Story at a glance:
- A 12-month exposure warranty on Gold Bond eXP Sheathing products is one way that National Gypsum Company provides contractors with durable and high-performing building products.
- Select Gold Bond products provided by National Gypsum Company are low-emitting, mold- and moisture-resistant, fire-resistant, and sound damping.
- National Gypsum Company provides select high-value products manufactured by its affiliate companies that are tested for abrasion, weathering, moisture, and, especially, fire resistance.
When commercial project timelines get pushed and exterior cladding installers are delayed, architects need not worry about their in-progress buildings wearing Gold Bond eXP Sheathing. That’s because the 12-month exposure warranty ensures the product can take rain, snow, hail, extreme temperatures, and sun for up to a year without being damaged. National Gypsum continues to provide contractors value through this exposure warranty as supply chains struggle.
The National Gypsum name through its Gold Bond, ProForm, and PermaBASE product lines has been synonymous with high-quality, innovative products and exceptional customer service for almost 100 years. Innovative products backed by robust warranties are just one way National Gypsum meets the high quality, sustainability, and durability standards expected by their customers. Each manufacturing company follows rigorous internal research, development, and testing procedures to ensure its products will last while keeping building occupants safe and healthy.
The manufacturing companies create new products and continually improve existing products and building systems to address sustainability and resiliency standards, fire resistance, mold and mildew resistance, sound mitigation, impact and abrasion resistance, and pretty much anything else their customers need to fulfill projects. National Gypsum Company’s Construction Services Department at 1-800-NATIONAL provides expert help on specifications, code regulations, installation, and more to architects, specifiers, contractors, code officials, and homeowners.
Matt Gallagher, gypsum systems product manager for National Gypsum, sat down with gb&d to share more about the resiliency and sustainability features of products, brands and systems provided by National Gypsum Company.
How do National Gypsum’s Gold Bond product families create resilient buildings?
Photo courtesy of National Gypsum
Our DEXcell and eXP products for roof coverboard and exterior sheathing applications are produced with a more robust fiberglass facer versus paper. Both carry the 12-month exposure warranty to bring customers peace of mind if they are unable to install the final roof covering or wall cladding right away. They provide a substrate that is mold-, mildew-, and moisture-resistant. They are also fire-resistant and have a dense gypsum core.
Our DEXcell FA VSH Glass Mat Roof Board offers enhanced hail, puncture, and wind resistance. Like our other DEXcell roof products, it protects from wind uplift and enhances fire and moisture resistance while providing dimensional stability to the roof system. The DEXcell FA VSH roof board can withstand a 2-inch ice ball traveling 106 miles per hour. From a natural disaster perspective, our products ensure the safety of occupants and protects the building contents as well.
Combined with National Gypsum’s PURPLE moisture and mold-resistant XP® paper-faced gypsum board for interior applications, you can have a comfortable, safe, low-emission, moisture, and mold-resistant environment throughout the building. Photo courtesy of National Gypsum
Our eXP Sheathing is used on outside walls or soffit framing as a substrate for exterior cladding. Its gypsum core offers a dimensionally stable base to build high-performance exterior walls, and its PURPLE fiberglass mat encases the face, back, and sides to reinforce and protect the core, providing superior weather resistance.
Combined with our PURPLE moisture and mold-resistant XP® paper-faced gypsum board for interior applications, you can have a comfortable, safe, low-emission, moisture, and mold-resistant environment throughout the building. We are a one-stop-shop.
How do these create healthier indoor environments?
Photo courtesy of National Gypsum
We are all about providing products to the marketplace that contribute to a comfortable and healthy indoor environment. Our various products are low-emitting, mold- and moisture-resistant, fire-resistant, and sound dampening. The fiberglass facing on our eXP products resists mold growth. There is no food for mold to grow on. Our XP gypsum board has less than 5% water absorption and features SPORGARD® technology with extra mold-inhibiting properties. Those are all very tangible features and provide confidence to the designer specifying our products and systems.
Our SoundBreak XP wall and ceiling products contribute to high STC-rated assemblies to create a comfortable space for occupants. These features contribute to and support higher indoor environmental acoustic quality.
How do National Gypsum products contribute to LEED and other green building goals?
Photo courtesy of National Gypsum
Green certifications are constantly evolving, and we are on that journey. We are always adding declarations and transparency information to help with LEED goals, WELL building requirements, and Living Building Challenge credits. Pretty much every interior product we have is third-party certified as a low-emitting product. We have a very broad portfolio of UL GREENGUARD Gold certified products. The paper facers on our Gold Bond gypsum board products are 100% post-consumer recycled content, which contributes to credit compliance in most green rating systems.
We have put a lot of effort into educating architects, developers, contractors, and consumers. We want our customers to be successful. We provide the technical resources and consultation, and we even have a dedicated staff person to help fill out the forms for green rating systems. Our customers don’t have to spend hours researching. We already have that information available for them.
What kind of testing is done on these products?
Our Technology Innovation Center (TIC), less than a mile from our headquarters in Charlotte, is staffed with scientists who keep us focused on product innovation, optimization, and performance and are dedicated to making our products better every day. We are always trying to upgrade our products and are constantly testing them to ensure all standards are exceeded—abuse, impact, mold resistance, fire, etc. Our TIC is an incubator for all our product development efforts.
Our plants consistently send samples from their production to the TIC for quality testing. Every product is tested and formulated to meet industry and sustainability standards. Whenever we vet new ingredients or new chemistry, we test them internally and do multiple qualifying trials before introducing them to the marketplace.
Product fire resistance properties and achieving the respective fire system ratings are very important to National Gypsum because this ensures life safety for building occupants. We are constantly testing and re-testing within an Underwriters Laboratory (UL) approved testing facility to demonstrate how our products can be used in fire-rated assemblies.
How long do these products typically last before repair or replacement is necessary?
They are designed to be installed, intact, and usable pretty much for the life of the building. From a life-safety standpoint, there is no degradation of the material as long as the building is intact. Once installed, it does not need to be replaced unless occupant requirement dictates or there is a need for renovation. If something does damage the gypsum board, it can be easily repaired.
