptional’

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN CONSTRUCTION: CRITICAL PERSPECTIVESRoutledge

The construction industry is one of the most complex arenas within which to manage people. All too often employee needs can take a backseat to performance concerns, which in turn, can lead to re-duced productivity.

To help meet this challenge, Rout-ledge has released the second edition of Human Resource Man-agement in Construction, which looks at the subject through a lens that incorporates the realities of construction organizations.

In this new edition, editors Andrew Dainty and Martin Loose-more provide a critical commentary on the ways in which con-struction companies address the human resource management (HRM) function. They have gathered perspectives from leading

thinkers within construction HRM to critique perspectives pre-sented in their first edition, and to tackle specific aspects of HRM.

Areas covered include historical views of building labour; aligning human resource development with organization strate-gies in construction; competition on identity rather than price; occupational health, safety and worker’s well-being; equality, di-versity, inclusion and work-life balance in construction; employ-ment relations; people resourcing best practices; and, rewards management.

The book uses real-life case studies to explain the ways construc-tion businesses respond to the pressures faced through their HRM practices. It encourages readers to rethink the HRM function and its role in defining their relationship with employees through a combi-nation of theoretical insights and industry best practices.

HOW TO BE EXCEPTIONAL: DRIVE LEADERSHIP SUCCESS BY MAGNIFYING YOUR STRENGTHSMcGraw-Hill

You run a department, a division or an en-tire company. Everything is going smoothly, everyone respects your abilities and no one complains about you, but are you exception-al? In difficult business times, true success requires nothing less than the best.

Jack Zenger, Joseph Folkman, Robert Sherwin and Barbra Steel, authors of How

to Be Exceptional, provide readers with a revolutionary approach to leadership development. Instead of focusing on weaknesses and how to overcome them, the book focuses on strengths and how to magnify them through what the authors call “strengths-based leadership development.”

Zenger Folkman, the international leadership consulting busi-ness co-founded by two of the authors, has through studies found dramatic differences in organizations who use such a leadership model, including:

• Four to six times higher profits• Six times higher sales revenue• 10 to 20 times higher levels of employee engagement• A 50% reduction in employee turnover• Better employee job satisfaction and employees willing to “go

the extra mile”• Higher customer satisfaction ratings; and,• A three times safer work environment.The strategies and techniques in the book, which are backed

by findings from Zenger Folkman’s latest research, help business owners concentrate on what really matters freeing them to drive outstanding business and personal results, rather than focusing on building skills-sets that may be irrelevant to their current and future responsibilities.

How to Be Exceptional breaks down what owners and managers need to know about the impact of leadership on business results, and offers a program to grow the strengths needed to boost success.


Feature

F ormal training programs will be familiar to every contractor who ever served as an apprentice. The journey to journeyperson is only completed once

the theory of a classroom is combined with hands-on practice; the knowledge of a red seal trade has to be test-ed against an Interprovincial Standards Examination.

The understanding of specific building products can be further refined through ongoing seminars offered by trade associations like the Terrazzo, Tile and Marble Association of Canada. The Laborers In-ternational Union of North America’s training cen-tres, meanwhile, offer no fewer than 50 courses in

Even the most experienced contractors need to embrace training as a lifelong process.BY JOHN G. SMITH

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everything from hazardous materials reme-diation to remote tunneling, concrete work, and the tools of building construction.

Collectively, they are the types of formal programs which will play an increasingly im-portant role as contractors look to groom a new generation of employees. According to the Construction Sector Council’s 2011 La-bour Market Information Assessment, Cana-da’s construction industry will need 335,000 new workers as early as 2019 if it hopes to keep up with growing demand and replace those who are heading toward retirement.

Every one of these new additions to the workforce will need to build skills for their respective trades.

Even the most experienced contractors need to embrace training as a lifelong pro-cess, whether that involves learning about new technologies, emerging business oppor-tunities, or the techniques to boost produc-tivity and improve profits.

Indeed, training in “soft skills” can be as important as the ability to use a specific tool, particularly when employees want to step out on their own as an entrepreneur.

“It is just like becoming a supervisor on a job site,” explains Rosemary Sparks, ex-ecutive director of the Construction Sector

Council. “There is a progressive package of skills that you need for each.”

Anyone who wants to manage a grow-ing team, for example, will need to effec-tively communicate and motivate people. A skilled carpenter, drywall finisher, roofer or plumber will still need to learn about how to develop an effective business plan if they ever hope to secure a bank loan to put their dreams of being self-employed to work. Skills of the trade might secure early jobs, but training in communications, nego-tiations and estimating are needed to guide employees up a company’s corporate ladder.

For its part, the Construction Sector Council offers online training in supervi-sion, understanding the responsibilities of a supervisor, and communicating with teams. The skills like these can help to build more productive workplaces, but they can also convince valuable workers to stay in the con-struction industry before they decide to ex-plore other job opportunities in the search for a more clearly defined career path.

Ongoing training engages workers and supports personal advancement, Sparks suggests. This can be particularly important among a younger generation of workers who will have higher expectations around

human resources issues and the way they are treated at work.

The council is not alone in recognizing the need. Other industry-specific training like this is also offered by groups like the Canadian Construction Association, which partners with local construction associations to offer a Gold Seal certification program for construction management profession-als including project managers, superinten-dents, estimators and safety coordinators.

Aside from the business skills, ongoing training in safe workplace habits will make a difference of its own, and help to protect businesses from injuries along the way.

This training can come from a number of sources. The Construction Sector Council takes one of the first steps by delivering in-formation about the safe practices that any-one needs to understand before taking their first step onto a job site. Workers’ Compen-sation Boards offer training to meet a wide array of safety-related regulations.

The challenge is that many smaller con-tractors fall through the cracks. “If a person is only doing residential construction and is a self-employed entrepreneur, they still do not have to pay into WSIB (Workplace Safety and Insurance Board) premiums,” observes

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Monica Olenroot, co-founder of the non-profit Canadian Association of Renovators and Home Services. It is a reality which leads them to track down safety training on their own.

The right information can certainly keep workers safe, but proof of training in issues like fall protection, WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) standards and working in confined spaces can also be used as a tool to differentiate a business from its competitors, she says. “It is a cost, but it is a cost of doing business.”

Training support will also avoid costly missteps with regulators. Ontario Ministry of Labour inspectors have been known to show up on a job site after an injury and ask for a copy of a company’s policies and procedures and the Occupational Health and Safety Act, informally known as the Green Book. “You have to have it, and you have to have an understanding of what is in it,” Olenroot says. Inspectors will also want to see workers wearing protective eyewear, and the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for paint or other chemicals under their care. Trained employees will be prepared. “If the Ministry of Labour is knocking on your door and shutting down your job site, you will pay whatever you need to get the training done,” she says.

Ignorance, after all, is no excuse for breaking a law.

Training in broader business skills will make a difference too, offering contractors an understanding of contracts and change orders which clearly outline specific jobs. “You have got to make sure you charge enough for your services and make sure you put your time in there,” Olenroot adds.

