Supported & Swing Scaffolding

Scaffolding is a temporary structure used to support people and material in the construction or repair of buildings and other large structures.

The purpose of a working scaffold is to provide a safe place of work with safe access suitable for the work being done. There are two main types of scaffolds that are in common use, supported and suspended.

Supported frame scaffolds are the most common type of scaffold because they are versatile, economical, and easy to use. They are frequently used in one or two tiers by residential contractors, painters, etc., but their modular frames can also be stacked several stories high for use on large-scale construction jobs. Built from ground up, supported scaffolds are designed for long term work, and provide better access for workers to building exterior.

Two-point adjustable suspension scaffolds, also known as swing-stage scaffolds, are perhaps the most common type of suspended scaffold. Hung by ropes or cables connected to stirrups at each end of the platform, they are typically used by window washers on skyscrapers, but play a prominent role in high-rise construction as well.

Masonry & Stone

Masonry is commonly used for the walls of buildings, retaining walls and monuments. Brick and concrete block are the most common types of masonry in use in the industry and may be either weight-bearing or a veneer. Concrete blocks, especially those with hollow cores, offer various possibilities in masonry construction.

They generally provide great compressive strength, and are best suited to structures with light transverse loading when the cores remain unfilled. Filling some or all of the cores with concrete or concrete with steel reinforcement (typically rebar) offers much greater tensile and lateral strength to structures.

The use of materials such as brick and stone can increase the thermal mass of a building, giving increased comfort in the heat of summer and the cold of winter, and can be ideal for passive solar applications. Brick typically will not require painting and so can provide a structure with reduced life-cycle costs, although sealing appropriately will reduce potential spalling due to frost damage. Non-decorative concrete block generally is painted or stuccoed if exposed.

The appearance, especially when well crafted, can impart an impression of solidity and permanence. Masonry is very heat resistant and thus provides good fire protection. Masonry walls are more resistant to projectiles, such as debris from hurricanes or tornadoes than walls of wood or other softer, less dense materials.
Masonry tends to be heavy and must be built upon a strong foundation to avoid settling and cracking. Concrete foundations and steel frames are comonly used in modern construction of buildings.

Roofing & Waterproofing

New Force Construction Corp is a Certified Installer of the best roofing systems in the United States.

The primary job of most roofs is to keep out water. The large area of a roof repels a lot of water, which must be directed in some suitable way, so that it does not cause damage or inconvenience. The water repelled by the roof during a rainstorm is potentially damaging to the building that the roof protects. If it runs down the walls, it may seep into the mortar or through panels. If it lies around the foundations it may cause seepage to the interior, rising damp or dry rot.

Modern roofs tend to use a continuous membrane covering which can better resist pools of standing water. These membranes are applied as a continuous sheet where possible, though sealants and adhesives are available to allow for bonding multiple sheets and dealing with structures penetrating the roof surface.

Our company has extensive knowledge of roofing and waterproofing techniques, offering 20 year warranty on our systems.

Stucco

Stucco is an exterior cement plaster wall covering. Modern synthetic stucco can be applied as one base layer and a finish layer, which is thinner and faster to apply, compared to the traditional application of three-coat stucco.

As with any cement-based material, stucco must be reinforced to resist movement cracking. Plastic or wire mesh lath, attached with nails or screws to the structuraral framing, is embedded into the base coat to provided stiffening for the stucco.

One method often used to help conceal the smaller surface cracks that may appear is the application of one of a variety of pre-mixed acrylic finishes. Flexible acrylic finishes have the ability to stretch and bridge over cracks, improving appearance and limiting the passage of moisture behind the stucco.

Where stucco is to be applied to a structure of wood-framing or light-gauge steel framing, the framing is protected from moisture damage by applying a vapor-permeable, water-resistant weather barrier; typically an asphalt-saturated paper or one of a variety of manufactured plastic-based sheets, known as “building wraps” or “stucco wraps”.

