Dianne Carey Is a CDT

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Jason Davoodi

Congratulations to our own Dianne Carey, director of technical services, as she recently passed her CSI (Construction Specifications Institute) Certification Program.  Dianne is now a Construction Documents Technologist (CDT).  The significant effort she has expended to acquire the knowledge necessary to pass a CSI examination puts her in an elite group of construction professionals.  By being CSI-certified, Dianne has developed a conceptual understanding of the entire construction process, and earned concrete skills in construction documentation development and administration, specification writing and enforcement, product research and sourcing, and communication with the design and contracting teams.  Congratulations, Dianne, on this noteworthy achievement.

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W. R. Meadows Receives ICRI Award of Merit

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Jason Davoodi

International Concrete Repair Institute Award of Merit

Hampshire, IL – W. R. MEADOWS has received an Award of Merit in the industrial category at the 18th annual International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) awards banquet.

The project that received the award was a structural rehabilitation and corrosion protection application at the Port of Portland Terminal 5 in Portland, Oregon. The Port of Portland project required a revitalization of this historic port’s concrete exterior. The project involved the removal of the deteriorated and sulfate-contaminated concrete and included spall repairs. The concrete deterioration was apparent in many different areas of the structural concrete rehabilitation project, including its pier beam, pier girders, pier fender blocks, abutments, conveyer struts, support towers, and pier deck.

Concrete Restoration & Repair ICRI Award of MeritThis project focused on Terminal 5 of the Port of Portland. The 159-acre (64.3 hectare) terminal features one of the country’s highest-volume grain export facilities and a state-of-the-art potash fertilizer mineral bulk exporting facility. The scope of the project more
than doubled from the original estimates of 3237 ft.³ (91.6 m³) of structural concrete repair to a completed job total of 7290 ft.³ (206.4 m³). The primary product used in the concrete repair was MEADOW-CRETE® FNP. Approximately 810,000 lb. (367,409.8 kg) of MEADOW-CRETE FNP was successfully used to complete the extensive rehabilitation.

MEADOW-CRETE FNP is a one-component, flowable, shrinkage-compensated, corrosion inhibitor enhanced repair mortar for structural applications. MEADOW-CRETE FNP can be formed and poured or formed and pumped, utilizing a suitable grout pump. It has a low permeability, protects embedded reinforcing steel, and provides a lower in-cast placement.

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We have the first CSP in the industry

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Jason Davoodi

Congrats to our own Russ Snow for being designated the first Construction Specifications Practioner (CSP) in the industry.

The objectives of the CSP are to set standards and a high quality of practice for specification writers through prescribed qualifications, courses, and a demonstrated level of competence and ethical practices, as well as to provide a program for continuing improvement of specification writer skills and professional development and to establish a body of knowledge and standard of conduct for specification writers.

This designation is one that has been in development within Construction Specifications Canada (CSC) for a few years and recently has been released.  Again, Russ is the first in the industry to have this designation.

Take a bow, Russ – job well-done.

Russ serves as our National Specifications Developement Manager and is based out of our Milton, Ontario branch office.  He has worked for the company for over 14 years.

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W. R. Meadows Goes Solar … Again!

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Jason Davoodi

On March 15, 2011, W. R. Meadows commissioned its second solar-generating facility, with the startup of a 120kW photovoltaic solar farm, located at W. R. Meadows of Southern California in Pomona. The system consists of 1,270 roof-mounted, thin-film solar panels that have the combined capacity to drive 2,000 60-watt light bulbs.  Each panel converts direct sunlight into clean, non-polluting electrical energy. It’s the same technology found in solar-powered pocket calculators, just on a larger scale. As electricity is generated by the solar panels, the DC current from the panels is converted into more conventional AC current, and is then fed back into the utility company’s power grid.

W. R. Meadows has always been an innovative leader in thinking green, a concept that was integrated into the W. R. Meadows culture long before it came into vogue. In addition to manufacturing a broad line of environmentally friendly green products, “thinking green” now includes W. R. Meadows solar generating facilities in Goodyear, Arizona and Pomona, California, with a total capacity of over 150,000 watts. Over the next 25 years, these two solar farms will generate the energy equivalent of 15 million miles of automobile traffic not driven. They will save nearly 80 acres of trees, and will reduce carbon emissions by over 4,600 tons!