The training support does not even need to be specific to the world of contract-ing. Seminars on business topics like mar-keting skills are regularly offered through groups such as a local chamber of com-merce and small business advisory centre. Professional business coaches can develop programs for specific operations as well. “A business is a business,” she stresses.

An ongoing focus on training can also help to identify emerging business op-portunities. The Canadian Association of Renovators and Home Services, for exam-ple, recently began an accessibility training program, showing contractors how struc-tures can be upgraded to allow seniors to stay in their homes. This will obviously be a growing market, and a niche business op-portunity, as the population continues to age. “There is a huge percentage turning 65 and more, and for the next 20 years they

are going to want to stay in their homes,” Olenroot says. The right training can lead a contractor to recommend specific framing that will support grab bars in the bathroom, or point to design elements that will make a kitchen more accessible, or introduce entry ways that are easier to access.

In an era where environmentally friend-ly building procedures are emphasized, the Canadian Construction Association offers training in Leadership in Energy and Envi-ronmental Design (LEED), covering topics such as risks and contract issues, and how to predict the impact of a LEED certificate on a project’s cost.

Training hardly needs to be limited to those who wield the tools. The association also offers a Construction 101 course for administration and clerical staff on every-thing from procurement methods to con-struction documents, the principles of con-tract law and risk management.

While there are plenty of training courses available throughout the construc-tion industry, Olenroot also suggests re-searching the course deliverables and its price before committing the time and mon-ey. “A lot of people have been over-charged for courses,” she says. “They could have got-ten them a lot cheaper.”

Every workforce needs ongoing training if it wants to introduce new services or keep skills sharp. The training sessions them-selves need just as much attention as the material to be presented.

Consider these key steps for anyone who plans to stand at the front of the class.

• Review the content – A clear understanding of the lesson plan will help you to keep discussions on track and answer any questions that might arise. Information can also grow stale with time. A review will help to en-sure everything is up to date.

• Count the heads – The number of participants will dictate everything from the number of handouts to delivery methods.

• Choose the best training environment – A proper training environment will be free of distractions. It will also sup-port the preferred training approach. For example, train-ees will need to have a clear view of any demonstrations, and enough space for any hands-on sessions. In a class-room setting, everyone will need a place to write notes.

• Enhance the training material – The content for the train-

ing session itself can be supplemented with everything from technical specifications to articles from trade mag-azines. This will give learners the chance to explore a topic in further detail once the training session is done.

• Prepare the tools – Every job requires the right tools, and a training program is no different. Information on Power-Point slides will require access to a computer, projector and screen. An extra whiteboard or flipchart will offer a way to record points that are made during discussions, while hands-on demonstrations will require access to the related tools and building materials.

• Keep an eye on the clock – A carefully planned agenda will help to ensure the discussions stay on track, so all the material is covered and nothing is rushed.

• Measure success – The training material is being delivered for a reason. Managers should consider how they will mea-sure success, whether it comes in the form of something like positive customer reviews, quicker installation times, or reduced workers compensation claims. If goals are not met, the training program will need to be revised.

TRAINING FOR TRAINERS

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Feature


LEED is one of the best-known environmental rating systems for new buildings in Canada. It is also one of the best-known marketing tools for contractors who want a competitive advantage in this era of green-focused property development.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a rating system for the design, construction and operation of buildings, homes and neighbour-hoods according to the tenets of environmental sustainability, such as water efficien-cy, energy efficiency and indoor air quality. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a non-profit organization that promotes sustainable construction, developed the pro-gram. Canada has its own LEED rating system, LEED Canada, based on the USGBC program, but tailored to our colder climates and particular government regulations.

While property owners, developers and builders often aim to certify their buildings to LEED standards, a number of building-industry professionals also aim to obtain special titles indicating their LEED expertise. There are three main LEED designations for individuals: LEED Green Associate, LEED Accredited Professional (AP) and LEED AP Fellow.

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Candidates for the Green Associate or LEED AP designation must write an exam and may need to take some courses to prepare for the exam.

The U.S.-based Green Building Certifi-cation Institute (GBCI) oversees LEED ex-ams and credentials. Here in Canada, the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) works with the GBCI, offering courses across the country to help people prepare for the exams. (For details about the exams, see “LEED exams” below.)

CaGBC offers a number of courses to help people prepare for the exams. Some of these programs occur in classrooms at local colleges, universities or community centres, running for two to three days at a stretch. (For more information, see “LEED exam study courses” on page 29.)

Worth the effortAlthough it may seem like a lot of work to ob-tain a LEED designation, some say it is worth the effort. Jonathan Westeinde, founder and managing partner of Windmill Develop-ment Group, a green-focused development and consulting company, says many of his staff members have the LEED AP designa-tion. Westeinde says it makes a difference to clients: governments, developers and non-profits that Windmill advises on sustainable

LEED examsThere are three LEED designations for construction professionals: Green Associate, Associated Professional (AP) and LEED Fellow. Can-didates for the Green Associate or LEED AP credentials must write an exam through the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI).

Green Associate: The Green Associate exam tests candidates’ under-standing of green design, construction and operations. It requires a $50 application fee and an exam fee of $150 for members of the Can-ada Green Building Council (CaGBC) and full-time students, or $200 for non-members and people not already studying full time. Candidates have two hours, 20 minutes to complete the exam.

LEED AP: The LEED AP exam is more challenging. It takes about four hours, divided into two parts. The first part is the same as the Green Associate exam. The second part is the LEED AP specialty section, consisting of questions that test candidates’ technical experience with green building. Candidates who already have their Green Associate designation can apply to take the AP exam alone. The application fee to sit the full exam is $100; the exam fee is $300 for CaGBC members and $450 for non-members. For the AP part of the exam alone, the ap-plication fee is still $100, but the exam fee is just $150 for members and $250 for non-members.

For more information, including links to courses that contractors can take to prepare for the exams, visit the CaGBC’s website, www.cagbc.org.

THE DESIGNATIONS

GREEN ASSOCIATE: The LEED Green Associate credential denotes basic knowledge of green design, construction and operations. It is appropriate for people who want to dem-onstrate green building expertise in non-technical fields of practice, such as product man-ufacturing, real estate and teaching. In other words, for people who work in the building industry but are not part of the technical LEED project team. Green Associate can also be an entry-level designation for people with technical backgrounds (architects, engineers) who have previous experience in the building industry but are new to LEED and green building and would like a credential that reflects their level of knowledge.

LEED AP: The LEED AP credential indicates an advanced knowledge of green building prac-tices. The designation is for people with hands-on technical experience on a LEED-registered or certified project, such as architects, designers, engineers and building managers. There are five LEED AP specializations:

• Operations and Maintenance• Homes• Building Design and Construction• Interior Design and Construction• Neighborhood Development

LEED AP FELLOW: The LEED Fellow is for people who have been LEED APs for at least eight years. These specialists contribute to the standards of practice for improving the green building field.

