Best Practices Guide to Building Interiors
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This article series discusses and provides a best construction practices guide to the selection and installation of building interior surface materials, carpeting, doors, drywall, trim, flooring, lighting, plaster, materials, finishes, and sound control materials.
This article includes excerpts or adaptations from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss, courtesy of Wiley & Sons.
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Resources: Manufacturers, Industry Associations, & Sources of Indoor Wall Materials, Flooring, Carpeting, Lighting, Sound Control Materials
Drywall Trims and Accessories
- Clinch-On Products, A Deitrich Metal Framing Company www.dietrichindustries.com Nail-on and clinch-on galvanized metal corner beads
- Con-Form International/Strait Flex www.straitflex.com Strait-Flex fiber-composite mud-on corner bead for inside and outside off-90 degree angles
- Drywall Systems International www.no-coat.com No-Coat prefinished drywall tapes for inside and outside corners, off angles and bullnose trims
- Flex-Ability Concepts www.flexc.com Curved metal top and bottom plates for curved wood or metal stud walls
- Grabber Construction Products www.grabberman.com Drywall screws, corner clips, and fiberglass mesh tapes
- Insta Arch Corp. www.instaarch.com Galvanized steel preformed and custom arches for drywall
- National Gypsum Co. www.nationalgypsum.com ProForm tapes and finishing compounds
- Pla-Cor www.pla-cor.com ABS corner trims, bullnose, 3-way corner caps, and flexible arches
- Phillips Manufacturing Co. www.phillipsmfg.com Metal and vinyl corner beads, bullnose trim, and flexible bullnose and angled arch trim
- Trim-Tex www.trim-tex.com Vinyl drywall beads, flexible arch beads, and finishing accessories
- U.S. Gypsum Beadex and Sheetrock-brand tape-on metal corner beads and trims. Complete line of drywall finishing compounds
- Vinyl Corp., A Deitrich Metal Framing Company www.vinylcorp.com Full line of vinyl beads and trim
Ordering Procedures for Interior Trim
Providing the shop with a specific cut list of finished pieces is the best way to guarantee that they deliver the pieces needed for the job. For a premium, you can obtain all-heartwood, all-sapwood, or color-matched boards for uniform color in glue-up work and throughout the job. Also, the millwork shop can plane the stock on one or both sides, joint one or both edges, and sand one or both faces as needed. Generally, the millwork shop can dress the boards far more economically than a contractor can in the field or in a small shop
Prefinished Wood Flooring
- Alloc Inc. www.alloc.com Snap-together, no-glue long-strip and single-strip laminated flooring
- Anderson Hardwood Floors www.andersonfloors.com Laminated strip, nail, glue, and floating
- Armstrong World Industries www.armstrong.com Bruce, Hartco, and Robbins prefinished plank and engineered strip
- BHK of America www.bhkuniclic.com Snap-together, no-glue laminated wood flooring
- Columbia Wood Flooring www.columbiaflooring.com Prefinished solid strip
- Duro-Design www.duro-design.com Floating click-lock oak flooring
- Gammapar www.gammapar.com Engineered wood strip with oil, UV-cured urethane, or acrylic-impregnated finish
- Junkers Hardwood www.junkershardwood.com Floating solid strip with metal clip installation
- Kahrs www.kahrs.com Laminated strip with UV-cured acrylic urethane, nail, glue, or floating
- Lauzon www.lauzonltd.com Prefinished strip, laminated strip, and click-lock laminated plank
- Mannington Mills www.mannington.com Laminated strip and plank with polyurethane and aluminum-oxide finish
- Medallion Hardwood Flooring www.medallionhardwood.com Prefinished solid hardwood strip and plank with aluminum-oxide finish
- Tarkett Wood Floors www.harris-tarkett.com Prefinished solid hardwood, laminated, and long-strip flooring
- MercierWood Flooring www.mercierdurable.com Prefinished solid strip and laminated strip with aluminum-oxide finish
- PermaGrain Hardwood Flooring www.permagrain.com Acrylic-impregnated laminated strip and plank
- Zickgraf Hardwood Flooring www.zickgraf.com Prefinished solid strip with UV-cured urethane with diamond and aluminum oxide
Bamboo Flooring Producers & Sources
- Bamtex (a division of Wood Flooring International) www.bamtex.com Laminated bamboo and palm flooring
- Duro-Design www.duro-design.com Laminated bamboo flooring with durable water-based finish
- Gammapar www.gammapar.com Acrylic-impregnated bamboo flooring
- Hawa Bamboo Flooring www.hawabamboo.com Prefinished bamboo flooring with aluminum-oxide finish
