Abstract: A splice plate for joining and aligning extruded trim strips used in suspended ceiling islands and fascias of the type having a pair of opposed flanged channels on its rear face, the splice plate having upper and lower flanges proportioned to slide into the pair of channels and a pair of clamping elements, each of the clamping elements being disposed in a rearwardly horizontally spaced relation to a respective one of said splice plate flanges, a machine screw associated with each clamping element and arranged when turned to draw the respective clamping element forcibly towards an associated plate flange to thereby clamp an intervening portion of a trim channel flange, said plate being sufficiently long to span between a pair of end abutted trim strips.

Abstract: An acoustical panel for forming a monolithic ceiling or wall, the panel extending across a rectangular area, and having a core made primarily of gypsum, the core being essentially coextensive with the panel area such that it has two opposed sides, each of an area substantially equal to the area of the panel, the core having a multitude of perforations extending generally between its sides, the perforations being distributed substantially uniformly across the full area of the core and being open at both sides of the core, the face side of the core being covered by a porous layer, the perforations being optionally restricted at a rear side of the core, the porous layer at the face side of the core being suitable for adherence of drywall joint compound and a water-based non-blocking paint.

Abstract: A clip having a first leg for attaching to a trim strip and a second leg for attaching to a grid runner, the first leg having a backer plate attached with a screw through a slot, a head of the screw on a side of the first leg facing the second leg, the backer plate on the other side of the first leg, an upper edge of the first leg in a downwardly facing groove on a backside of the trim strip, the backer plate fitting between a depending free edge of the upper groove and an upstanding edge of a lower upwardly facing groove when the screw is up in the slot, and being received in the lower groove when the screw is down in the slot and clamping between the upstanding edge and a rear face of the trim strip when the screw is tightened.

Abstract: A wet laid basemat for an acoustical ceiling tile comprising on a dry weight basis, 50% or more mineral wool fiber, including shot, less than 9% binder, and between 5 and 20% chopped strand glass fiber, and, optionally, minor amounts of other constituents, whereby the chopped strand glass fibers serve to promote and/or maintain voids in the mat such that the dry basemat has a density of between about 7½ to about 10½ lbs. per cubic foot and an NRC substantially greater than 0.55.

Abstract: A curvable grid tee for suspending drywall capable of being configured vertically into convex or concave shapes comprising a series of identical web segments joined end-to-end, the segments being formed of sheet metal into a tee shaped cross section, the sheet metal of a segment being folded such that each segment has a vertical double layer stem with the stem layers joined at a common fold at upper edges thereof, the sheet metal at lower edges of each layer of the stem being bent outwardly to form a flange, a junction between adjacent segments permitting such adjacent segments to be angularly displaced relative to one another in a vertical plane such that the flanges are capable of supporting a drywall panel in a curved plane.

Abstract: An acoustical panel for forming a monolithic ceiling or wall, the panel extending across a rectangular area, and having a core made primarily of gypsum, the core being essentially coextensive with the panel area such that it has two opposed sides, each of an area substantially equal to the area of the panel, the core having a multitude of perforations extending generally between its sides, the perforations being distributed substantially uniformly across the full area of the core and being open at both sides of the core, the face side of the core being covered by a porous layer, the perforations being optionally restricted at a rear side of the core, the porous layer at the face side of the core being suitable for adherence of drywall joint compound and a water-based non-blocking paint.

Abstract: An acoustical panel for forming a monolithic ceiling or wall, the panel extending across a rectangular area, and having a core made primarily of gypsum, the core being essentially coextensive with the panel area such that it has two opposed sides, each of an area substantially equal to the area of the panel, the core having a multitude of perforations extending generally between its sides, the perforations being distributed substantially uniformly across the full area of the core and being open at both sides of the core, the face side of the core being covered by a porous layer, the perforations being optionally restricted at a rear side of the core, the porous layer at the face side of the core being suitable for adherence of drywall joint compound and a water-based non-blocking paint.

Abstract: A roll-formed grid runner comprising a sheet metal strip folded into an upper hollow single wall reinforcing bulb, a double wall web below the bulb, a channel extending laterally from both sides of a lower end of the web to a bend and upwardly from the bend to a panel supporting elevation, the bend on each side of the web existing at a longitudinally extending score line where a thickness of the strip is locally reduced.

Abstract: Ceiling panels for use in a grid-type suspended ceiling (10) each comprise a thin flexible scrim (40) that is of insufficient rigidity to consistently maintain a substantially planar form when installed in the grid-type suspended ceiling. These embodiments also present a rigidizing and engagement member (60, 122, 161) that attaches to only a relatively minor portion of the thin flexible scrim and that is configured and arranged to substantially increase and maintain rigidity of the thin flexible scrim such that the thin flexible scrim will consistently maintain a substantially planar form when installed in the grid-type suspended ceiling and that will also serve to engage at least one grid runner of the grid-type suspended ceiling to thereby maintain the thin flexible scrim in an installed position within the grid-type suspended ceiling.