While many contractors are working towards or already have their LEED AP designa-tions, professional engineers and consultants who work in the environmental building industry specifically are the most common LEED AP holders.

http://www.cagbc.org


development strategies. These clients like to see the LEED AP designation because it indicates that the consulting firm has a good understanding of green building concepts.

It also makes a difference in terms of the kinds of contractors Windmill prefers to work with. “When we’re hiring a contractor we want to make sure they have their LEED AP in place, and that they have the required experience to make sure they’re using the right processes,” Westeinde says.

“If we don’t see the LEED AP designa-tion we assume there’s a learning curve that needs to be tackled. Usually we’ll move on from that contractor or supplier to someone who does have the designation.”

Stephen Collette, owner of Your Healthy House, an indoor-environment consultancy, says his LEED AP title (attained in 2007, be-fore the AP specialties existed) adds to his credibility. He says he finds that clients and partners tend to believe what he says when he provides advice regarding construction materials and techniques to improve the en-vironmental performance of buildings.

Contractors in particular would ben-efit from having a LEED title, Collette says. “Customers are saying, ‘What about an on-demand heater? What about geothermal? What about solar-ready?’ If builders aren’t familiar with the basics, they’re going to lose business to those who do.”

Legal pitfallsFor all the positives, LEED does have a downside.

The Ontario General Contractors Asso-ciation (OGCA) points out that more and more property owners aim to attain LEED designations for their projects, and may well expect contractors to take responsibility for ensuring that a project is LEED certified. The upshot: if the building does not attain the LEED level that the owner hoped for, contractors could find themselves in legal hot water.

News out of the U.S. indicates that prop-erty owners south of the border have sued contractors when buildings failed the LEED test. It is an issue that Canadian contractors should watch, says Clive Thurston, OGCA’s president. “If an owner doesn’t get LEED platinum or gold, who are they going to sue? They’re going to sue someone. They believe they paid for it.”

OGCA recommends that contractors should not bear responsibility for a build-ing’s LEED accreditation. After all, develop-ments score LEED points not only for the

way they are built and how they operate, but also for the way they are used. Owners, build-ers and occupants all contribute to LEED ac-creditation.

So what is the contractor’s role? Accord-ing to OGCA, contractors “can only agree to perform the work in accordance specified in the contract,” the association says on its Web-site. The group recommends contractors in-sist on contracts that effectively protect them from legal liability. If the contract specifies LEED accreditation as integral to project completion, contractors should think twice about signing it.

Over the last five years OGCA has been working with property owners, developers and designers to do away with LEED-spe-cific contract language, aiming to convince the industry as a whole that since LEED is a team effort, it is unfair to put the bulk of the burden for LEED success on contrac-tors’ shoulders. Thurston says the organiza-tion has been largely successful in convinc-ing the industry that LEED accreditation is not solely the contractor’s responsibility, but OGCA still receives word that some owners continue to push LEED-specific contracts.

While the LEED-lawsuit threat is worth

knowing about, it should not keep contrac-tors from working to attain their Green As-sociate or AP designations. “Just because you have the designation does not mean some-one is going to sue you over certification,” Collette says.

CaGBC says it has yet to encounter a Canadian contractor who has been sued for a failed LEED-certification attempt. “Canadian project teams rarely fail to achieve their targeted level of certification, in part because most ensure they apply for enough points that they can afford to lose a few,” according to the organization.

So should contractors go for a LEED des-ignation? All in all, the benefits outweigh the negatives. Considering the increasing awareness of LEED among property owners and designers, and the increasingly competi-tive contracting landscape, it makes sense for contractors to buckle down, take some courses, and attempt the Green Associate or AP exam.

Alongside the competitive advantages, a LEED credentials gives contractors the peace of mind of knowing that they are not just construction pros, but construction pros with consciences.

LEED exam study coursesCanada Green Building Council (CaGBC) offers an in-class two-day Green Associate study course. According to the organization, more than 1,500 people have taken the program over the last two years to prepare for the Green Associate exam. CaGBC runs workshops across Canada through its chapters and delivers the course to groups of 10 or more staff at company offices.For people who want to attain the LEED AP level, CaGBC says it will soon offer an in-class Building Design and Construction study course. The organization publishes an online workshop calendar (http://www.cag-bc.org/source/calendar/index.cfm?section=Education), where you can find out where and when classes are being held.

CaGBC recommends reading the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) exam handbooks carefully. They provide step-by-step guidance for applying for, preparing for and scheduling exams. Access the handbooks here: http://www.gbci.org/main-nav/professional-credentials/resources/candidate-handbooks.aspx. CaGBC also recommends ensuring that you meet the eligibil-ity requirements for the exam you are planning to sit before you make your for-mal application to GBCI. The eligibility requirements for both the LEED Green Associate and the LEED AP exams are found on the GBCI Website and in the candidate handbooks.

While some courses are held in classrooms, others are available online. CaGBC also provides flash-card Q&As for self-study. Prices range for ma-terials and programs. The flash cards cost only $20, while it costs $550 for the two-day Green Associate study course. (That would be the early-bird member price. Non-member, non-early birds pay $740.)

http://www.cagbc.org/source/calendar/index.cfm?section=Education



http://www.gbci.org/main-nav/professional-credentials/resources/candidate-handbooks.aspx

http://www.gbci.org/main-nav/professional-credentials/resources/candidate-handbooks.aspx

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Feature

Discussions about a “greener” wall hardly need to be limited to the colour of the paint. Look no fur-

ther than the role of related building materials in any environmental claims. Individual product choices can boast higher R values, recycled content, mold-fighting ca-pabilities and even the ability to pull unwant-

ed Volatile Organic Compounds out of the air. They are the types of features that can deliver lasting environmental benefits. Every pound of fibreglass insulation, for example, annually saves 12 times more energy than what was consumed to produce the product, Owens Corning Canada notes. Building on that, the company heralded the launch of

its EcoTouch pink fibreglass insulation last year, eliminating formaldehyde from tradi-tional binders which hold the fibres togeth-er, and creating a final product made with 73% recycled content.

They are just a few steps that have been taken to add a greener hue to the familiar pink product line.

Greener WallsInsulating values and new technologies combine to create

lasting environmental benefits.BY JOHN G. SMITH

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“No matter what industry you are in, there is a greater interest in being greener,” says Christine Sampson, Canadian market-ing leader for building materials from Ow-ens Corning Canada.

Sampson expects the focus on envi-ronmentally-friendly walls to increase, and stresses that by pointing to the Net Zero En-ergy Home Coalition’s push to have homes built to “net zero” energy standards as early as 2030. The non-profit group wants renew-able energy systems and other energy-effi-cient tools to be combined, creating homes which deliver as much energy into the power grid as the homeowner needs to buy. Fea-tures like enhanced insulating values would reduce the amount of energy a home needs in the first place, helping to bring the ambi-tious goal within reach.

Builders are also turning to a wide array of rating systems to prove the environmental benefits of their work, and every system seems to place a big emphasis on the quality of walls. Homes that earn an Energy Star rating, for example, need a tight building envelope to meet standards for the number of air changes per hour. Even building codes continue to in-crease the demands on structural envelopes to meet targets for energy efficiency.