- Natural Cork www.naturalcork.com Prefinished glue-down or nail-down 3-ply bamboo planks with aluminum-oxide finish
Resilient Flooring Manufacturers List
- Congoleum www.congoleum.com Vinyl sheet flooring and tiles
- Domco (division of Domco Tarkett Group) www.domco.com Vinyl sheet flooring and tiles
- Forbo www.forbo-flooring.com Linoleum sheet and tiles
- Mannington Mills www.mannington.com Vinyl sheet flooring and tiles
- Nova Distinctive Floors www.novafloorings.com Laminated linoleum surface over fiberboard and cork planks, floating installation
- Tarkett www.tarkettna.com Vinyl sheet flooring and tiles
Cork Flooring Manufacturers & Sources
- american Cork Products Co. www.amcork.com Prefinished parquet tiles and floating floor planks
- Amorim Revestimentos (formerly Ipocork) www.wicanders.com Floating or glue-down laminated cork tiles with UV-acrylic or oil finish
- BHK of America www.bhkuniclic.com Snap-together, no-glue, laminated cork flooring with UV-acrylic finish
- Expanko Cork Inc. www.expanko.com Cork tiles with wax or polyurethane finish
- Korq Inc. (212) 758-2593
- Natural Cork www.naturalcork.com Glue-down cork tiles and floating laminated planks with UV-cured acrylic finish
- Nova Distinctive Floors www.novafloorings.com Laminated cork planks with glue-down and floating click-lock installation
- WECork www.wecork.com Cork tiles, sheets, and floating floors
Polymer (Urethane), MDF, and Vinyl Trim Producers & Sources
- Burton Mouldings www.burton-mouldings.com MDF(medium-density fiberboard), polymer, flex, and wood
- Fypon www.fypon.com Polymer moldings and components
- Nu-Wood www.nu-wood.com Polymer moldings and components
- Outwater Plastics www.outwater.com Polymer moldings and components
- RAS Industries www.rasindustries.com Polymer moldings and components
- Royal Mouldings (formerly Marley Mouldings) www.royalmouldings.com Polymer, polystyrene, expanded-PVC, CPVC, and acrylic molding profiles and components
Flexible Trim Manufacturers & Sources
- Flex Trim www.flextrim.com Flexible polymer moldings
- Resin Art www.resinart.com Flexible polymer moldings
Industry & Trade Associations for Carpeting, Lighting, Finishes, Wood Products, Flooring, Painting & Decorating
- american Lighting Association www.americanlightingassoc.com
- Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industries www.awci.org
- Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) www.carpet-rug.org
- Drywall Finishing Council www.dwfc.org
- Forest Stewardship Program www.fscus.org
- FloorFacts www.floorfacts.com
- The Gypsum Association www.gypsum.org
- National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association (NOFMA) www.nofma.com
- National Wood Flooring Association www.woodfloors.org
- Painting and Decorating Contractors of America www.pdca.org Smartwood/Rainforest Alliance www.smartwood.org
- - Adapted with permission from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction (Steve Bliss, J Wiley & Sons) .
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Citations & References
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
- Steve Bliss's Building Advisor at buildingadvisor.com helps homeowners & contractors plan & complete successful building & remodeling projects: buying land, site work, building design, cost estimating, materials & components, & project management through complete construction. Email: info@buildingadvisor.com
Steven Bliss served as editorial director and co-publisher of The Journal of Light Construction for 16 years and previously as building technology editor for Progressive Builder and Solar Age magazines. He worked in the building trades as a carpenter and design/build contractor for more than ten years and holds a masters degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Excerpts from his recent book, Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, Wiley (November 18, 2005) ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, appear throughout this website, with permission and courtesy of Wiley & Sons. Best Practices Guide is available from the publisher, J. Wiley & Sons, and also at Amazon.com - Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
- Stephenson, Elliott O., THE ELIMINATION OF UNSAFE GUARDRAILS, A PROGRESS REPORT [PDF] Building Standards, March-April 1993
- "Are Functional Handrails Within Our Grasp" Jake Pauls, Building Standards, January-February 1991
- Access Ramp building codes:
- UBC 1003.3.4.3
- BOCA 1016.3
- ADA 4.8.2
- IBC 1010.2
- Access Ramp Standards:
- ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), Public Law 101-336. 7/26/90 is very often cited by other sources for good design of stairs and ramps etc. even where disabled individuals are not the design target.