Green technology … at W. R. Meadows, it’s an old concept that we continually apply to new innovation.

For lots more photos, check out our Facebook page.

Solar panels installed at our California facility

Solar panels installed at our Pomona, California facility.

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NFPA 285-2006

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Jason Davoodi

A fire test is a means of determining whether or not fire protection products meet minimum performance criteria as set out in a building code or other applicable legislation.  There are a number of fire test methods that have been developed over the years. One of these that have become more recognized recently is the NFPA 285:  “Standard Fire Test Method for Evaluation of Fire Propagation Characteristics of Exterior Non-Load-Bearing Wall Assemblies Containing Combustible Components.”

This standard was developed by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), an international non-profit organization established in 1896.   In 1998, the NFPA developed this standard with the intent to evaluate the inclusion of combustible components within wall assemblies/panels that are required to be of non-combustible construction.  It is intended to simulate the multi-story flammability fire performance of entire exterior wall assemblies.

The most recent version, NFPA 285-2006, is contained in the 2009 version of the International Building Code (IBC), Section 2603.5.5.  It has been included in the IBC since 2000, and requires that exterior wall systems of any height that incorporate foam plastic insulation must meet the requirements of this standard.  Foam plastic insulation can consist of open and closed cell spray polyurethane foams, extruded polystyrene, expanded polystyrene, rigid board stock, or polyisocyanurate products.

It is important to realize that this test is an assembly test and not a component test and so a product cannot be referenced to meet NFPA 285.

In 2009, several NFPA 285 fire tests on various exterior wall systems incorporating their rigid insulation materials were performed.  As part of this testing, the testing association had looked at the performance of a number of materials to be used as a weather-resistive barrier.  One of these products was our Air-Shield LMP vapor permeable air barrier, a one-component, fluid-applied, water-based material that exhibits excellent resistance to air leakage, as well as controlling water intrusion into the substrate.  It was reported that the configurations of wall systems they had tested will meet the performance requirements of NFPA 285.

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It’s our 85th anniversary. Let’s party.

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Jason Davoodi

How are we celebrating?  Nothing fancy - just providing our clients with quality, integrity, and service, which have been our core values since our founding in 1926.

We’ve come a long way since our founding.  The first product sold by W. R. Meadows was Asphalt Expansion Joint, a product we still sell today.  The company first started with manufacturing these expansion joint products, but we gradually increased our line to including curing and sealing compounds, building envelope products, and concrete restoration.  Pretty much, if you’re involved with concrete construction, we have a product for you.

We’re also proud to have expanded our company into several locations across the U.S. and Canada.  We have locations that span from Pomona, California, to Milton, Ontario, Canada, to Cartersville, Georgia.  We’re also happy to be able to sell our product beyond North America, to such locations as Hungary, China, and Israel.  These places are a way long off from our humble beginnings in Elgin, Illinois.

And W. R. Meadows is still privately owned and operated by the Meadows family.  The company is now into its fourth generation of ownership, and we’re happy to stick with our core values that our founders, Bob and Edna Meadows, instilled.

We’ve come a long way, and we’ve grown, but we’re still eager to learn more and help lead the construction industry.  We’d like to thank our distributors, contractors, architects, and building owners who have sold, used, and specified our products.  Our 85 years wouldn’t have happened without your support.

So this 85th anniversary party is a low-key affair, but we’re happy to have shared it with you.  As always, we thank you for your support.

W. R. Meadows 85th Anniversary Logo

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Product Spotlight: Adi-Con CW Plus

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Jason Davoodi

Our product spotlight this month is on Adi-Con CW Plus, a new product added to the extensive line of concrete waterproofing materials from W. R. Meadows.

Adi-Con CW Plus is a dry, free-flowing powder containing a blend of inorganic and organic chemicals, a small amount of sand, and silica-based materials. The reactive materials react with lime generated by the hydration reaction of cement and plug the capillary porosity, making concrete watertight under water head pressure.  Adi-Con CW Plus, when mixed into concrete, works well in foundation waterproofing and all concrete waterproofing applications.