One of the most widely publicized ratings programs comes in the form of the Canada Green Building Council’s Leadership in En-ergy and Environmental Design (LEED) cer-tificates. Its points are earned through gains in several categories such as materials, re-sources, energy and atmosphere. Decisions about the products to create walls can play a role in any of those.

Given all the potential, there should be little surprise that the insulating options have evolved beyond wooden studs and fi-breglass bats alone. Owens Corning’s Foam-ular CodeBord products, when combined with sealed joints, can reduce thermal bridg-ing and tighten the building envelope. They even help to eliminate the need for other building materials such as the caulking for interior poly, the sheathing membrane and header wraps.

A wall’s environmental gains are not lim-ited to the insulation, either.

CertainTeed AirRenew indoor air quality drywall, for example, will actually capture unwanted Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that can be generated by everything from glues to carpets, unsealed plywood and cleaning materials, says Hus Sanatgar, Ontario sales manager for Saint-Gobain. “It traps them and makes them inert in the ac-

tual core.” The process takes as little as seven days. The panels will then absorb the VOCs for as long as 75 years and can still support up to 25 coats of paint. The air-scrubbing qualities will remain as long as water-based or epoxy paints are used.

Differences like these can promise direct health benefits to homeowners who suffer from conditions like a multiple chemical sensitivity disorder, which might require them to avoid extended exposure to con-taminants like formaldehyde or other VOCs.

“With the LEED system nowadays, they are always looking for recycled content,” adds John Williams, Ontario field sales man-ager for Georgia Pacific.

The recycled content does not even need to be limited to natural gypsum. The paper used to coat the drywall itself can be made

from recycled material. Meanwhile, facilities like Georgia Pacific’s plant in Caledonia, Ont. use synthetic gypsum, which is a byproduct of a generating station’s flue gases that have been scrubbed clean in a bid to tackle environmen-tal challenges like acid rain.

The synthetic gypsum that was once bound for the dump finds a new life, and the equipment designed to clear the air de-livers another environmental benefit. “You are also cutting back on your mining of gyp-sum,” Williams notes.

The products used while installing dry-wall can even make a difference in a con-tractor’s working environment. Low-dust compounds like Lafarge’s Rapid Coat Low Dust, All Purpose Joint Compound forms heavier dust particles during sanding, so the dust falls to the ground rather than floating

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in the air. There is no danger of breathing in the traditional white clouds.

Mold-resisting drywall can eliminate an-other environmental scourge.

Green board is coated with a water-re-sistant paper. Blue-papered products like Humitek built on that, creating panels which could resist water and mold. The violet-coloured M2Tech Moisture and Mold Resistant Gypsum Board from CertainTeed even scores a perfect 10 in the ASTM scale measuring mold resistance. The options are not limited to gypsum alone. The walls in the wettest areas might need to be created with a cement board like Durock.

Georgia Pacific products like DensArmor Plus or DensShield tile backers resist mold as well. The seal is enhanced with a fibreglass mesh tape embedded in a setting compound like ToughRock, which sets and dries like a tra-ditional joint compound before being covered with the final sanded layers of joint compound.

Lafarge’s Weather Defense Platinum ex-terior gypsum sheathing also helps to resist mold and mildew, and its producers say the product cuts more easily than fibreglass-faced boards. It makes a dent in the waste stream by incorporating 90% recycled con-

tent, and when combined with a flexible sealant to fill exposed cutouts and joint, it can create a protective shell to protect an unfinished home when construction is de-layed over an extended period of time.

The solutions are not limited to block-ing moisture.

CertainTeed’s Membrane Smart Vapor Retarder will actually react to humidity in-side and outside the wall cavity, allowing any unwanted moisture to escape.

Sampson; however, admits that contract-ors can face a challenge when they are look-ing to see beyond the “greenwashing” of less-environmentally friendly products, and find the options which deliver true environ-mental benefits.

Corporate sustainability reports show where many of the ongoing commitments and gains have been made. A little surfing on the Internet will unveil a manufacturer’s commitments to using cleaner fuels, con-serving energy with heat exchangers, treat-ing and recycling water, or reducing and reclaiming any waste in the production process. It all plays a role in the size of the so-called environmental footprint. Third-party testing through organizations like

Greenguard’s indoor air quality certificates, Greenguard’s children and schools certifica-tion, or the Canadian Construction Materi-als Centre can offer added insight into a product’s individual benefits.

The ratings can get quite specific. Some-thing like a panel’s ability to resist mold, for example, can be measured on a 10-point scale under ASTM D 3273. To earn an Energy Star rating, meanwhile, a building needs to be tight enough to limit detached houses in south-ern Ontario to 2.5 air changes per hour at 50 pascals, and that will be measured with a fan depressurization method. The Greenguard Environmental Institute is devoted to improv-ing indoor air quality and reducing chemical exposure, and it offers its stamp of approval on materials which boast low emissions. The Na-tional Research Council’s Canadian Construc-tion Materials Centre has evaluated a long list of construction materials, products, systems and services as well. Its studies are based on National Building Code standards or provin-cial building codes.

It is a lot of information to study, but the contractors who take this extra step will be able to prove their walls are green, no matter what colour of paint may be applied.

In the next issue of

• Repeat Business: Tips For Recurring Revenue

• Building Envelope Evolution • Exterior Doors and Hardware • Green Materials • High-end Kitchen Renovations • Lumber Trends 2013


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Engineered

With larger homes and multi-family structures on the rise, build-ers are looking to engineered wood to literally and figuratively

take wood to heights never before seen in Canada. Contractors who learn to work with the man-made lumber will be able to take advan-tage of a growing trend that is partly being driven by economics.

Both traditional lumber and engineered wood are more affordable than steel and concrete, but cost is not the only factor driving interest in engineered wood products. Wood is a tried and true building material.

“Wood has stood the test of time in a construction industry that is continually evolving, through its ability to be innovative and meet the ever changing demands of our building needs,” says Marianne Berube, executive director of Ontario Wood Works!, an industry led initiative of the Canadian Wood Council.

“New engineered wood products, such as cross-laminated timber (CLT), created

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The demand for engineered wood such as cross laminated timber (CLT), parallel strand lumber (PSL), laminated strand lumber (LSL) and other products is growing in North America by about 8% year over year.BY LAWRENCE CUMMER

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by gluing and pressing layers of spruce, pine or fir, are widely used throughout Europe and gaining momentum in Canada.”

The demand for engineered wood such as CLT, parallel strand lumber (PSL), lami-nated strand lumber (LSL) and other prod-ucts is growing in North America by about 8% year over year, according to a spokesper-son from CanwelBroadleaf. Continuing to grow the market for engineered wood will re-quire further educating the consumer of the advantages; however, familiarity is already strong among high-end home builders.

“Certainly the custom home builders, who are usually already familiar, do not con-sider using anything else,” says Jim Ward, manager of engineered wood building solu-tions, Owl Distribution. He adds that subdi-vision builders will often look to traditional lumber over engineered wood to compound savings over many homes, but that they could avoid “nasty problems” that can crop up when lumber dries.

