Parallam® PSL: 25 Years of Improving Wood-Framed Buildings
Trus Joist® engineered wood product from Weyerhaeuser offers predictable performance and superior strength for homes, multi-family and light commercial buildings
Federal Way, Wash., September 14, 2011 – During the summer of 1986, the movies “Top Gun” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” were box office hits, and teenagers danced to New Wave music. In building technology, Parallam® parallel strand lumber (PSL) was introduced at Expo 86 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The new building material provided high strength, long-length beams for extended clear spans and open floor plans in wood-framed buildings – benefits it continues to offer 25 years later. Today, Weyerhaeuser produces Trus Joist® Parallam® PSL beams, columns and headers for use in homes, multi-family structures and light commercial buildings. www.trusjoist.com
“The invention of Parallam PSL was one of those building material breakthroughs that happen maybe once or twice in a generation,” said Carlos Guilherme, Vice President of Engineered Lumber Products for Weyerhaeuser. “Engineers and scientists invented a new product that took a great building material – wood – and made it even better. Parallam PSL’s high-strength and long lengths allow architects and builders to use wood framing in applications that might otherwise have been built with concrete or steel, which are more expensive and require specialized labor. Plus, Parallam PSL can be made from trees that are too small for use as standard lumber, making efficient use of natural resources.”
Manufactured for predictable performance and superior strength, Parallam PSL offers design flexibility, easier installation, and lower overall installed cost than many other building materials. Weyerhaeuser technology delivers Parallam PSL beams and columns that are straight and long – up to 60 feet. The product can be stained or finished for an attractive look in exposed interior applications.
For exterior structural needs, such as decks, Parallam®Plus PSL with Wolmanized®preservative protection helps defend against termites, fungal decay and moisture exposure. The treatment also allows columns and posts to be installed directly into the ground.
Weyerhaeuser manufactures Trus Joist Parallam PSL using long, narrow wood veneer strips bonded together with adhesives in a press and microwave process. The material is free of knots and other defects, and has exceptional fastener holding capability.
Parallam PSL is part of a family of innovative engineered wood products from Weyerhaeuser, including Trus Joist®TimberStrand®LSL, Microllam®LVL, and TJI®joists. Builders use these materials to create durable, high-quality structural frames for demanding applications, while helping avoid costly callbacks from warped lumber, nail pops, wall cracks and other framing problems that arise after installation.
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About Weyerhaeuser
Weyerhaeuser, one of the world’s largest forest products companies, began operations in 1900. Our wood products business offers leading structural frame materials, software and technical support for residential, multi-family, and light construction under the Weyerhaeuser and Trus Joist® brand names, and is one of the largest building products distributors in the U.S. We manage our timberlands on a sustainable basis in compliance with internationally recognized forestry standards, and all of the structural wood products we make are SFI® certified. At the end of 2010, the entire company employed approximately 14,000 employees in 10 countries and generated $6.6 billion in sales. www.weyerhaeuser.com
For more information, contact:
Greg Wells
(208) 364-1428
greg.wells@weyerhaeuser.com
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