Episode 120
The Future of Eco-Friendly Homes: Insights from Green Cork Products
The salient point of today's discourse revolves around the innovative application of cork as a sustainable material in construction, specifically as articulated by Randy Bailey from Green Cork Products. We delve into the transformative potential of cork beyond its conventional use in wine stoppers, revealing its remarkable ability to enhance the thermal efficiency and fire resistance of residential structures. The conversation elucidates how this renewable resource, sourced from the bark of cork oak trees in Portugal, contributes to a greener and healthier living environment. We further explore the myriad benefits of incorporating cork into home design, including its affordability and aesthetic appeal, which resonate profoundly with environmentally conscious homeowners. As we navigate the complexities of sustainable living, this dialogue serves as a pivotal resource for those seeking to adopt a more eco-friendly lifestyle through innovative building materials.
The discussion centers on the innovative and sustainable applications of cork, particularly through the insights of Randy Bailey from Green Cork Products. As the conversation unfolds, I am captivated by the versatility of cork beyond its conventional use in wine bottle stoppers. Randy elucidates how this renewable material can significantly enhance the construction industry, particularly in creating homes that are not only environmentally friendly but also more resilient to fire and thermal stress. The episode delves into the historical context of shelter, highlighting humanity's ongoing quest for sustainable living solutions, with cork emerging as a pivotal material in modern architecture. We engage in an exploration of the thermal properties of cork, which provide significant energy efficiency benefits, particularly in regions experiencing extreme temperatures. Ultimately, we underscore the importance of adopting sustainable practices in our lifestyles, and cork stands out as a prime example of how traditional materials can be reimagined for a contemporary context.
Takeaways:
- The podcast discusses the innovative uses of cork, emphasizing its renewable nature and significant benefits for construction.
- Randy Bailey explains how Green Cork Products originated from addressing issues in home building, particularly cracking stucco.
- The episode highlights the recent advancements in fire abatement capabilities of cork, which are crucial for homeowners in fire-prone areas.
- Listeners are encouraged to consider the thermal insulation properties of cork, which can significantly reduce heat load in homes.
- The conversation emphasizes the importance of using sustainable materials in construction for a greener, more efficient future.
- The episode concludes with a discussion on the affordability and aesthetic benefits of using Green Cork Products for home exteriors.
Links referenced in this episode:
- greencorkproducts.com
- stardustbuilding.org
- idealhomeimprovementaz.com
- iFoam.com
- boxcaruniverse.com
- mrelectric.com/phoenix-metro
Transcript
Welcome back to Boxcar Universe.
Speaker A:Today we're talking sustainability with Randy Bailey from Green Cork Products.
Speaker A:You might think cork is just for wine bottles, but Randy's here to show us how this renewable material is changing construction, making homes greener, more efficient and healthier.
Speaker A:Stick around.
Speaker A:This is a conversation you won't want to miss.
Speaker A:Since the dawn of time, mankind has searched for ways to shelter themselves from the elements.
Speaker A:Over the centuries, these shelters have evolved from bamboo huts to concrete towers.
Speaker A:The last few years, there's been a push to save the planet.
Speaker A:Are you ready to embark on a more sustainable lifestyle?
Speaker A:Look no further.
Speaker A:You're about to enter the adventures of container home Living.
Speaker A:And now, contractor, radio and TV personality and your host for Boxcar Universe, Steve Dubel.
Speaker A:Hi, I'm Steve Dubel, host of Boxcar Universe.
Speaker A:And here's what's coming up on this week's edition of Boxcar Universe.
Speaker A:Randy Bailey is here from Green Cork Products.
Speaker A:And for those of you who have listened to the show in the past, Green Cork Products is a fabulous product that Randy's going to be telling us about.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And it has a lot of different purposes for the exterior of our home, the interior home, cooling your home.
Speaker A:So we're going to be able to go through all that, especially because U.S. residents here in the Valley of the sun are experiencing extreme temperatures.
Speaker A:I mean, it's only 114 today, but we're dealing with it and we are cool in the studio today.
Speaker A:So I want everybody to hang tight.