The material is also playing a dominant role in the construction of multi-family dwell-ings, which are on the increase across the country. Compared with traditional lumber, man-made engineered woods can support

taller structures and cover greater distances. Low lumber prices and improved techniques have some seeing it as a perfect solution.

“Architects, engineers and designers of these multi-family projects are recogniz-ing that engineered wood is a more eco-nomical product to use than concrete and steel,” says Ward. “We haven’t seen the run

up in price with wood that we have with other materials.”

Ward says that the price of wood, both traditional lumber and engineered, has been eroding over the past five years with the economic downturn in the U.S., but that this year might also be the one in which wood fibre possibly “turns a corner.”

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True North strongWood’s popularity reflects regionally across Canada. For example, engineered wood is already popular choice in Alberta where it is used to construct larger modern homes, while it is experiencing developing growth in Ontario.

Still, there is something truly Canadian about building with wood, Berube suggests. She cites the Laurentian University School of Architecture in Sudbury, Ont., which an-nounced in August would be constructing a demonstration building incorporating CLT.

“The School of Architecture in Sudbury will use CLT timber technology to help mar-ry the clients’ desire for a green and sustain-able design that does not shy away from its northern Canadian identity,” she says.

It will be the first major use of CLT in On-tario, the product currently produced only in B.C. and Quebec. The hope is the building will help promote CLT use in the province and showcase its strength and fire resistance. The material is already widely used across Europe for buildings up to 11 stories tall.

“The black spruce we use, for example, as wood fibre for our I-Joists is very strong wood fibre,” says Ward. “I think we are very fortunate here in Canada in that we have an abundance of wood fibre, it is used widely,

and it stands up to our conditions.“A lot of framers may not like it, but we do

build 12 months a year. There are guys out there trying to whack things together in the cold of winter and the hottest days of July.”

Ward says Canada has also been a leader in the development of home construction techniques such as innovations in construct-ing laminated veneer lumber (LVL), anoth-

er engineered wood that uses multiple layers of thin wood assembled with adhesives.

Using Canadian engineered woods can also keep down costs associated with shipping, and, of course, it supports the local economy, notes Alex Wimbush, regional sales manager, engineered products, Taiga Building Prod-ucts. All Taiga’s engineered wood products are manufactured here in Canada.

Contractors will find engineered wood’s consistency, straightness and strength of particular benefit to building a high-end fi-nal product.

“What’s really important to a framer is its consistency,” notes Ward. “There is a high degree of stability to the product. So trades-men who take pride in their work are going to have straight lines and not to see walls shift over time.”

Engineered wood also can result in fewer call backs, as Ward points out, “everything will perform better if it is on a nice, straight-and-true, quality product.”

The dimensional stability of engineered wood offers an additional advantage dur-ing the planning phase. Designers can better know the performance to expect and plan with final use in mind. Consider floor systems: with traditional lumber a floor would be designed to meet code requirements, but typically with-out recognizing all of the heavy elements be-ing added later, such as large islands, granite countertops, or Jacuzzi tubs. Engineered wood can better account and predict the heavy loads added to many modern homes.


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“The industry has reached a point now that a floor system is designed with the final application in mind,” Ward says. “It is all worked out ahead of time.”

Use of engineered wood studs allow for larger rooms becoming more popular in home construction, while over-size windows can be better supported to resist wind by the firmness engineered wood framing provides.

Working with engineered wood products can require some learning, but contractors used to building with traditional lumber will benefit from that familiarity. In fact, since engineered wood packages tend to include pre-planned layouts, the material is often lighter and projects typically requires fewer pieces, experienced contractors will find themselves able to build faster with it.

“If we are talking about traditional wood construction, the knowledge base is already there,” says Andy Teasell, technical support manager of engineered lumber products, Canadian division engineer for Weyerhaeus-er. “If you know what a joist or beam is, you can pick up an engineered equivalent and use that easily.

“Of course, if you are working with a panel of engineered wood that’s 8’ by 45’, that’s a whole different ball of wax and is quite special-ized today.” It is a specialization Teasell says will pay off even more as the materials use grows.

He recommends contractors take baby steps, working with engineered wood to re-place similar traditional lumber to build grad-ual familiarity with product lines and technolo-gies. “The first step is to start to experience first-hand the benefits of going engineered.”

Selling engineeredIn the end, though, clients’ demands and their set budget will often dictate material choice. Homeowners might need education on the value engineered wood brings them, which can be quite a bit.

For starters, engineered woods typically have performance warranties. “That is some-thing that is unusual in the commodities lumber side of things,” Teasell says.

Wimbush agrees noting that Taiga’s en-gineered wood products have a lifetime war-ranty against defect: “That is just more peace of mind for the homeowner they are not go-ing to get with traditional lumber.”

With consumer demand for green so-lutions growing, contractors also have an opportunity to promote green practices through engineered wood use, since it makes better use of wood fibre and is a re-newable resource.

“Wood is in general, over other building products, the only widely used renewable material, and engineered wood tends to tar-get fast-growing, smaller trees to avoid cut-ting old forests,” says Wimbush. “When they do manufacture the products all the waste wood is used as biomass to fuel the mills, so that all of the fibre is used.”

Teasell notes that the design of engi-neered wood products means the same strength and support can often be provided using only about half as much wood fibre as traditionally sourced lumber. “The amount of wood fibre used also makes it a more efficient use of resources,” he says.

Ward suggests that contractors use the decline in engineered wood prices and the smaller delta between it and traditional lum-ber to promote it as an option for homeown-ers looking to achieve a higher level of per-formance from their floors and walls.

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All suppliers provide extensive customer support for contractors looking to get their feet wet. The most important thing is to take the plunge, Teasell says.

“Every industry has a certain amount of risk associated with it and people are tempted to stick with what they know, but you have got to balance that with opportuni-ties that innovation brings,” he says.

“It may be a little uncomfortable for someone who’s been working with tradition-al materials to think about using engineered wood, but with the right supplier you can get the necessary support.”

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What does Energy Star mean? It is both symbol and system indicating energy efficiency and can be found

on nearly 40 types of products from windows, skylights and doors to computers, dishwashers and even propane furnaces. Products that dis-play the Energy Star symbol have been tested using widely agreed to methods and shown to meet or exceed energy efficiency levels with-out compromising their performance.

Energy Star was introduced in the U.S. in 1992. Because Canada’s climate differs from that in most regions of the U.S., Canadian Energy Star criteria came into effect in 2004 for windows and sliding glass doors. The fol-lowing year the criteria for these products were reinforced and further criteria were in-troduced for entry doors and skylights.

Now a truly international program, Ener-gy Star goes beyond North America to cover Australia, the 27 countries of the European Union, Japan, New Zealand and Taiwan. Agreements among these nations provide a single set of energy efficiency ratings rather than country-specific qualifications, which would bring potential for chaos.