Adi-Con CW Plus is an integral waterproofing admixture for Portland cement based concrete and mortars.

Adi-Con CW Plus features many features and benefits, including:

  • Product is chloride-free.
  • Provides integral waterproofing.
  • Increases chemical resistance.
  • Product has minimal effect on setting times.
  • Simple to use.
  • Dry powder.
  • Economical.

W. R. Meadows, under partnership with Gemite Products, is the exclusive U.S. distributor of Adi-Con CW Plus.

We’ve just released a launch page for Adi-Con CW Plus that can be viewed here.  On this page, you can view application photos, the product data sheet, and more.

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Blotchy Concrete

Posted on March 12, 2011 by Jason Davoodi

Why does my concrete look “blotchy” (inconsistent gloss) after applying a W. R. MEADOWS concrete curing and sealing compound or concrete sealer?

You’ve just sealed your concrete hardscape and it appears “blotchy” or it  isn’t “glossy” over the entire slab. Typically, when we see a floor or exterior slab that is blotchy or not uniform in gloss, it’s caused by; (or a combination of the issues listed below):

  1. Poor sealer application technique.
  2. Not enough sealer applied.
  3. Varying absorption rates of the concrete (some areas are by concrete’s nature more porous than others)

If you were to look at a concrete slab under a microscope, you would find that it consists of an almost infinite number of “hills and valleys.” The final profile on the surface of the slab is directly related to the finish. A smoother finish will produce less hills and valleys, while a broomed or rough finish can resemble the Grand Canyon.

When applying a concrete sealer, the sealer will find its way into the valleys.  If the sealer isn’t applied uniformly or if not enough sealer is applied, the slab will appear blotchy when dry.  This is caused by the sealer being present in the valleys, but not remaining up on top of the hills.

A portion of the sealer or cure and seal is also absorbed into the pores of the concrete, as this porosity varies by concrete’s nature, you will have varying amounts of “film” build in different areas.

The solution is to make sure the sealer is applied in a uniform manner AND to apply multiple, light coats of sealer, if necessary, to obtain uniform gloss.  The key is light coats. Applying heavy coats of sealer will create even more headaches.

W. R. MEADOWS sealers are specifically formulated to help produce the most uniform films possible.  Unfortunately, even a premium-grade sealer will not compensate for poor application techniques, and/or insufficient product applied to the concrete.

Of course, W. R. MEADOWS is happy to help in all cases.  If you have a specific question about application techniques, please contact your local sales office at 1-800-342-5976 or email [email protected].

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Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Plant – LIQUI-HARD Application

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Brad Hull

View hi-resolution photos and video for the Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Plant in Kecskemet, Hungary where LIQUI-HARD and ULTRITE DEGREASER were used.

Project: Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Plant
Location: Kecskemet, Hungary
Contractor: Hiros
ASA
Salesperson: Mark Vogel
Product: LIQUI-HARD
Scope: 1.8 million square feet

Photos:

 
Video of LIQUI-HARD Application:

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W. R. Meadows offers AIA-Credited Lunch-and-Learn Presentations

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Jason Davoodi

As part of our efforts to educate the architectural community on the newest product technology, W. R. Meadows offers a series of lunch-and-learn seminars to discuss and present this material.  We’ve been doing these presentations for years now, and have conducted hundreds of presentations throughout the U.S. and Canada.  And, of course, our presentations help earn architects learning units (LU).  The following are our most popular topics:

  • Above-Grade Wall Air Barrier Systems (1 LU)
  • Concrete Polishing (1 LU)
  • Concrete Restoration (1 LU)
  • Controlling Moisture Movement (1.5 LU)
  • Treatments to Improve the Performance of Concrete (1 LU)
  • Underslab Waterproofing and Vaporproofing (1 LU)

We also offer online AIA presentations through the AEC Daily website.  Click here to view our courses available.  If you have questions, or would like to set up a presentation at your firm, please comment below, or email [email protected].

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