Speaker A:You're listening to Boxcar Universe, where we are your source for sustainable lifestyle and green energy products.
Speaker A:And we want to say welcome to everybody today for the show, we are going to be talking about Green Cork products, which is a fabulous product that is actually originated right here in the Valley of the Sun, Phoenix, Arizona.
Speaker A:And for those of you talking about, you're thinking about Corkwell.
Speaker A:You know, the only thing that some people are familiar with cork is, well, I've got a cork board in my kitchen or I got a cork board in my shop and, you know, I stick pins in it to keep my notes organized and stuff.
Speaker A:But cork has a lot of different types of purposes that we are going to be able to talk about with Randy.
Speaker A:And Randy, I want to welcome to you to Boxcar Universe.
Speaker A:It's been a while, but great to have you back in the studio.
Speaker B:Thank you, Steven.
Speaker A:All right, sounds good.
Speaker A:Why don't you give our listeners a little bit of an update.
Speaker A:For those of you out there who haven't heard about green cork products and Tell us a little bit how the company originated and a little bit about the product itself.
Speaker B:Well, thank you.
Speaker B:Excited to be here.
Speaker B:The company originated through my partner's idea in the home building industry, which he spent 40 years in.
Speaker B:And one of the biggest issues his friends had, the new home builders, was a cracking stucco.
Speaker B:Even on a new home, by the time the homeowner moved in, there's cracks and the patching looked horrible.
Speaker B:So Jim thought there has to be a way to have a solution that allows us to stop that issue, which is, again, a customer service and maintenance issue for the builders.
Speaker B:And he came across the idea of blending raw cork granules, which we import from Portugal, which are sustainable.
Speaker B:They're left over from those fancy wine bottle corks that you all buy.
Speaker B:And we take those cork granules right here in Phoenix, and we blend them into a proprietary formulation of elastomeric.
Speaker B:And that is a sprayable solution.
Speaker B:Then that can go on the exterior of a home as a coating that we also can add paint to to match the homeowner's desire.
Speaker B:So you have an exterior coating that is sprayed on that has tremendous benefits, not just the cracking, as it turns out, but there's tremendous benefits that cork brings that no other material on earth does.
Speaker B:And we'll go through those.
Speaker B:But a couple of those are the thermal aspects of the heat resistance that cork provides a homeowner.
Speaker B:And most recently, we've been mainly focused on the fire abatement capabilities of cork.
Speaker B:And we'll get into that discussion and our recent certific.
Speaker B:But we're real excited about how we've developed over the past year, which I think it's been about a year since we were on your show.
Speaker A:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker A:And a lot has gone on, not to mention the disasters that we've heard about, obviously the Hawaiian and LA fires, which the LA fires actually had the opportunity to see some of the devastation firsthand when I was out a few months ago in Los Angeles, up in the Pasadena area, where it was just amazing how fire can be so erratic when you think about it, that it would sweep through a neighborhood where two or three homes, like in a.
Speaker A:Like in a triangular cluster, get.
Speaker A:Get, you know, burned down.
Speaker A:Yet the one right next door has no damage at all.
Speaker A:And then another block where the whole block is wiped out.
Speaker A:I mean, it's just.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker A:Just a shame on how all this happened.
Speaker A:And forget about that.
Speaker A:The city couldn't find any water.
Speaker A:Well, that's just a story for another show.
Speaker A:But, you know, the thing with that, you know, you have to worry about protecting your home.
Speaker A:And especially, you know, some of those homes are not exactly new.
Speaker A:However, if you live in an area that is prone to fires, I would think that your insurance rates would probably be higher, and there would be something that you would want to do to protect your home, because at any time during the fire season, you know, you could.
Speaker A:You could suffer a tremendous loss.
Speaker A:Now, I had met one of the people out there who was a reporter in Los Angeles that actually lost her home while she was reporting the fires in another part of the city.
Speaker A:And it was pretty devastating.
Speaker A:I mean, when I saw it, they had cleaned out all the debris and everything, but the only thing left in the ground was the pool.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And that did cause us about a year ago, to kind of shift our focus in our research and development and certification efforts.