To enroll as an Energy Star participant

companies must show that at least one of their products meets the program’s technical speci-fications. Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency administers Energy Star here and monitors the use of its symbol.

Now that the “what” of Energy Star has been established, the next question is the “why.” That is, why in this case should con-tractors and householders insist on the in-stallation of windows, skylights and doors that bear the Energy Star label? Known col-lectively as fenestration products they are a major source of heat loss in Canadian homes irrespective of where those homes are.

According to Natural Resources Canada, the installation of new windows and doors with the appropriate Energy Star-rated prod-ucts will save about 7% on energy bills de-pending on the number replaced, their age and how much air was leaking from the old ones. New homes with Energy Star fenestra-tion products can save as much as 12% on energy bills, says Natural Resources Canada. Still, it is not just money that can be saved: energy efficient windows, skylights and doors reduce outside noise, have less con-densation in cold weather, and allow fewer

ultraviolet rays to pass into a home and dam-age furniture and decoration. Mike Shaban, owner of Window Land Company in Missis-sauga, Ont., says Energy Star products are good because they save energy and cut down on heating costs, and are good for the en-vironment. “When we save energy we help everyone” Shaban says.

For anyone considering the installation of Energy Star fenestration products, the first thing to look for is the program’s mark on the items themselves or their manufacturer’s advertising literature.

Each Energy Star label has a map on it to show in which climate zone that product is appropriate. Using a product that is qualified for a colder climate than the one in which the property is situated will do even more to re-duce energy costs. Such a tactic is particularly useful if a householder lives at an appreciably higher elevation than the surrounding area such as in southern and central British Colum-bia. Every Energy Star product is rated using either its U-Value, the rate of heat transfer from a warm area to one that is cold, or their Energy Rating, a scale that assesses a product’s U-Value, potential solar gain and airtightness.

Become an ENERGYContractors who understand the ins and outs of Energy Star ratings for windows will save homeowners money and help the environment.

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Canada has four climate zones that are based on an average annual temperature chart known as a heating degree day. The higher the heating degree value the colder the loca-tion and the longer the heating season. Zone A is Canada’s mildest region and Zone D is its most frigid. Zone A is the smallest slice of the country, taking in the Lower Mainland of Brit-ish Columbia and Vancouver Island. Zone B encompasses southern Ontario, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and bits of southern British Columbia, southern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan. Zone C is like a thick pencil line drawn across the middle part of the en-tire country, and Zone D is reserved for the Far North and parts of northern Ontario and northern Quebec. For windows and doors the minimum Energy Rating in Zone A is 21 and the U-Value is a maximum of 1.80; in Zone B it is 25 and 1.60 respectively; in Zone C the numbers are 29 and 1.40; and in Zone D they are 34 and 1.20. For skylights, including tu-bular lights, the program uses U-Factors only. Zone A is 2.80, Zone B 2.60, Zone C 2.40 and Zone D 2.20.

Paul Boire, manager of marketing and dealer relations at Hometech Window Corp. in Concord, Ont., says he is a big fan of En-ergy Star. Still, he also notes that there is a widespread consumer perception that a high Energy Rating provides a better window. “Consumers would choose a window with an ER of 33 over one that had an ER of 26,” he says. “That could be a very bad decision. It just seems to them that more is better, right?

“The fact of the matter is that there are two channels of compliance for meeting En-ergy Star requirements. One is based on the U-Value and the U-Value of the window is a close examination of its performance during the various tests. It’s based, I think, more on the performance of the window itself and less on the type of glass that is used in the window. A very well made window could use a type of glass that would have a lower solar heat gain and still get a good performance number.”

Boire says he pointed out this consumer perception during a recent speech. To their credit, he says the administrators of the En-ergy Star program decided on the spot to re-evaluate, with input from industry repre-sentatives, the notion of a high energy rating automatically meaning a better window.

Given that ratings and the formulas be-hind them can make anyone’s head spin, it is reassuring to know that fenestration products’ other parts, that is their frames, are simple in comparison. Particularly easy is the choice of the material for the frame. Shaban says 95% of

the residential market uses vinyl for windows with aluminum accounting for 80% of the commercial sector. Wood, says Shaban, is ex-pensive, and fibreglass is pricier still. For Boire, there is little doubt that vinyl is king.

“For the average person in a normal house you cannot beat vinyl at all. It lasts a heck of a long time.” It is also rather less harsh on the environment than many might suspect. Boire puts vinyl on an environmen-tal par with wood. As well as backing vinyl, he is also a proponent of Argon over Krypton as the preferred inert gas to be inserted be-tween the panes of glass in a window.

“There’s no real difference in the gas,” he says, although he notes there is a “major ben-efit” with Krypton in that a smaller needle is used to insert it into triple-glazed units, but for all that Krypton is too expensive, he argues.

As well as the Energy Star sticker on any windows a contractor may install, there is an-other way to tell if in fact they are energy ef-ficient. Condensation forms on the outside of windows in certain weather, usually in later summer or at the start of fall when nighttime

temperatures drop. It means that the condensation is forming because there is very little heat escaping from the house through the windows. It should also be remembered that not all window products

are equal when it comes to condensation re-sistance. Assuming an outside temperature of -20° C, double-glazed glass has a condensation resistance of 26%, but double-glazed glass with Low-E and Argon gas registers 40% resistance.

Many of the stimulus and rebate pro-grams offered by the federal government and its provincial counterparts are over or their terms have been changed. Thus the best way to find out about any current pro-grams that offer grants or rebates for install-ing Energy Star fenestration products is a simple Internet search.

There is also something else to consider when seeking energy efficiency, commodi-ties Canada will never run short of trees and shrubs. SaskPower, the major electricity util-ity in Saskatchewan (much of which is cov-ered by climate Zones B and C), says plant-ing larger deciduous trees of about 7 to 9 m in height on the south and west sides of a home provide the most heating and cooling benefit. They let the sun filter through in the winter and provide shade in the summer.

Trees should not be planted directly in front of south facing windows as this will re-duce solar heat gain in winter. Another trick is to plant shrubs around a home’s founda-tion. They will form an insulating barrier and help reduce heat loss.

In short, Energy Star fenestration prod-ucts reduce heat loss, reduce energy costs and help protect the environment, although they can even benefit from a little help from Mother Nature.

ZONE DZONE CZONE BZONE A

INSIDE scoop:THE

A primer for making the perfect interior paint-to-surface pairing.BY NESTOR E. ARELLANO


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T he decorator had specified a smooth dove grey shade for the living room of the mansion of an

affluent Toronto couple. The muted shade was to be a perfect foil for their eclectic col-lection of modern and classic furniture that were perennial conversation pieces each time the couple entertained guests.

“Unfortunately, because of a paint-ing contractor’s mistake, the homeowners ended up with a week-long horror story,” says Steve Whyte, technical adviser at Dulux Paint. “The painter had picked up an exte-rior product to provide the glossy sheen that the decorator wanted.”

