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Construction Trade Damage

websitebuilder@thryv.com — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 18:05:07 GMT

Construction Trade Damage

In the book titled Construction Management “Subcontractors Scope of Work”, written by Jason G. Smith and Jimmie Hinze in 2010, they state that costs associated with trade damage to door frames are “inevitable” and must be accounted for in the quoting and planning process.

Overcoming Lead Time Issues Of Welded Hollow Metal Doors, Frames, And Hardware

Mon, 09 May 2022 20:22:14 GMT

Supply chain lead times for welded hollow metal doors, frames, and hardware have gone from weeks to months in the last two years. It is not unusual to hear about lead times for welded hollow metal frames running as long as six months. Most projects simply cannot tolerate those kinds of lead times.

There are reasons for the long lead times. The pandemic is generally accepted as the start of the many supply chain issues companies face today. The shuttering of businesses to reduce the spread of Covid coupled with the length of the pandemic cause supply change shortages and extended lead times across all commodities. Additionally the pandemic highlighted the significant dependence the US economy has on imported goods, steel in particular. As steel production moved overseas, production capacity in the US fell off. When the effects of the pandemic began to loosen in the US, steel continued in short supply because US production capacity could not make up for the import shortages (that continued in other countries due to their Covid issues).

In the near-term shortages of steel will continue. Analysts predict an easing of steel supply issues in 2022 but Covid continues to throw the predictions out the proverbial window. While there are projects underway to add steel production capacity in the US, shortage issues, and the related higher prices of steel, will continue to frustrate the markets.

One way to alleviate the impact of long lead times is to order the doors, frames, and hardware later in the project. In theory that would allow other portions of the project to proceed in spite of the lack of the ready availability of welded frames. Sounds simple enough except welded frames are installed early in the project, i.e., when the walls are being framed. The alternative is to use knock down frames which are installed after the walls are completed. Knock down frames have been available as long as welded frames. The compromise however is they do not provide the same structural strength or longevity of the welded frames. Customers overwhelmingly prefer welded frames.

There is another alternative. The Qwikinstall frame system is a two-piece interlocking welded hollow metal frame that installs after the walls are complete. It installs with 1 person, in 6 steps, in 6 minutes. No other welded frame installs faster than Qwikinstall and no other frame combines the strength and durability of welded frame with the benefits of installation after the walls are complete.

If welded hollow metal frames are negatively impacting your project timeline, do yourself a favor and look into the Qwikinstall welded hollow metal frame solution.

Shim or Not To Shim - Commercial Steel Door Hinges

Tue, 12 Apr 2022 00:38:19 GMT

To Shim Or Not To Shim, Is That Really The Question?

A customary practice in the installation of commercial doors whether wood or steel is shimming of the door hinges. This is so common the industry actually has a term for it, i.e., throwing the hinges.

What is behind this practice? It is the field-fix for a door that will not close properly into the frame. Or, in another instance, it is used to improve the reveal, i.e., the gap between the door and the frame, when the door is closed and latched.

What is the root cause of the need to throw hinges? Simple, the frame is not plumb and square. It is not the door or the hinges. Doors are square and commercial hinges are robust products. The misalignment comes from the frame.

Why are the hollow metal frames not plumb and square? The frames, regardless of manufacturer, i.e., Steelcraft, CECO, Curries, Mesker, Premier, MPI, Dumbarton, and Timely, were installed in a plumb and square condition. Unfortunately, during the construction process, the frames can get bumped and easily thrown out of alignment. In another case, workers have been known to wedge an object (such as a broom handle) between the door and frame to hold the door open. This wedge puts a concentrated load on the frame leading to frame distortion (and the need to compensate the frame damage) by throwing hinges.

Types of Shims

1. Whatever you can find – Exactly what it sounds like. At times this turns out to be cardboard because there is always cardboard dunnage somewhere on the job site. And unbelievably, this is acceptable, as long as the door is not in an area with high moisture, or a fire rated opening.

2. Plastic shims - Plastic shims are not affected by moisture and won’t compress over time like a cardboard shim could do. Plastic shims, like cardboard shims, should not be used on fire rated openings.

3. Wood shims – Wood shims are a common solution in residential buildings but are not recommended for commercial buildings and doors. Wood shims can be difficult to cut to size (the shims should not be visible by the customer), they can tend to breakdown with moisture, and they are not acceptable for fire rated openings.

4. Steel shims – Steel shims are the best choice when throwing a commercial door hinge. Steel shims should be made from galvanized or galvannealed steel, so they do not rust with time. A rusting shim could compromise the relative position between the door and the frame. Shims made from steel are the only shims allowed on a fire rated opening.

Skilled Labor Shortage in Construction

websitebuilder@thryv.com — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 22:12:21 GMT

Construction Labor Shortage

A shortage of skilled construction labor has been a persistent issue in the United States since before the pandemic. In fact, it is rooted all the way back to the Great Recession. Regardless of industry segment, every company has been trying to find solutions to the problem. The construction industry has not been immune to the problem of labor shortages.

Companies looking for labor have made efforts to attract new hires, e.g., increases in base wages, more flexibility in benefits, sign-on bonuses, but the problem persists. One area that goes unnoticed is efforts related to the application of lean methods in the construction industry.

The North American automotive industry embraced the discipline of lean manufacturing, i.e., the reduction and/or elimination of 8 wastes, in response to market share losses to Japanese automotive imports. By methodically and repeatedly reducing or eliminating non-value-added steps in the business processes, the Japanese realized sustainable improvements in costs, quality, and profitability. Many organizations have adopted the Toyota Production System (TPS) considered the benchmark of lean implementation.