Speaker B:And the reason that came about is we noticed that NASA has been using cork forever.
Speaker B:There's no satellite or spaceship that goes up that does not have cor as underlying under the tile.
Speaker B:And that black char that those of us old enough remember the shuttle, when that ceramic tile would come off, there was a black char looking on the nose of the shuttle primarily.
Speaker B:And that was cork.
Speaker B:And so we got to realizing that since cork really doesn't burn, would it possibly be a solution for people that are looking to fire harden their homes, put them in a position where maybe they could get insurance and all those kinds of things?
Speaker B:And I'm here today to successfully that.
Speaker B:We have achieved that in two ways.
Speaker B:First of all, our primary blend, our initial blend, does have a class A fire rating.
Speaker B:And I won't get into specifics of the numbers, but I can tell you, in the rating scale, our product performed exceptionally well in class A.
Speaker B:There was no smoke and a five fire spread, which gives firefighters time to get to a structure if it's on fire.
Speaker B:But more excitingly, and the reason I was eager to come on your show today is just as of last week, after working for a year on our formulation and adding different ingredients, we have achieved what's called ASTM E84.
Speaker B:And for a homeowner, that probably doesn't mean anything.
Speaker B:If there's any fire professionals listening, they know exactly what I'm talking about.
Speaker B:And what that means to us is tremendous, because there's a code called wildland urban interface.
Speaker B:And these are zones in our country where there are structures at risk.
Speaker B:And I was shocked to know the number.
Speaker B:About 38% of the structures in our country are in wue zones.
Speaker B:Again, wildland urban interface.
Speaker B:And just last Week, Stephen, we got WUE certification, which means I'm going to read from a fire professional that sent me a text because I'm not a fire professional.
Speaker B:And he says that if the product meets the ASTM E84 standard, it is good for ignition resistant building material standard 503 and can be used in WUI areas.
Speaker B:So as of this show, if you have a structure that is in a zone that you're concerned about fire, you need to learn and research green cork products because we're now ready to help you.
Speaker A:That's great.
Speaker A:And I think that that is going to be so important, especially up north where the fires in the areas that we talk about, not just in Arizona, but in the whole southwest California and other areas around the country that are prone to fires.
Speaker A:And we're in fire season.
Speaker A:Coming up on some of the more critical areas that do get stricken with buyers.
Speaker A:And I have to believe that there's got to be something now with that certification that you're going to make some insurance companies aware of that so that this way they can offer homeowners a reduced rate if they qualify and have your product on their home.
Speaker B:Great comment, Stephen.
Speaker B:And unfortunately, it's not quite that clean and it's a little cloudy.
Speaker B:Insurance companies and fire professionals and homeowners are still working to figure out what can homeowners do that's certified, for example, that if you take these steps, then you can get insurance or certainly get your rate reduced.
Speaker B:And so as a result of our certification, we are working with professionals to start frankly with the state of California and their fire marshal to get on what is considered WUE certified products.
Speaker B:And so we're in the mid of doing that.
Speaker B:And I think that will add a lot of credence to fire marshals all over the country once they can see that we are on that listing.
Speaker A:I think that's going to be so, so important with that homeowners in those areas, they need to seek the product out obviously.
Speaker A:Now, is the main manufacturing facility still here in Phoenix?
Speaker B:Yes, all of our products are made right here.
Speaker B:And in the last year since I've met with you, Steven, say we focused on three things.
Speaker B:One was enhancing the formulation both for sound and fire.
Speaker B:Two, I would say was trialing it on different structures and substrates.
Speaker B:And then three was certifications.
Speaker B:Because as much as I'd like to say our product is great until it's certified and validated by an independent lab, there's no way that homeowners or builders or architects can trust that that's the case and now we can be certified as a trust solution to fire harden homes.
Speaker B:And I think a lot of times we focus on the new construction.
Speaker B:But in reality, if you have a structure that you think has any risk of fire, you need to explore Green Court products because we are, I think, extremely affordable.