- ANSI A117.4 Accessible and Usable buildings and Facilities (earlier version was incorporated into the ADA)
- ASTM F 1637, Standard Practice for Safe Walking Surfaces, (Similar to the above standards)
- America's Favorite Homes, mail-order catalogues as a guide to popular early 20th-century houses, Robert Schweitzer, Michael W.R. Davis, 1990, Wayne State University Press ISBN 0814320066 (may be available from Wayne State University Press)
- American Plywood Association, APA, "Portland Manufacturing Company, No. 1, a series of monographs on the history of plywood manufacturing",Plywood Pioneers Association, 31 March, 1967, www.apawood.org
- ASHRAE resource on dew point and wall condensation - see the ASHRAE Fundamentals Handbook, available in many libraries.
- 2005 ASHRAE Handbook : Fundamentals: Inch-Pound Edition (2005 ASHRAE HANDBOOK : Fundamentals : I-P Edition) (Hardcover), Thomas H. Kuehn (Contributor), R. J. Couvillion (Contributor), John W. Coleman (Contributor), Narasipur Suryanarayana (Contributor), Zahid Ayub (Contributor), Robert Parsons (Author), ISBN-10: 1931862702 or ISBN-13: 978-1931862707
- 2004 ASHRAE Handbook : Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning: Systems and Equipment : Inch-Pound Edition (2004 ASHRAE Handbook : HVAC Systems and Equipment : I-P Edition) (Hardcover)
by American Society of Heating, ISBN-10: 1931862478 or ISBN-13: 978-1931862479
"2004 ASHRAE Handbook - HVAC Systems and Equipment The 2004 ASHRAE HandbookHVAC Systems and Equipment discusses various common systems and the equipment (components or assemblies) that comprise them, and describes features and differences. This information helps system designers and operators in selecting and using equipment. Major sections include Air-Conditioning and Heating Systems (chapters on system analysis and selection, air distribution, in-room terminal systems, centralized and decentralized systems, heat pumps, panel heating and cooling, cogeneration and engine-driven systems, heat recovery, steam and hydronic systems, district systems, small forced-air systems, infrared radiant heating, and water heating); Air-Handling Equipment (chapters on duct construction, air distribution, fans, coils, evaporative air-coolers, humidifiers, mechanical and desiccant dehumidification, air cleaners, industrial gas cleaning and air pollution control); Heating Equipment (chapters on automatic fuel-burning equipment, boilers, furnaces, in-space heaters, chimneys and flue vent systems, unit heaters, makeup air units, radiators, and solar equipment); General Components (chapters on compressors, condensers, cooling towers, liquid coolers, liquid-chilling systems, centrifugal pumps, motors and drives, pipes and fittings, valves, heat exchangers, and energy recovery equipment); and Unitary Equipment (chapters on air conditioners and heat pumps, room air conditioners and packaged terminal equipment, and a new chapter on mechanical dehumidifiers and heat pipes)." - 1996 Ashrae Handbook Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning Systems and Equipment: Inch-Pound Edition (Hardcover), ISBN-10: 1883413346 or ISBN-13: 978-1883413347 ,
"The 1996 HVAC Systems and Equipment Handbook is the result of ASHRAE's continuing effort to update, expand and reorganize the Handbook Series. Over a third of the book has been revised and augmented with new chapters on hydronic heating and cooling systems design; fans; unit ventilator; unit heaters; and makeup air units. Extensive changes have been added to chapters on panel heating and cooling; cogeneration systems and engine and turbine drives; applied heat pump and heat recovery systems; humidifiers; desiccant dehumidification and pressure drying equipment, air-heating coils; chimney, gas vent, fireplace systems; cooling towers; centrifugal pumps; and air-to-air energy recovery. Separate I-P and SI editions." - Principles of Heating, Ventilating, And Air Conditioning: A textbook with Design Data Based on 2005 AShrae Handbook - Fundamentals (Hardcover), Harry J., Jr. Sauer (Author), Ronald H. Howell, ISBN-10: 1931862923 or ISBN-13: 978-1931862929
- 1993 ASHRAE Handbook Fundamentals (Hardcover), ISBN-10: 0910110964 or ISBN-13: 978-091011096
- Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss. John Wiley & Sons, 2006. ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, Hardcover: 320 pages, available from Amazon.com and also Wiley.com. See our book review of this publication.