Lean manufacturing is not a discipline designed to eliminate labor but instead makes the best use of available labor and other resources. Companies that implement lean find that they realize gains in output and capacity with their existing resources. And a lean company is in a better position to weather a tight labor market than a non-lean company.

The construction industry began to implement lean techniques in the 1990’s. The construction industry, unlike the automotive industry, was not dealing with foreign competition. Instead the construction industry was dealing with a building boom in the United States and, as a result, the industry began to experience labor shortages. This was more the impetus for the construction industry to adopt lean tools rather than international competition.

Construction projects are complex. For every area that becomes leaner, resources, including labor, free up that allows the reallocation of that labor to other areas. One product category in particular has been an obstacle for contractors for decades is doors, frames, and hardware.

The typical welded hollow metal door, frame, and hardware installation requires hours of labor. In addition, the materials must be stored, moved (usually many times), damaged, repaired, replaced, and on and on. Contractors build in extra costs to cover all of these unnecessary wastes. And, beyond the door systems, drywall and sheetrock productivity can be negatively impacted by improper frame installations. This problem has existed for so long, the accepted industry paradigm is there is no better way other than to deal with the problems. Fortunately now there is a better way.

Customers/owners, architect, and contractor’s preferred solution would be a welded frame that installed after the walls are complete. Delivered as a “kit” (frame, door, and hardware) to the respective openings, the system would be installed in minutes by one laborer.

The Qwikinstall frame system can provide all of this. It is a two-piece interlocking welded hollow metal frame that installs after the walls are complete. It installs with one person, in six steps, in six minutes. No other welded frame installs faster than Qwikinstall and no other frame combines the strength and durability of welded frame with the benefits of installation after the walls are complete.

Data is available that shows the Qwikinstall welded hollow metal frame delivers benefits in labor, time, and cost. If you want to use your labor more efficiently, contact us today and start being more efficient (and cost effective) tomorrow.

Metal Door Frames

websitebuilder@thryv.com — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 20:18:06 GMT

What you need to know about Metal Door Frames

Metal door frames (aka steel door frames, hollow metal door frames, and man door frames) have been around since the early 20 ^th century. They appeared around the same time as metal doors and steel doors and were first promoted for their fire resistance. By the mid-20 ^th century multiple companies had started to manufacture hollow metal doors and hollow metal frames. Today, millions of steel doors and steel frames are manufactured annually around the world.

Man door frames are commonly produced from steel, either cold rolled, galvanized, or galvannealed steel. The galvanized and galvanealed metal frames offer improved corrosion resistance over the cold rolled steel frames. Regardless of the steel type, most manufacturers apply a primer paint to the doors and frames prior to shipment to their customers. These frames are also produced from stainless steel when a high aesthetic finish is preferred.

Steel door frames are also produced from hot rolled steel. These frames are most often found in heavy industrial applications where resistance to damage from impact, for example, is desired or required.

Another material door frames and doors are produced from is aluminum. Aluminum is preferred for its appearance and corrosion resistance properties (although aluminum does corrode over time as does a steel door and metal door frame).

There are also doors and frames produced in fiberglass. These are often found in high traffic areas where high corrosion resistance and impact resistance is desired, e.g., schools.

Metal door frames have historically been available in two types, i.e., welded hollow metal and knock down configurations. The welded hollow metal frames consist of two vertical jambs and a horizontal header welded at the intersections of the jambs and header. These welded metal frames are noted for their strength and durability. They are used most often in commercial buildings for both interior and exterior building openings. These welded frames must be installed prior to the construction of the facility’s walls. As such, they can cause schedule delays if they do not arrive on site at the appropriate time. They are also subject to trade damage, i.e., damage caused by the various work trades going through the frames while the building is under construction. Trade damage can be a significant cost on a large construction project and cause delays in turning the building over to the owner.

The second type of frame, i.e., knock down, is so named because they are not welded but are assembled on the job site. In other words they are supplied in a “knocked down” condition, i.e. as separate components. One type of knock down frame is essentially a non-welded hollow metal frame. It consists of two vertical jambs and one horizontal header. These frames are installed after the walls are constructed. In that way they help to avoid schedule delays and minimize trade damage as you cannot damage a frame that is not there. While there are benefits to these frames, they do not offer the same strength or durability of the welded frames. A typical complaint is visual separation of the upper corners after just a few years.

The other style of knock down frame is most frequently known by the manufacturers brand names, i.e., Timely or Dunbarton Corporation. These companies produce similar products that are assembled on the job site. Each frame system includes a minimum of 9 pieces. One benefit of these frames is they are often supplied pre-finished and come in a wide variety of colors. While again they offer the benefit of minimizing delays and trade damage, they also do not provide the strength and durability of the welded hollow metal frame.

Millions upon millions of metal door frames have been installed since these frames became generally available. Each type has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Today, there is increasing interest in applying lean manufacturing principles to the construction work site. Lean is a discipline of driving wastes out of the processes and has the goal of providing the customer with the best value at the best cost. The best customer value would be a welded frame that could be installed after the walls are built and minimizes the labor effort and cost in doing so.

The Qwikinstall frame system accomplishes both of these goals. It is a two-piece interlocking welded hollow metal frame that installs after the walls are complete. It installs with 1 person, in 6 steps, in 6 minutes. No other welded frame installs faster than Qwikinstall and no other frame combines the strength and durability of welded frame with the benefits of installation after the walls are complete.