Speaker B:When we look at other fire abatement type products, although there's nothing like ours in the world, actually they're extremely expensive and we've tried to make our product not a price prohibitive for folks that want to fire hard in their home in these risky areas.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I mean, again, to have a good product like that.
Speaker A:And I applaud you for trying to make sure that it's affordable for homeowners to actually go out and, and consider doing that and weigh the risk of should I do it to my home, Should I not do it to my home?
Speaker A:And now we're only talking about the exterior.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And we're going to get into a little bit of the interior aspect of it and how it can help your homes for insulation because obviously, especially when you're, you know, you live in the southwest here, especially in Arizona, you know, we're in the middle of our monsoon season right now though I haven't seen much rain, but it's surely hot and it's, it's definitely August eat here in the valley of the sun.
Speaker A:So we're going to get into those thermal aspects of green cork and right after the break.
Speaker A:So I want everybody to hang tight.
Speaker A:We'll be right back.
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Speaker A: -: Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:We are back and you are listening to Boxcar Universe.
Speaker A:And with us today is Randy Bailey from Green Cork Products.
Speaker A:And we are talking about the fabulous product here in our first segment in case you joined us late.
Speaker A:We are talking about how it is a fabulous product to inhibit fire from penetrating your home.
Speaker A:And it is a great, it surely is light years over just traditional paint because paint just is a coating for the materials, but it really, it doesn't do anything if fire comes up against your home.
Speaker A:But Green Cork products obviously is a unique product.
Speaker A:And yes, cork, as we were talking about during the break, cork doesn't burn.
Speaker A:And tell us, tell our listeners a little bit about that test that we were just talking about on how well it responded when you went through the testing.
Speaker B:Well, thank you, Stephen.
Speaker B:Give a little bit of a shout out to the laboratory.
Speaker B:We work with qai.
Speaker B:They've been great partners in just advising us and guiding us to their testing process.
Speaker B:But specifically for this test, there was a wall built, I forget the size, like six by eight.
Speaker B:And it was cedar plank.
Speaker B:And you can only imagine how flammable cedar plank is.
Speaker B:And at the base of this wall, they put a flame and they fire that flame up.
Speaker B:And by the way, we have video of this.
Speaker B:That's very impressive.
Speaker B:And for 10 minutes, they put that flame on that wall.
Speaker B:And in order for you to get a E84 passing one, it cannot ignite at all.
Speaker B:It cannot ignite which our product did not.
Speaker B:Secondly, they turn the flame off.
Speaker B:I think the original flame is on the wall.
Speaker B:For 10 minutes they turn that flame off.
Speaker B:And then if it reignites, you fail.
Speaker B:So it's a very difficult test.
Speaker B:And we did absolutely spectacular.
Speaker B:And most of your listeners with Google could Google ASTM E84 and they would see exactly the kind of testing that our product was certified as good.
Speaker A:Now, when you went through to create the product, to be able to have that ability to actually withstand heat.
Speaker A:Is there, is it an additive in the product when you make it, or is it just the traditional, the cork product itself that's skinned off the tree?
Speaker B:Fantastic question, Steven.
Speaker B:You can tell you've been in this business over a month, haven't you?
Speaker A:I think so, but.
Speaker B:Well, our original blend does very well with the cork in it, which is again, class A rated.
Speaker B:And for most folks, that would be fantastic.
Speaker B:But again, if you're an A wooy zone or have fire issues, the difference is we do add another additive, intumescent that with the cork.
Speaker B:They work in conjunction to both keep the heat off the structure and keep the fire from igniting or spreading.
Speaker B:I can't disclose that it's proprietary, but the laboratory obviously knows all the ingredients.
Speaker B:But when you look at our certifications, it says for proprietary reasons that all the ingredients aren't listed.
Speaker B:But yes, the fire blend has additional additives that take it beyond the class A capabilities.
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean, it's just an amazing kind of product.
Speaker A:And then, you know, thinking about it as as good as it is, you know, let's talk a little bit about the thermal aspect of it and how it can relate to from an interior standpoint.
Speaker B:Well, the interior is really not what we're certified for, Although we have no VOCs volatile organic compound.