- Decks and Porches, the JLC Guide to, Best Practices for Outdoor Spaces, Steve Bliss (Editor), The Journal of Light Construction, Williston VT, 2010 ISBN 10: 1-928580-42-4, ISBN 13: 978-1-928580-42-3, available from Amazon.com
- Brick nogging used as soundproofing was mentioned in a now-no-longer-online article on Popular Forest Magazine poplarforest.org
- The Circular Staircase, Mary Roberts Rinehart
- Construction Drawings and Details, Rosemary Kilmer
- "An Example of Colonial Paneling", Norman Morrison Isham, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 5 (May, 1911), pp. 112-116, available by JSTOR.
- Energy Savers: Whole House Systems Approach to Energy Efficient Home Design [copy on file as /interiors/Whole_House_Energy_Efficiency_DOE.pdf ] - U.S. Department of Energy
- Falls and Related Injuries: Slips, Trips, Missteps, and Their Consequences, Lawyers & Judges Publishing, (June 2002), ISBN-10: 0913875430 ISBN-13: 978-0913875438
"Falls in the home and public places are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths in the United States, but are overlooked in most literature. This book is unique in that it is entirely devoted to falls. Of use to primary care physicians, nurses, insurance adjusters, architects, writers of building codes, attorneys, or anyone who cares for the elderly, this book will tell you how, why, and when people will likely fall, what most likely will be injured, and how such injuries come about. " - Gypsum Construction Guide, National Gypsum Corporation
- Gypsum Construction Handbook [purchase at Amazon.com] H17, Technical Folder SA920 and PM2, PM3 and PM4, United States Gypsum Company, 125 South Franklin ST., PO Box 806278, Chicago, IL 60680-4124,
- "Insulation: Adding Insulation to an Existing Home [copy on file as /interiors/Insulation_Adding_DOE.pdf ] - ," U.S. Department of Energy - tips on how to do your own check for the presence of absence of insulation in a home
- Insulation: Selecting Insulation for New Home Construction [copy on file as /interiors/New_Home_Insulation_DOE.pdf ] - , U.S. Department of Energy - "Your state and local building codes probably include minimum insulation requirements, but to build an energy-efficient home, you may need or want to exceed them. For maximum energy efficiency, you should also consider the interaction between the insulation and other building components. This is called the "whole-house systems design approach" [copy on file as /interiors/Whole_House_Energy_Efficiency_DOE.pdf ] -
- Lath & Plaster Systems [copy on file as /interiors/LathPlaster_Nat_Gypsum.pdf ] - , 092300/NGC, National Gypsum Lath and Plaster Systems, National Gypsum Corporation, 800-628-4662 describing National Gypsum's Kal-Kore brand plaster base
- Metal Lath Specifications, Specification for metal lath and accessories, Lath and Plaster [copy on file as/interiors/Amico_lath-inside.pdf ] - from Amico, a lath and plaster accessory producer.
- The National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST (nee National Bureau of Standards NBS) is a US government agency - see www.nist.gov
- "A Parametric Study of Wall Moisture Contents Using a Revised Variable Indoor Relative Humidity Version of the "Moist" Transient Heat and Moisture Transfer Model [copy on file as/interiors/MOIST_Model_NIST_b95074.pdf ] - ", George Tsongas, Doug Burch, Carolyn Roos, Malcom Cunningham; this paper describes software and the prediction of wall moisture contents. - PDF Document from NIS
- Pergo AB, division of Perstorp AB, is a Swedish manufacturer or modern laminate flooring products. Information about the U.S. company can be found at http://www.pergo.com where we obtained historical data used in our discussion of the age of flooring materials in buildings.