Abstract: A sheet metal clip for connecting the ends of three or four grid runners with their longitudinal axii intersecting at a common center and at obtuse or acute angles relative to each other, the clip having a leg for each one of the grid runners, each leg, in use, extending in a vertical plane from the center and being permanently bendable at the center to allow the leg to be adjusted to a desired angle of a respective grid runner.

Abstract: A cast ceiling tile and method for manufacture incorporates chitosan in an amount sufficient to provide improved strength.

Abstract: An acoustical panel for forming a monolithic ceiling or wall, the panel extending across a rectangular area, and having a core made primarily of gypsum, the core being essentially coextensive with the panel area such that it has two opposed sides, each of an area substantially equal to the area of the panel, the core having a multitude of perforations extending generally between its sides, the perforations being distributed substantially uniformly across the full area of the core and being open at both sides of the core, the face side of the core being covered by a porous layer, the perforations being optionally restricted at a rear side of the core, the porous layer at the face side of the core being suitable for adherence of drywall joint compound and a water-based non-blocking paint.

Abstract: An acoustical panel for forming a monolithic ceiling or wall, the panel extending across a rectangular area, and having a core made primarily of gypsum, the core being essentially coextensive with the panel area such that it has two opposed sides, each of an area substantially equal to the area of the panel, the core having a multitude of perforations extending generally between its sides, the perforations being distributed substantially uniformly across the full area of the core and being open at both sides of the core, the face side of the core being covered by a porous layer, the perforations being optionally restricted at a rear side of the core, the porous layer at the face side of the core being suitable for adherence of drywall joint compound and a water-based non-blocking paint.

Abstract: A clip for mounting an elongated trim strip on ends of ceiling grid runners, having a right angle configuration with two intersecting legs, one leg adapted to laterally abut an end of a grid runner and the other being adapted to engage the trim strip, said other leg having oppositely extending upper and lower grips for reception into upper and lower opposing channels of the trim strip, the grips being relatively moveable, and a toggle arrangement for moving said grips away from one another, when retracted, the grips being capable of passing between the opposed channels, the toggle arrangement selectively maintaining said grips in an extended position to frictionally lock onto the opposed channels of the trim strip.

Abstract: A sheet metal yoke for supporting a pair of main runners of a suspended ceiling grid in parallel alignment with a relatively narrow spacing, the yoke having an inverted U-shape with a horizontal span and a depending leg adjacent each end of the span, a lower end of each leg having a tab extending towards the other leg, the tab being proportioned to fit in a cross runner slot of a main runner and being capable of vertically supporting the main runner at a desired elevation.

Abstract: A seismic bracket for supporting ends of suspended ceiling grid runners from a wall comprising a stamped sheet metal body, the body having a horizontally extending portion and a vertically extending portion, the vertically extending portion, in its installed position, rising above the top of a standard grid runner a distance at least 1½ times the height of such standard grid runner, the vertically extending portion having two sections generally coextensive in the vertical direction, a first section being integral with the horizontally extending portion and a second section arranged to be in a vertical plane that intersects a vertical plane occupied by the horizontally extending portion, the horizontally extending portion being arranged to support a grid runner to move longitudinally a limited distance, the second section of the vertically extending portion having an aperture for securing the bracket to the wall at a location substantially above the grid tee.

Abstract: A grid runner and method of its manufacture that saves material content with use of a serpentine sheet metal web configured to be essentially scrapless and that results in a parallel chord truss-like construction with open spaces between an upper reinforcing bulb and a lower flange.

Abstract: A coating for application to the surface of an interior building product comprises: a resin formulation such as a melamine formaldehyde resin characterized by its ability to strengthen the interior building product when applied as a coating to the building product; and an aldehyde scavenger selected from the group consisting of; tetraethylene pentamine, propionamide, caprolactam, ammonium hydroxide, sodium bisulfate, sodium metabisulfite, ammonium primary phosphate, ammonium secondary phosphate, a combination of ammonium primary phosphate and ammonium secondary phosphate, a combination of ammonium primary phosphate, ammonium secondary phosphate and a sulfite, a polyvinyl alcohol; adipic dihydrazide and a combination of a polyvinyl alcohol and adipic dihydrazide.

Abstract: A sheet metal yoke for supporting a pair of main runners of a suspended ceiling grid in parallel alignment with a relatively narrow spacing, the yoke having an inverted U-shape with a horizontal span and a depending leg adjacent each end of the span, a lower end of each leg having a tab extending towards the other leg, the tab being proportioned to fit in a cross runner slot of a main runner and being capable of vertically supporting the main runner at a desired elevation.

Abstract: A roll formed sheet metal grid runner, and method of its manufacture, for a suspended ceiling grid having indexing tabs stamped from a central web of the runner profile, the tabs being effective to reliably locate ceiling panels and, when the grid runner is nested with other identical runners in a package, avoid marring of visible surfaces.