Speaker B:So anyone could use it interior or exterior if they desired.
Speaker B:But I think the real thermal benefit comes from, for example, we had a commercial building that we sprayed, and we took a heat gun and tested the wall with the sun hitting it.
Speaker B:And there was about a 30 degree difference between the wall just stuck O in the wall that had our spray on it.
Speaker B:And really, as I've been educated, the real benefit of that is all the items behind that wall, the heat load is tremendously reduced on all those items that are in the home.
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean, and that's a perfect test too.
Speaker A:You think about it, because they don't want the test, doesn't want the material to burn.
Speaker A:But then on the other side, during the course of the test, any other valuables on the other side of the wall, obviously are thoroughly protected.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:At the end of the day, you can just summarize with cork helps reduce heat load and fire.
Speaker A:Okay, so let's talk a little bit about a residential attic.
Speaker A:Now, when you think about it, because, you know, there's a lot of different products out there, People throw bad insulation in their home.
Speaker A:Most of the builders do that when they build it.
Speaker A:Other people like to do traditional foam.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:How does the cork with its proprietary Characteristics, how does it stack up against those other types of insulation?
Speaker B:Well, as much as, first of all, we are not certified as an insulation product of any kind.
Speaker B:And we've been so busy and there are so many other uses for cork.
Speaker B:One of our challenges has been what do we do next?
Speaker B:Because there's limits to what we can pay for certifications.
Speaker B:But there are so many things behind this that we're working on.
Speaker B:Imagine if you were to spray our product under tile on a roof.
Speaker B:Not only are you now reducing the fire possibility, but the heat load that's coming through.
Speaker B:Imagine if we developed a formula that you could form and use as pool tiles, because again, cork is not going to get hot.
Speaker B:So all of a sudden you can form pavers that are very strong.
Speaker B:We sent a cylinder of our product to a local cement company and we wanted to see what the psi value could be.
Speaker B: u're probably going to get is: Speaker B: We got over: Speaker B:And what we found out is even on that cork, if your listeners are having a glass of wine right now, and if they're not, maybe they should get one out.
Speaker B:Take that cork out and you cannot compress it.
Speaker B:It's the only lightweight aggregate on the planet that as light as it is, you still cannot compress it.
Speaker B:And that's because it's a closed cell structure.
Speaker B:If you look at a cork under a microscope, and that cork structure will not compress.
Speaker A:That's why it's almost impossible under normal circumstances.
Speaker A:Once you pull a cork out of a bottle, it's almost impossible to put it back in.
Speaker B:Yes, yes, yes.
Speaker B:And so that strength of that cork, people think, oh, it's lightweight.
Speaker B:And it's, you know, this little cork, it's extremely strong and it almost pushes back against the pressure that's put on it.
Speaker B:So because of that and those results, again, we were incented to continue to look at.
Speaker B:Okay, if it's that, what about a pool tile?
Speaker B:What about a roofing underlayment?
Speaker B:There's just other things.
Speaker B:But in fairness to us and our product, we've highly focused on the fire.
Speaker B:And by the way, our traditional spray.
Speaker B:I have to tell you, one of the greatest things that I experience as an entrepreneur and starting this from nothing with Jim, is a call from a customer up in Washington state.
Speaker B:Again, it's a very small job.
Speaker B:She sprayed her cabin, but she was ecstatic.
Speaker B:She's like, Randy, it looks exactly like I wanted.
Speaker B:I love the fire aspect and so when you have a happy customer, that's really what we're all in business for.
Speaker B:At the end of the day, it looks beautiful.
Speaker B:If you have a home or a structure that you want to look beautiful, forgetting all the other attributes, Green Court products is your solution?
Speaker A:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker A:You know, and thinking about that, you know, with all these other, you know, ways of people thinking about how it could.
Speaker A:How it could, how else.
Speaker A:Like we were talking about tiles.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:What would happen if you took and sprayed?
Speaker A:Have.
Speaker A:Have you ever tested it spraying saltillo tile?
Speaker A:Oh, that's.
