ICRI

I am a member of the ICRI Carolinas Chapter. ICRI is the International Concrete Repair Institute. The Spring Conference was today. It covered the general topic of crack repairs. I am only generalizing what it was because it would be difficult for me to explain everything the speakers said.

Bob Trout with Lily Corporation spoke about crack injection. His company sells a wide variety of dispensing equipment. He talked about how air entrapment may not always be the problem that people think it is. He did not say that it is never a problem but he did point out Boyles Law.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyle

He also said it is more important when possible, to start at the widest part of the crack when injecting and inject until refusal. He also said that you need to do an air pressure check prior to injecting the epoxy. You do this because it allows you the opportunity to find leaks or unseen cracks prior to injection. This allows you the time to cover or butter the cracks with the appropriate product. Sometimes, it doesn't have to be a gel epoxy. If you fix these little problems ahead of time, you may save yourself the headache of having epoxy dripping down your wall at the wrong spot. Lily Corporation link is below.

http://www.lilycorp.com/

Brian J. Iske with Deneef talked about chemical crack injection and soil stabilization products. He showed a nice linear graph on tools to remove a hex head bolt. The tools were rated from, not recommended to best choice. Hammer and nail made the not recommended list, while the old appropriate socket wrench made the best choice list. The other tools fell in the middle. He said that is the same way you should look at crack repair. Each crack repair job is different and you need to make the right choice for your particular job. There is NO silver bullet for all crack repair jobs. His company sells many varieties of products for injections and repairs. Their link is below.

http://www.deneef.com/

The last to give a presentation was Jim Villar with Balvac. His presentation was a little over my head until I spoke with him after the presentation. It became much clearer then. His topic was "MMA Vac Injection." I listened to it trying to understand how the vacuum repair worked. No, it does not use a shop vac. The vacuum they use is much larger than anything you would ever find in household or construction use. Once it was explained how they get the chemical in there and how it is drawn in the area to be repaired, it all made sense. Balvac's link is listed below.

http://www.balvac.com/

If you are in the concrete repair business and you are not in the ICRI, I would suggest you take a look at it and join. If you are in the Carolinas, we would welcome you in this chapter. The ICRI has many chapters throughout the US and some outside the US. You can look at the ICRI Carolinas Chapter link below and then go to the ICRI National from there. The ICRI Carolinas website has many nice features and links. I have the link for that on the side of the blog and below.

http://www.icricarolinas.org/index.htm

Get Motivated

Today I went to the Get Motivated Seminar held at the North Charleston Coliseum. I was unsure how I would like it and it was much better than expected. I have summarized as best I could below. I have also placed the links to each of the speakers or at least something where you can find out more about them.

http://www.getmotivated.com/

It started with Rick Belluzzo. He was informative about his business life and made many good points like "change provides opportunity", "every job matters - no impact too small" and "be proactive - find solutions to problems." From a business perspective, I thought he provided the best answers.

Dr. Robert Shuller was the second one to speak and he was a wonderful orator and he should be, since he is the preacher of the Crystal Cathedral. He explained what he went through in life to get to where he is. He says others can program you negatively. That when your perception changes, you change. I learned that lesson too some time ago, but it was nice hearing someone else state the same.

http://www.crystalcathedral.org/

I would say that my favorite speaker of the day was Krish Dhanam. He worked on the emotions of mad, sad, glad. He tugged at the emotions of the audience with his stories. There were many things he said that I liked. "The American dream has no snooze button." "If you are happy, tell your face." I find that to be true when dealing with people, even on the phone. If you are not smiling or even content, then others may not have faith in what you are saying. "We remember the slaps and not the kisses." The best saying is something I think he got from Thoreau, "Everyone wants to build a castle in the air but not the foundation in the ground." Hhmm. Interesting.

http://krishdhanam.com/

Phil Town spoke of investing and how to invest in the stock market. Remember Rule #1. He has had an interesting life and has made the most of it. His ways of making money in the stock market, as I see it, are a bit more complicated than just buying for the long haul. I understood what he said, but I also realize how little I know about the market and investing.

http://www.philtown.typepad.com/

Keith Craft was the next speaker. He also emceed and one of his daughters sang the National Anthem to start off the seminar. He is also a preacher. He spoke of having the right people in your life. 1. people who believe in you. 2. people who challenge you. 3. people who share your values. I couldn't say I disagree with him on any of his points.

http://www.celebrationcovenant.com/main.htm

The great Zig Ziglar spoke next. I remember seeing some of his tapes and listening to some. His presentation was done in an interview format with his daughter interviewing him. It was nice to hear him tell some old tales. He does not bounce and move around on the stage like he used to because of a household fall that he had some time ago.

http://www.zigziglar.com/

The funniest speaker with an acerbic tongue was James Smith. He talked about real estate investing. He has seminars that can tell you how to make money in real estate. I found him entertaining and laughed frequently.

http://www.meetjamessmith.com/Default.aspx

When Brian Tracy, whose tapes I have enjoyed and the first tapes that I listened to when I got into sales, gave his talk, I listened. I had only heard him on tape before. He has great sales tips. "Identify your weakness" and work on them. Selling is a recipe and you have the ingredients. Learn the proper recipe to succeed.

http://www.briantracy.com/

I enjoyed listening to Suze Orman. I think I enjoyed seeing and listening to her because she is on TV. Her advice is the advice that most people don't follow and it is the advice that everyone should follow. Get out of debt, all debt. Invest your money wisely and don't go back in debt. Like I said, most people do not follow that advice and complain that they have nothing.

http://www.suzeorman.com/

The last one to talk was Don Burnham. He wrapped up the seminar with people leaving. I am guessing he is new to the circuit and they put him last knowing that he was going to compete with a dwindling crowd. He was representing the IAI, International Association of Investors.

http://www.iaimember.com/

All in all it was very well organized and presented. If you ever get the chance, go to it. Make the time to go to it. Enjoy it and you will be pleased with what you experienced.

