Lightweight Champion (1952)

streamlining from this down to something like this is well quite a trick there are many who would like to know how but in a structure like this you can easily trim weight by thousands of tons by the weight of an ocean liner in fact without sacrificing strength quality or safety in an average home you can cut out dead weight by the tonnage of five elephants without sacrificing strength or quality and this man certainly approves of this weight reduction he's the one who would otherwise have to voice those extra elephants of weight onto the walls and ceilings in the form of heavyweight plaster the secret the new well-known Pioneer and champion of the lightweight plaster Aggregates vermiculite since zonolite brand vermiculite first became available for buildings the largest sources have been deposits near Libby Montana close to The Majestic Mountain region that we know as Glacier National Park and the huge deposits in the beautiful pedmont section in South Carolina near the Smoky Mountains vermiculite is a mic mineral when it comes from the mine it looks like this it is made up of infinitely thin layers or laminations as many as a million to an inch with molecules of water entrapped between under intense heat the molecules of water turn to steam and cause each vermiculite particle to expand like an accord up to 15 times its normal size each particle is feather light and is fireproof Vermin proof and rot proof nature and man have combined to create the ideal aggregate for the best type of interior finish plaster and zonolite has almost revolutionized the building industry because of its advantages a cubic foot of zonolite plaster aggregate weighs around 7 to 8 lb but though light in weight zonolite plaster has all the strength that will be needed and some in reserve a cubic foot of sand weighs in it around 100 lb 12 to 15 times as much here are samples of plaster made with sand and with zonolite brand vermiculite sand plaster cracks under a sharp blow zonolite cushions the blow without shattering let's try another test driving a nail will chip sand plaster zonolite plaster tough yet not brittle takes the nail without chipping in addition to lightweight and strength one of the biggest advantages of zonolite is its Superior resistance to fire don't try this with anything but zonolite but you can apply a blowtorch long enough to melt a piece of copper on top of a handful of the aggregate without hurting your hand zonolite will not burn and it is very slow to conduct heat let's compare the fire resistance of a wall of sand plaster with that of a wall made with zonolite let's see how some pieces of Celluloid would survive with fire on the other side of these two walls the wall of sand plaster doesn't burn but it quickly transfers enough heat to burn the Celluloid the wall of zonolite plaster not only does not burn but shows far greater resistance to heat and protects the Next Room many times longer longer here are the results of a heat transmission test made by one of the nation's leading fire Testing Laboratories here's what the test showed sand plaster and zonolite plaster were exposed to a furnace heat that Rose to 1700° in 1 hour by that time the unexposed side of the sand plaster had reached a temperature of 920° but the unexposed side of the zonolite plaster was only 325 test after test made by the Underwriters Laboratories and other nationally recognized fire testing agencies shows the superior fire resistance of zonolite plaster zonolite has obtained fire ratings up to 4 hours the maximum degree of fire protection required by most building codes in designing buildings of structural steel like the new lever Brothers building in New York Architects and Engineers find that fireproofing with zonolite plaster brings important Savings in weight and steel in case of fire the critical temperature at which structural steel members fail is about 1,000° to protect columns and obtain the fire ratings required by building codes Architects and Engineers have had several methods including poured concrete when concrete was used forms had to be erected around the columns then enough concrete was needed not only to fill in the column but to extend at least 2 in beyond the outside dimensions this much is generally required for a 4-Hour rating zonite has brought a new and economical method of obtaining a similar rating now Engineers can specify that columns be surrounded by metal or gypsum la and covered with zonolite plaster this method requires less structural steel and no forms here is zonolite Plaster being applied over metal L to fireproof a column while obtaining a 4-Hour fire rating zonolite eliminates as much as 9 out of 10 lbs of dead weight as compared to concrete fireproofing this saving in weight permits the use of smaller structural members here is zonolite Plaster being applied over gypsum La either method gives the same results in fire safety and reduction of dead weight zonolite plaster also provides a 4-Hour fire rating to trusses girs beams and floor and roof constructions the use of zonite for fire proofing in the mid Willshire medical building in Los Angeles reduced dead weight to such an extent that 25% less structural steel was needed zonolite fireproofing in the credential building saved 4,900 tons of dead weight of which 1,000 tons was structural steel zonolite plaster is also being applied where two or 2 and 1/2 in solid partitions are used to save space an outstanding example is in the Cooper George apartments in Spokan Washington zonolite vermiculite solid partitions with metal or gypsum La give a strong wall with a fire rating up to 2 hours walls of this type have been tested in accordance with standard test procedures and have proved structurally sound the homeowner who is protected by zonolite knows that he is getting the same material used to fireproof today's multi-million dollar skyscrapers he is getting the best type of wall a plastered wall and is getting the best and safest plaster protection available no plaster substitute can give him such protection the contractor knows that it takes less time and cost him less money to handle zonite on the job the men who work with it appreciate that zonite is clean there's no cloud of dust or dirt while mixing it will not irritate the skin or eyes and you don't need to wear G goggles for protection and how much easier on the back than the heavyweight method as for the plasterer why wouldn't he prefer the plaster that weighs so much less as one plasterer says zonolite is lots of weight off my shoulders zonolite plaster goes on easily plasterers say they like the workability of the material and the coverage they get with it in areas where a machine is being used zonite has proved to be the best aggregate it is nonabrasive it will not wear out machine parts and cause costly