Speaker A:Or.
Speaker A:Or just regular ceramic roof tile?
Speaker B:We haven't.
Speaker B:The spray itself will stick to anything except vinyl.
Speaker B:So you can spray it on masonry products, wood products, steel products, virtually any building material, again, other than vinyl, and it sticks beautifully to that.
Speaker B:And the other aspect of that, from a homeowner or a commercial building is the repairability of it.
Speaker B:As they all know, with stucco, if you have a crack or a hole, landscaping person, you're really almost going corner to corner, corner to corner.
Speaker B:With our product, the patch ability is greatly enhanced.
Speaker A:Oh, great.
Speaker A:So if you have a crack, okay.
Speaker A:If they sprayed, the whole side of the building will say originally and it has a crack that developed.
Speaker A:Is it manually fixed, or is it like you would do a traditional stucco?
Speaker A:Like, you would use caulk and to make sure that it was feathered in enough so that when you sprayed, wouldn't flash with the other surfaces.
Speaker A:Is that.
Speaker A:Or is the product just feathered in by hand?
Speaker A:How does that work?
Speaker B:Well, again, my partners are the construction experts, not me.
Speaker B:But what I've heard is that, first of all, ours is sprayable.
Speaker B:It's not trialled, although you can trial, but the sprayability enhances that tremendously when you can feather, using your word, feather that area to make it blend in.
Speaker B:Now, any.
Speaker B:You know, even though we fade at about a tenth rate of paint, anybody that claims something in Arizona does not fade from the sun has not been in that sun, and he hasn't lived here long enough.
Speaker B:So it will fade over time.
Speaker B:But we generally feel that a homeowner or a building owner greatly enhances the look of their building with green cork spray and repairability.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So, I mean, there again, I think a homeowner, if they are, you know, trying to think green and they're not just wanting to just throw up a building, but they also want to.
Speaker A:I think a lot of homeowners now, when they.
Speaker A:When they want to do a new build, they should.
Speaker A:Obviously, like we talked earlier with our good friend from the show Christine Archer from Christine Archer Interiors.
Speaker A:Thinking about talking to an expert about, okay, the structure is one thing, and the style of the building.
Speaker A:But then on the other hand, too, I think what you're spraying goes along with the planning of what's the outside of my house going to look like and the landscaping and how's the architecture going to look and blend into what I create from a landscape point of view?
Speaker A:Because I think we talk a lot about that, too.
Speaker A:And I think.
Speaker A:I personally think that for a lot of people that we talk about, obviously can supply you a container home or container pool.
Speaker A:Some people like the look of the container.
Speaker A:Metal on the outside.
Speaker A:Sometimes we'll put a wainscot of stone, and then the upper part will be, you know, will be the painted metal.
Speaker A:But thinking about that, you could literally keep that same kind of look, but spray the container with the green cork product.
Speaker A:And it would.
Speaker A:It would definitely enhance the character of the metal.
Speaker A:And you'd still have.
Speaker A:You'd still have all the contour of the metal, but it would have a different look because it has a different feel.
Speaker A:And I know the house that I looked at that you had sprayed, you know, from a distance, it looked like, you know, regular, you know, home siding, you know, hardboard.
Speaker A:But when you got up close, it had a whole different look and character to it.
Speaker A:So I think it would definitely enhance the exterior of a container.
Speaker B:Yeah, and we've had some folks spraying those, and my understanding is condensation is an issue in some of those, and our spray would definitely help with that.
Speaker B:But you're spot on.
Speaker B:At the end of the day.
Speaker B:It's the look, Steven, that we're most proud of, because you can have the best fire thing, the best paint.
Speaker B:But if the customer is not thrilled with the look of their home or their building, then I think you're going to hit a stone wall.
Speaker B:And we don't have that issue.
Speaker B:Folks love the look of our product, and we're thrilled about that.
Speaker B:And some folks say, well, why haven't I heard of green cork products?
Speaker B:Well, the fact is, we've been very focused on certifications, research and development.