The properties of the weather barrier must not only protect the framing from rain and moisture, but at the same time allow the free passage of any water vapor generated inside the building to escape through the wall.

A wide variety of stucco accessories, such as weep screeds, control and expansion joints, corner-aids and architectural reveals are sometimes also incorporated into the lath. Wire lath is used to give the plaster something to attach to and to add strength. Types include expanded-metal lath, woven-wire lath, and welded-wire lath.

The first layer of plaster is called a “scratch coat,” consisting of plastic cement and sand. A brush is used to scratch the surface horizontally or in a crisscross pattern to provide a key for the second layer. The first coat is allowed to dry (cure) before the second layer is applied.

The next layer is called the “brown coat” or leveling coat. It also consists of sand, cement, and lime. It is leveled with tools called “darbies,” “rods,” and “federeges,” scraped smooth, and floated to provide a smooth, even surface onto which the finish coat is applied. It is then allowed to dry (cure) for 7–10 days minimum to allow “checking” (shrinkage) and cracking to take place.

If applied during very dry weather, the layers of stucco are sprayed with water for one or more days to keep a level of moisture within the stucco while it cures, a process known as “moist curing.” If the stucco dries too soon, the chemical hardening (“hydration”) will be incomplete, resulting in a weaker and brittler stucco. The final, exterior layer is the “finish coat,” of which there are two recommended types:

Color Coat is a colored sand, cement, and lime mixed finish and is typically 3 mm (0.12 in) thick. It is applied over the second coat (brown coat) and can be floated with water for a sandy finish or textured over with a trowel to create various styles of finishes. Premixed, bagged stucco is gaining in use and is available in coarse graded sand and finer graded sand for creating a variety of troweled finishes; it is available in a variety of colors.
Acrylic Finish is an acrylic-based finish from 1 to 4 mm (0.039 to 0.16 in) thick. It can be applied in many ways; it is the most recommended finish for long-lasting quality. It also can be ordered in any color.

Hard Coating is another method of adding a finish to the stucco wall, although no longer recommended. In the 1960s and 1970s people added a variety of materials like glass chunks, stones or marble into the wet stucco wall. This kind of finish coat is very heavy and inflexible and is hard to repair.

Stucco is valued as a siding material for its attractiveness and durability — Portland cement can last indefinitely without requiring maintenance. It is often (but certainly not limited to) use on Spanish-style homes. Stucco can be directly applied to brick and concrete, or applied to a lath (paper or wire mesh) over wood frame or other material.

While nothing prevents anyone from painting or whitewashing cement to make it look like stucco, paint generally does not adhere to cement longer than two or three years, requiring constant re-application. Removing these materials in order to re-stucco requires expensive sandblasting. Paint also prevents the concrete from breathing. A stucco home can be re-stuccoed with a plaster that has the desired color pigment added.

Welding & Iron work

Welding is the most common way of permanently joining metal parts. In this process, heat is applied to metal pieces, melting and fusing them to form a permanent bond.

There are two kinds of welding equipment, gas, and electric. Electric welding is faster to set up, happens faster, and warps large metal pieces less. However, gas (“oxy-acetylene”) welding or “brazing” is more versatile.

- With electric welding(SMAW), an electric current is used to strike an arc between the base material and consumable electrode rod, which is made of steel and is covered with a flux that protects the weld area from oxidation and contamination by producing CO2 gas during the welding process.

The electrode core itself acts as filler material, making a separate filler unnecessary.

- Gas welding (GMAW), also known as metal inert gas or MIG welding, is a semi-automatic or automatic process that uses a continuous wire feed as an electrode and an inert or semi-inert gas mixture to protect the weld from contamination. Since the electrode is continuous, welding speeds are greater for gas welding than for electic. Also, the smaller arc size compared to the shielded metal arc welding process makes it easier to make out-of-position welds, making it more versalite.

Sheet metal