Masonry Drainage Materials

Why should you use cavity drainage materials in your masonry wall? It is somewhat expensive. Not as much as copper or stainless steel flashing, but more than PVC or EPDM. When a job is over budget, one of the things some contractors look at to reduce the cost is that expensive stuff, like copper flashing or cavity drainage materials. The flashing will be in use, when put in properly, for quite a while, as long as it is a good quality flashing like a copper or stainless steel. The cavity drainage material will be in use while the building is going up and as far as I know, that is when it is most important. It protects the weep openings, could be tubes, vents, etc., from getting clogged by mortar droppings and not allowing water to escape. When people ask me how much cavity drainage materials are and I tell them, many tell me it is expensive. I try to make it clear to them that I understand they will not go home at the end of the job and say, "I am sure glad I used that product." However, they will certainly know if they should have used it. It is extremely costly to replace flashing, weeps and brick after the job is completed. There are many products to chose from and I will list some below.

MortarNet - http://www.mortarnet.com/index.htm

Cavclear - http://www.cavclear.com/

Mortar Break - http://www.advancedflashing.com/commercial-mortar-break.cfm

Mortar Mitt - http://www.h-b.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=28

I found some very good articles about the masonry cavity wall. The first one is from the Brick Industry Association. It is Tech Bulletin on Brick Masonry Cavity Wall Selection Of Materials. On page 6 there is a description of cavity drainage materials. It mentions none by name, but if you want to know even more about masonry construction, it provides good basic information.

http://www.advancedflashing.com/clientsuppliedcontent-forms/BIATechNoteTextPDFs/Tech%20Note%2021a.pdf

The next link is from the Portland Cement Association. It is a quick excerpt on why you should keep the cavity clean. It is a nice short read.

http://www.cement.org/masonry/cc_fn_cavities_clean.asp

The last link is from Masonry Contractors of America. It is written by Sarah B. Atkins. The letters to the editor comments say the article was written for the Dec 04 issue but the date of the posting for the internet is March 05. The article and the letters to the editor suggest that the masonry contractors agree that there is an issue with mortar buildup and bridging and that the weeps need to be kept clean, but as to how it is best done, is still a discussion. Read the article and the letters to the editor and see what you think.

http://www.masoncontractors.org/newsandevents/masonryheadlines/headline.php?id=20050331084700

Boat Project

Well as usual, I am about 6 weeks away from finishing my little flat bottom boat. I was 6 weeks away from finishing about 6 weeks ago, about 6 months ago and about a year ago. It is not that I haven't done anything on it. I have. It has just taken me longer than I thought. It is shaped somewhat like a Carolina Skiff. It is 15'6" long, about 5'6" wide at the center and about 18" deep. It is made of cypress planking which is fiberglassed. The thing I figured out about fiberglassing, when you aren't very good, is that you become really good at sanding and accepting things that look good enough. It has been an absolute fun project for me. The epoxy and fiberglass that I have been using is made by Raka. I found out about it from a buddy that also builds boats and he said he was going to use it on the next one he builds. If it is good enough for him, who actually knows how to epoxy, then it would be good enough for me. They have been a pleasure to order from. This is their link.

http://www.raka.com/

The two pictures are one without the seats, obviously, and one with what the configuration will be. Since the floor was not completely finished when I took the pics, the seats have come out and now I am finishing the floor. The deck will have the plywood to support the cypress planks. I can't wait to get it in the water to see if it floats.

But, then again, I won't know that for about 6 more weeks.

Things I sell

Anything.

Not really.


However, when people call and ask if we can get something I try to be a good salesman and say yes. The link to New South Construction Supply, where I work, is at the bottom of the blog and to the side. If you are curious of the items you can go to the website and see the products that we sell. There is an online catalog in a pdf format. Basically, we sell anything that has to do with concrete accessories, masonry accessories and products, and waterproofing accessories and products. The company belongs to many organizations to help support the construction fields that we sell products of.

I thought of listing many of the items but I would much rather you see the website and catalog.

Law Stuff

At the Charleston Contractor's Association Meeting this past Monday night I learned something new. It was about a law. Specifically statute SC 27-1-15. It was a way to collect money from some someone that hasn't paid yet, for whatever reason. The law is very simple. If you would like to see the law, you can click the link.

http://www.scstatehouse.net/code/t27c001.htm

As I understand it, and I am not a lawyer, it says that you can send a letter for payment and reference the statute. The other company or person has 45 days to research the invoice for payment and if it is not in dispute, then they have 45 days to pay. If they cannot or do not pay, then you may be able to get attorneys fees. I also understand that if you win the case then you may be able to get post judgement interest as opposed to prejudgement interest. However, I will say that if you want to know more about it, do not trust me, trust the attorney that will represent you. They actually know the law and how to go about the legal issues that arise

If you would like to know more about the Charleston Contractor's Association, then click the link.

http://www.charlestoncontractors.org/

More on the Old Building

Have you ever wondered what the back side of plastering looks like in an old building? I have a picture of a job that has some plaster for the ceiling and I took a picture of it. I knew what it was going to look like. I just figured some people never get to see it and they may be curious. This has the metal lathe instead of the strips of wood for backing. The wood back ones are typically older. The side that you are looking at is the arched ceiling. The arched ceiling is being worked on. While it may be neat to look at, that can be seen later, when it is done. This side is not seen that much and is much more interesting.

The next picture is a nice circular staircase. It is very narrow and steep. I walked up this wonderful set of stairs to look and take pictures of the back side of the plaster. This staircase would never meet ADA requirements but it is great to appreciate it for what it is.