The result was a disaster. Deprived of nat-ural sunlight to allow it to dry, the outdoor product remained sticky and filled the whole house with its nauseating odour for days. The contractor had to spend a whole week scraping and sanding the product from the walls and had to redo the whole job at cost. The damage to his reputation; however, was far harder to undo.

Paint-to-surface pairing“Getting the right paint for the surface you are working on is basic and critical,” Whyte says. “Certain paints will simply not adhere to, and in some instances even damage, certain sur-faces. Unfortunately even seasoned experts make the occasional mistake in this area.” Sometimes, he adds, issues arise when re-quirements set by homeowners, design-ers, builders and architects clash with product spec changes and new industry regulations. For instance, painting inte-rior metal surfaces such as galvanized steel can be challenge for many contractors. “Galvanized steel comes in many grades and it is important to determine which type of primer and paint will adhere best to the surface. Sometimes even architects and de-signers are not up-to-date on product specs,” Whyte says. He advises contractors to always determine the surface they will be painting on before starting a job. Then double check with paint manufacturers to find out what product works best for that surface.

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There are basically two basic types of interior paint: alkyds, or resin-based, and latex.

ALKYD: Also called oil-based, this paint uses synthetic alkyd as resin and is solvent thinned. Alkyds are suitable for high traffic areas such as kitchens and bathrooms, because the paint is durable and easy to clean. Most alkyds dry within six hours.

Alkyds raise the nap of un-primed dry-wall. This paint is also not recommended for un-primed masonry. Many paints of this type are odourless, but they may still be toxic and flammable.

RUBBER-BASED PAINT: The addition of liquified rubber makes this paint ideal for waterproofing concrete surfaces; however, preparing the surface by washing it with a 10% solution of muri-atic acid and then rinsing it thoroughly before painting is essential.

DRIPLESS PAINT: The thick formu-lation dripless paint prevents spatters, but the extra density also means a litre

of this paint will not cover as much area as other paints.

ONE-COAT PAINT: Available in latex and alkyd versions, this paint, which comes with an additional pigment, is meant to cover surfaces with a single application.

TEXTURED PAINT: Textured paint can either have sand-like granules suspended in it, or come as a thick and

smooth, stucco-like substance that is applied to a surface and textured with special tools. It is often used for flawed surfaces and ceilings.

ACOUSTIC PAINT: The paint is for-mulated so that it does not completely cover the fibrous and textured surface of acoustic tiles that help the tiles ab-sorb sound.

LATEX: Latex paints contain rubber or acrylic as resin and use water as a form of solvent. This paint can be used for a wide variety of surfaces and it dries up fast, but is still easy to touch up, says Tracy Pease, residential segment product manager for PPG Industries, makers of Pittsburgh Paints.

For example, the company’s water-borne acrylic, PPG BreakThrough, is formulated to adhere to difficult substrates such as laminate, fibreglass ceramic tiles, concrete floors and many plastics. It is ideal for cabinets, shelving, handrail and trim.

Latex adheres well to surfaces previously painted with latex or flat oil-based paints. It can be used in un-primed drywall or unpainted masonry. Its water content could peel off wallpaper, rust bare steel and raise the grain of raw wood.

By making changes to the formulation of these two basic interior paints, manufac-turers are able to create paints for a wide variety of surfaces and purposes. Some of these products are:

Legato Collection

Spalted Maple

Arctic Gray

Caramel Oak

Legato is an Italian word that literally mean “tied together” and in music means notes are played or sung smoothly and connected.

The Legato Collection uses a continuous U-Bevel edge creating a smooth transition between connections and eliminating the risk of paint fade along the microbevel edges, typically used on laminate flooring.

Available in 3 colours the Legato Collection has a 2mm EVA underpad attached and drop click ends for a quicker, easier and smoother installation experience.

12.3mm Thickness125mm WidthMatte FinishU-Bevel on all 4 Sides2mm EVA Underpad AttachedDrop Click EndsLicensed Click System25 Year Limited Warranty on Finish

www.owldistribution.com


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Prepped and primedTo guarantee that surface appearances are top notch, contractors also need to pay at-tention to what is at the bottom, says John Burke, vice president of marketing for Dy-namic Paint Products, a manufacturer and distributor of painting paraphernalia.

“Proper prep work forms the foundation of any paint job,” says Burke. “Imperfections that were not dealt with during prep work will eventually surface and mar an otherwise excellent paint job.”

Prep work typically involves cleaning or washing the surface area to be painted; scraping and sanding off old paint and sur-face imperfections; removing exposed nails and screws; caulking gaps and cracks; re-building deteriorated surface parts; taping of areas and applying primer.

“Contractors should also focus on pick-ing the right type of primer because it seals the surface and makes sure that the top coat adheres to the surface,” says Burke. Gener-ally, latex top coats will require a latex primer. A product such as RustOleum’s Zinsser Primer has latex qualities and works well with drywall, plaster and concrete surfaces. For heavily dam-aged surfaces, contractors might also consider using a high-hide sealer product.

Still, a latex primer may damage water-based surfaces such as stucco, raise the nap of raw wood and rust bare metal surfaces. For these type of paint jobs, contractors can use oil-based primers such as Para Alkyd.

Proper costing prevents consternationTime is money, and in order to make sure they earn enough of the latter, contractors should make good use of the former, accord-ing to Whyte.

For example, he says, contractors need to determine factors such as the scope of the assignment, schedules of when material and other associated contractors and subcon-tractors will arrive on site, as well as make allowances for emergency delays.

Another area contractors need to watch out for is when estimating the amount of paint needed for a job. The rule of thumb is that a gallon or 3.7 L of paint will cover an area approximately the size of a 10’x15’ room with a single coat of paint. Rooms that have closets, stairs and odd corners could easily eat up more paint than ex-pected, and paints that have heavier den-sity such as dripless paints will also cover less area per can than ordinary products.

“Even if a contractor is being paid by the hour, working longer than expected on one assignment may mean the contractor is missing the opportunity of landing another job,” Whyte points out. “Whenever pos-sible, go over blueprints of the area or do a physical inspection of the job site before coming up with a firm quote for the job.”

Using the right equipment can help contractors maximize coverage and cut down on time, says Burke.

For example, painters can cut down on refilling time by using a larger paint tray. While the average paint tray carries 2 L of paint, Dynamic Paint has a new line of professional-grade paint trays that carry 3.7 L. The company’s new Infinity microfi-bre paint roller allows painters to roll on more paint to a surface than most rollers. “The Infinity roller holds more paint and releases it at a more uniform rate. The re-sult is 30% more coverage than the average roller,” he explains.


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Brush with creativityWith the proliferation of home decorating and renovation television shows these days, it is not uncommon to encounter home-owners with very definite ideas of how they want their home interior painted, notes Alison Goldman, marketing manager for CIL Paints.

“While many homeowners have dipped their toes into interior decorating, contrac-tors still play a critical role in helping their clients in making many pivotal colour deci-sions,” Goldman says.

For instance, she says, by their con-stant exposure to colour, painting contrac-tors can help clients decide which colour combinations work best.

“For example, red is literally the hot colour for 2012,”she says. “That is pretty easy to get, but it is often harder for people to determine what shade of red to use and what colours to use it with.”