- Piquet Wall Construction: involving timber-framed wall construction with long top girts, diagonal timber bracing, and small diameter logs placed vertically along with concrete chinking to fill in the wall plane.
- Plastering, PM 5, Product & Systems Technology, US Gypsum, May 1998, web search 10.5.2010, original source: http://www.usg.com/rc/technical-articles/plaster/
[copy on file as/interiors/Plastering_USG.pdf ] -
plastering-technical-guide-veneer-plaster-joint-reinforcement-systems-en-PM5.pdf
United States Gypsum Company, 125 South Franklin ST., PO Box 806278, Chicago, IL 60680-4124,
Paraphrasing from this document: USG uses the term shadowing in this document in describing the visual effect over gypsum board joints caused by the lower moisture absorption rate (take-up) and lower capacity than gypsum base face paper. Shadowing at joints occurs where veneer plaster is applied over tape joints, requiring a second coat to completely hide the tape, providing a visually uniform surface. USG Advises: "This [second] cover coat must be allowed to harden and dry before plaster application is started. - Plastering Skills, F. Van Den Branden, Thomas L. Hartsell, Amer Technical Pub (July 1, 1985), ISBN-10: 0826906575, ISBN-13: 978-0826906571 [purchase at Amazon.com]
- Slips, Trips, Missteps and Their Consequences, Second Edition, Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen,A. S. Hyde, Jon R. Abele, ISBN-13: 978-1-933264-01-1 or ISBN 10: 1-933264-01-2, available from the publisher, Lawyers & Judges Publishing Company,Inc., www.lawyersandjudges.com sales@lawyersandjudges.com
- The Stairway Manufacturers' Association, (877) 500-5759, provides a pictorial guide to the stair and railing portion of the International Residential Code. [copy on file as http://www.stairways.org/pdf/2006%20Stair%20IRC%20SCREEN.pdf ] -
- Slips, Trips, Missteps and Their Consequences, Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen, Jon R. Abele, Alvin S. Hyde, Cindy A. LaRue, Lawyers and Judges Publishing; ISBN-10: 1933264012 ISBN-13: 978-1933264011
- Slips, Trips, Missteps and Their Consequences, Second Edition, Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen,A. S. Hyde, Jon R. Abele, ISBN-13: 978-1-933264-01-1 or ISBN 10: 1-933264-01-2, available from the publisher, Lawyers & Judges Publishing Company,Inc., www.lawyersandjudges.com sales@lawyersandjudges.com
- Steps and Stairways, Cleo Baldon & Ib Melchior, Rizzoli, 1989.
- The Staircase, Ann Rinaldi
- Common Sense Stairbuilding and Handrailing, Fred T. Hodgson
- The Art of Staircases, Pilar Chueca
- Building Stairs, by pros for pros, Andy Engel
- A Simplified Guide to Custom Stairbuilding, George R. Christina
- Basic Stairbuilding, Scott Schuttner
- The Staircase (two volumes), John Templar, Cambridge: the MIT Press, 1992
- The Staircase: History and Theories, John Templar, MIT Press 1995
- Steps and Stairways, Cleo Baldon & Ib Melchior, Rizzoli, 1989.
- "The Dimensions of Stairs", J. M. Fitch et al., Scientific American, October 1974.
- "Are Functional Handrails Within Our Grasp" Jake Pauls, Building Standards, January-February 1991
- What Style Is It?: A Guide to American Architecture, Rev., John C. Poppeliers, S. Allen Chambers, Wiley; Rev Sub edition (October 6, 2003), ISBN-10: 0471250368, ISBN-13: 978-0471250364
- In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES.
- Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. Tel: (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 Email: info@carsondunlop.com. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The HOME REFERENCE BOOK - the Encyclopedia of Homes and to use illustrations from The ILLUSTRATED HOME .
Carson Dunlop Associates provides extensive home inspection education and report writing material. In gratitude we provide links to tsome Carson Dunlop Associates products and services.
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