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Engineered Sheet Materials

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Engineered Sheet Materials Contents:

CSI NUMBERS
DEFINITION
CONSIDERATIONS
COMMERCIAL STATUS
IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES
GUIDELINES
RESOURCES

CSI Numbers:

DEFINITION:

Engineered sheet materials can be made of recycled-content or reconstituted materials.

Recycled content sheet products include any percentage of recycled material. Products that use recycled newsprint, agricultural byproducts, or wood waste are considered recycled content materials.

Reconstituted materials use chipped or stranded small-diameter trees as their wood source. This material is then bound together into forms suitable for building.

CONSIDERATIONS:

Products exist that contain recycled post-consumer paper, by-product gypsum and recovered gypsum, wood waste, wood chips from "non-commercial" trees, and annually-renewable agricultural fibers. These materials include: hardboard made from waste wood; wallboard made from perlite, gypsum, and recycled post-consumer newsprint; 100% recycled newsprint fiberboard; and fiberboard made from straw.

Some of these materials need to be kept dry during the construction process. Binders used in some of these materials may outgas. It is best to avoid materials that contain urea formaldehyde. Phenol formaldehyde is predominantly used in materials for exterior applications. where its lower outgassing qualities are not considered health threatening.. Most of these materials are installed/applied in the same manner as the traditional products (plywood), therefore labor estimates are comparable. Oriented-strand board (OSB) is a reconstituted material that is now commonly used.






Commercial
Status		 Implementation
Issues
technology suppliers cost financing public regulatory
Subflooring green yellow yellow green green green
Sheathing green yellow green green green green
Wallboard green black red green green green
Agricultural By-Product green black red green green green
Decking green yellow green green green green
Legend
green Satisfactory
yellow Satisfactory in most conditions
red Satisfactory in Limited Conditions
black Unsatisfactory or Difficult

COMMERCIAL STATUS

TECHNOLOGY:

Many of these technologies are relatively simple; gypsum has been recycled and reused for many years and newsprint recycling is also a mature technology. Most of these products, such as oriented strand board, are derived from manufacturing processes which are more material-efficient than past processes. Much of the newer recycled-content and reconstituted materials are fabricated in modern facilities that are efficient and compliant with strict environmental regulations.

SUPPLIERS:

Few of these products, other than OSB and laminated wastepaper sheathing, are currently available locally.

COST:

Many of these sheet materials currently cost more then traditional sheet materials, although the oriented strand board and laminated wastepaper sheathing are price competitive. Shipping costs for small quantities can be prohibitively expensive.

IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES

FINANCING:

Available.

PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE:

Acceptance of these products is good. When oriented-strand board products first appeared on the market, many people confused them with particle board ( an indoor use only product) because of its similar appearance. The negative reaction stemming from this confusion has been overcome. These products are comparable in appearance with the ones they replace, and since they are covered in places where they are used, their appearance ceases to be an issue. There is a high appreciation and an increasing demand for least-toxic products. The recycled-content of these materials enhances their appeal.

REGULATORY:

Meets code requirements.

GUIDELINES

Most of these materials come in standard dimensions, are applied with standard fasteners, and can be worked with regular carpentry tools.

Some products might require specific structural spacing and support. This information is supplied by the manufacturer.

Some of the interior finish sheet product alternatives to gypsum sheetrock do not require taping and floating.

Look for the recycling symbol on theses products.

100% recycled content is available in some foil-backed materials.

Comments regarding specific products are found in the Resources section where they are listed.

RESOURCES

PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE

COMPONENTS / MATERIALS / SYSTEMS

GENERAL ASSISTANCE:

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