In this case, Goldman suggests, adding a neutral colour to the palette or using red on a single wall is often an effective solution to avoid that overpowering crimson effect. Such strategies are handy especially when dealing with open-concept abodes that do not have walls to separate rooms.

Contractors need not go to design school to learn the tricks of the trade, says Goldman; since one can absorb enough useful knowl-edge by working in tandem with decorator or designer. “This is a good way of learning

more about decorating and expanding your client list as painter and decorator can do some cross-referral.”

Another option is to take advantage of the many free interior planning materials that paint manufacturers offer. “Giveaway colour swatches in hardware stores already show you the different shades that colours

come in and colour wheels direct users to what colours work best together,” says Goldman. “New online resources available on most manufacturers’ Web sites also come with very helpful decorating tips and design layout tools. It all boils down to equipping yourself with information to better serve your client.”

ECO TRENDYOver the last decade, the movement towards more ecologically friendly products has made its mark in the paint industry and all signs point to even greater emphasis on products with minimum environmental im-pact, according to Mario Clermont, general manager of Boomerang Paint.

When catering to environmentally conscious clients, contractors can propose using recycled paint products such as those sold by Boomerang. The company has been selling 90% post-consumer paint since 1995.

Boomerang collects used and leftover latex paint, cleans and filters the product and then adds thickeners, resins and anti-bacteria chemi-cals to make the product suitable for use again.

“The product is sought after by a growing number of consumers and builders who are engaged in LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environ-mental Design) projects because recycled paint contributes to LEED points,” Clermont says.

When Boomerang began operations 17 years ago it sold about 150,000 Litres of recycled paint, last year the company sold 2.8 million Litres.

The product comes in 20 colours in eggshell finish and is also 50% cheaper than comparable new paint products.

“Consumer demand and government regulations are also moving to-wards zero-VOC (volatile organic compound) paints and more manu-facturers are offering products geared towards sustainable building practices,” says Pease.

Many manufacturers are racing to meet the demand by producing prod-ucts like PPG’s Speedhide Zero interior paint which has zero-VOC content.

PUBLICATIONS:


JOB NAME: CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE MAGAZINE AD - FOAMULAR

ART DIRECTOR COPY WRITER CREATIVE DIR. PRINT PROD. STUDIO MGR. ACCT. MGMT.

DOCKET/AD#: 12-OWC-032

DATE STARTED: AUG 16

ARTIST: ID

REV#: 0

LASER %:

DISKED:

LIVE AREA: –

TYPE SAFETY: –

TRIM: 8.125" X 10.875"

BLEED: 8.5" X 11.25"

COLOUR: 4C

1-800-GET-PINK® or visit www.owenscorning.ca

ExcEptional pErformancE, a grEEnEr planEt. that’s pink™.

today, contractors, builders and homeowners expect more from their

insulation. that’s why we created foamUlar® rigid insulation. it has

the same trusted insulating performance that your customers have

come to expect from owens corning, while providing exceptional

moisture resistance and durability. Versatile in its application, it exceeds

all green expectations with its outstanding energy efficiency. so go

green and stock pink™.

Why choose FOAMULAR® Insulation?

• Complies with 2010 Montreal Protocol – CFC- and HCFC-Free

• Zero ozone depletion potential• 70% less global warming potential†

• Minimum 20% recycled content

Contact your Owens Corning Area Sales Manager to find out how PINK™ can make a positive impact on your business.

ZERO

OZONE

DEPLETION

FORMULA

FORMULE À

APPAUVRISSEMENT

DE L’OZONEZÉRO

thE pink panthEr™ & © 1964-2012 metro-goldwyn-mayer studios inc. all rights reserved. the colour pink is a registered trademark of owens corning. © 2012 owens corning. all rights reserved. †the insulation is manufactured with a blowing agent with 70% less global warming potential as compared to owens corning previous blowing agents. grEEngUarD children & schoolssm mark is a registered certification mark used under license through the grEEngUarD Environmental institute. owens corning pink™ insulation is grEEngUarD certified for indoor air quality, except bonded loosefill products. © 2012 owens corning. all rights reserved.

http://www.owenscorning.ca

PINK™ reNovatIoNs are greeNer aNd save moNey∆

1-800-GET-PINK® or visit www.owenscorning.ca

today’s contractors and homeowners demand products that are easy to use,

quick to install, safe and reliable - all from a name that they trust. that’s why we

created ecotouch™ PINK™ FIBergLas® Insulation with PureFiber™ technology.

made with 99% natural** material and over 70%* recycled content, this

breakthrough in insulation technology is easy to install and safe for homeowners.

and now renovation projects can pay for themselves‡ because homeowners

can save up to 28%^ on heating and cooling costs. so go green and use PINK™

in your next project.

Why choose EcoTouch™ PINK™ Insulation?

• Designed by a leader in energy efficiency

• Made from over 70%* recycled content – 3rd party SCS certified

• Made with 99% natural** materials

• GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality CertifiedSM and formaldehyde-free

• Durable & dependable

tHe PINK PaNtHer™ & © 1964-2012 metro-goldwyn-mayer studios Inc. all rights reserved. the colour PINK is a registered trademark of owens Corning. © 2012 owens Corning. all rights reserved. *70% recycled content is based on the average recycled glass content in all owens Corning fiberglass batts, rolls and unbonded loosefill insulation manufactured in Canada. sCs certified. **made with a minimum of 99% by weight natural materials consisting of minerals and plant-based compounds. ‡Insulating levels recommended should result in energy savings over time above the cost of the insulating cost, however, if you buy too much insulation, it can cost you more than you save on energy bills. ^Up to 28% heating and cooling savings based on Hot 2000, version 8.7 run for a 2 storey 1972 type base house with 1149 sf per floor for an increase from r-8 to r-40 in the attic plus an increase from zero to r-20 in the basement walls in Canadian climates. ∆savings vary depending on original amount of insulation in your home, climate, house size, air leaks, and personal energy use and living habits. greeNgUard Children & schoolssm mark is a registered certification mark used under license through the greeNgUard environmental Institute. owens Corning PINK™ insulation is greeNgUard Certified for indoor air quality, except bonded loosefill products. this product has achieved greeNgUard Children & schools Certification and is verified to be formaldehyde free. © 2012 owens Corning. all rights reserved.

PUBLICATIONS:


JOB NAME: CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE MAGAZINE AD - ECOTOUCH

ART DIRECTOR COPY WRITER CREATIVE DIR. PRINT PROD. STUDIO MGR. ACCT. MGMT.

DOCKET/AD#: 12-OWC-032

DATE STARTED: AUG 16

ARTIST: ID

REV#: 0

LASER %:

DISKED:

LIVE AREA: –

TYPE SAFETY: –

TRIM: 8.125" X 10.875"

BLEED: 8.5" X 11.25"

COLOUR: 4C

http://www.owenscorning.ca

Contractor Advantage November / December 2012

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Transcript of Contractor Advantage November / December 2012