delays in the operation of the equipment and zonolite can be rotted immediately any finish coat ordinarily used may be applied to a zonolite base coat here you see a lime putty finish coat being applied note The Long Easy TR Strokes the next step is doubling back and filling out to a true even surface when this finish has started to set a final troweling with water produces a hard durable surface for the advantages of an all vermiculite Plastering job you can use zonolite finish aggregate it is a special grade of vermiculite mixed with unfied gypsum plaster to produce a hard smooth finish the finished surface is strong and tough and adds the superior fire safety of Vermiculite for beauty of finish for opportunities of interior decoration there is no substitute for walls of plaster and for the best in plaster there is no substitute for zonolite another important use of vermiculite is as an acoustical material in homes large and small proper sound conditioning makes a big contribution to health happiness and comfort in homes and in public buildings of all types zonolite acoustical plastic provides excellent sound absorption with the least investment it is applied by the plasterer either by hand or by Machine plasterers are finding this product an excellent source of additional business on all types of jobs zonolite acoustical plastic can be applied over any clean firm waterresistant surface such as plaster base coats masonry clean concrete slabs oil painted surfaces and so on and can be applied over flat surfaces or curved here you see a smooth finish obtained with a Darby or trowl when desired a textured finish is obtained with a stipple brush the material is available in natural tan or off-white and can be painted any color desired here is an acoustical material that is an integral part of the Interior finish supplying 65% sound absorption in this microscopic closeup you can see why this surface is so effective millions of tiny interlaced Chambers catch the sound waves and trap them but in addition to its efficiency as a sound conditioner this acoustical material is 100% fireproof it is the only acoustical plaster that carries the underwriter's label to schools hospitals hotels and other public buildings fire safety is important zonite acoustical plastic is actually being used as a fireproofing material for example let's take two buildings A and B formerly to obtain a 4-Hour rating for a ceiling a base coat of 7/8 in of vermiculite plaster and a 1/8 in Finish coat were required to obtain this rating plus sound conditioning it required the addition of an acoustic iCal material attached to the ceiling today you can combine that fire rating plus sound conditioning by using a 5/8 in vermiculite plaster base coat and a 1/2 in coat of vermiculite acoustical plastic here in one ceiling is a 4-Hour fire rating plus 65% sound absorption for a cost very little more than fireproofing with no acoustical treatment at all there are examples of zonite acoustical plastic jobs everywhere Davidson College Chapel Davidson North Carolina Wyoming State Office Building Cheyenne Wyoming St James Church and rectory Orlando Florida Whitefish Bay School Milwaukee Wisconsin Hamilton hospital Hamilton New York and the First Federal Savings and Loan Association building Orlando Florida in churches like St Bridget's and Detroit Miss Mig and in many other types of buildings it lends its sound absorbing and fireproofing qualities yet gives a surface that can be painted over to blend in beautifully with the interior design more and more every day in descriptions of outstanding new buildings and homes you find zonolite Aggregates in the specifications vermiculite has proved its merits and millions of yards of plaster and acoustical plastic in structures throughout the world is being used currently in multiple dwellings such as Grant Village at Syracuse New York in commercial structures such as this atractive new Kroger store in Atlanta Georgia or the Austin Savings and Loan building Austin Texas in churches like M Olivette Lutheran Church Minneapolis Minnesota and in Civic buildings such as the new courthouse at Tampa Florida in apartment projects like Sussex hall Jamaica New York zonolite is used in 2-in solid partitions contributing strength and Fire Resistance and helping to add extra usable space other examples of zonolite solid partitions are found in the office building of the Toledo Peoria and Western Railroad in East Peoria Illinois in the Commodore Perry Hotel Austin Texas and many others in one hotel this space- saving construction resulted in 25 extra rooms an Inc ined potential revenue of $330,000 a year because of its Superior resistance to fire zonolite plaster is safeguarding public buildings and homes in all parts of the country it is uniform quality controlled through zonolite plants and it can always be counted on for its fireproofing qualities after a serious fire in a home in bethl main the fire chief reported we didn't save your home you plaster did any other Home plastered with ordinary materials would have been a total loss in building South Carolina's tallest building the Cornell Arms Apartments Zona light fireproofing saved over $30,000 in fireproofing materials alone and eliminated 80 tons of structural steel for an additional saving of $6,000 and not only in large structures everywhere such as one of New York City's newest Office Buildings 260 Madison Avenue but in homes such as this one in Syracuse New York and others of every style and size zonite contributes lightweight strength safety and beauty zonolite is the only product of its kind backed by a scientific research and testing laboratory devoted exclusively to the development of better Aggregates research experts are constantly mixing Plastering and testing looking for ways to improve and provide Aggregates that will be better and better every day these experts are testing walls of vermiculite plaster giving them the third degree comparing them with walls of other type plasters for strength resilience resistance to cracking and other desirable qualities these men also work constantly with zonolite plants helping to maintain quality each zonolite plant subscribes to underwriter laboratory's reexamination service for its plaster aggregate another zonolite plus that gives the buyer Assurance of constant unvarying quality because the product is passed an impartial inspection zonolite is sold by reliable dealers everywhere who stock the plaster aggregate along with other zonolite products zonolite plants are located strategically from coast to coast supplying the Building Trades in the United States Canada and abroad with a plaster aggregate that is always uniform in quality there is no real substitute for plaster and for the best of plaster there is no substitute for zonolite the lightweight champion [Music]