Speaker B:And what you're going to see over the balance of this year and into next year is we're going to scale by getting partners who are in their space, whether that's a commercial building company that focuses on high rises or multifamily, whatever it is.
Speaker B:So we're going to use their network of architects and builders and tradesmen to roll this out versus us trying to create that from here in Phoenix, there are already people that have all those networks and connections and have the need for the product.
Speaker B:And so we'll private label is what we'll be doing.
Speaker B:We'll private label our product out to companies that can deploy this very professional and very rapidly and very affordably.
Speaker A:Yep, absolutely.
Speaker A:It's exciting times coming down the pike for Greencork products.
Speaker A:Definitely.
Speaker A:All right, we're going to take a short break.
Speaker A:When we come back, we're going to talk with Randy a little more about cost and how much it would cost for possibly to do your home different ways and explain to you the application process because obviously we're talking about it's sprayed on, but there's only specific applicators that are qualified to do that.
Speaker A:So we're going to get into all that and give you more information right here on Boxcar Universe.
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Speaker A:All right, we are back and you are listening to Bob Boxcar Universe.
Speaker A:And we are here with Randy Bailey today from Green Cork Products.
Speaker A:And we are talking about his fabulous product and some of the different aspects of and uses that it has.
Speaker A:But we want to talk this segment, we want to talk a little bit about application.
Speaker A:Obviously, you know, we've been talking about having it, you know, how it's sprayed on.
Speaker A:Randy, tell us a little bit about, you know, what kind of prep work needs to be done before, you know, you have specialized applicators that can spray this because it obviously it goes on like paint, but there you have to have special equipment to be able to handle the material.
Speaker A:But what kind of prep work needs to be done on a building before, you know, you can go out and spray it?
Speaker B:Good question.
Speaker B:The prep work is almost identical to any substrate that you're going to paint.
Speaker B:You know, you've got to get it sanded and paint ready and smooth whatever the substrate looks like before you spray, that is what it's going to look like after you spray the cork.
Speaker B:The cork spray does not mask the imperfections of the substrate.
Speaker B:So once you've got a, for example, stucco, you got that brown coat sanded and paint ready, then the spray goes right on it.
Speaker B: traditional commercial Graco: Speaker B:Anybody that's in the building world knows exactly what that is.
Speaker B:You pour it in and then there's a very slight amount of water that can be added in the field to get the texture to what the applicator likes and is best based on the temperature and humidity and other things.
Speaker B:But it's not rocket science, really.
Speaker B:It's Stephen just putting it into the hopper and then spraying as you would as a painter would spray.
Speaker A:So basically it almost can be sprayed right out of the bucket.
Speaker B:Oh, it is sprayed right out of the bucket.
Speaker B:The only thing you're adding is sometimes based on the cork absorbing a little water while it's in the bucket.
Speaker B:You add, you know, at most maybe 32 ounces, a red cup of water, and with a paddle blender in the field, and then you very easily dump it in the hopper and off you go.
Speaker B:And the sprayability is something that's very attractive in the speed that which you can apply the product.
Speaker B:I mean, you can move very quickly with it's a two coat system.
Speaker B:The one coat goes on as a cover coat and the second coat is a little lighter and kind of you feather that in, as you mentioned, just to give you the look you'd like.
Speaker A:How long do you have to let it dry between coats today?
Speaker B:About 20 seconds.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker A:114 degrees outside.
Speaker B:Our rule there, Stephen, is, you know, the answer is if you can put your hand on.
Speaker B:Once you spray the first coat, if you can put your hand up on that and none of the residue comes off the wall, then it's dry enough for the second coat.
Speaker A:So the way I understand this, like most times when painters paint, they'll have somebody spraying, they'll have somebody back rolling it.
Speaker A:With green cork products, is there a need for back rolling or no?
Speaker B:None.
Speaker B:We do strongly suggest a primer, which anybody in your industry knows that a primer is critical, and actually we will.
Speaker B:We've blended a unique primer to match the chemistry of our spray for better binding, although that's not required.
Speaker B:We do also have the primer.
Speaker B:And I don't know if I've mentioned on your show today that for homeowners or building, we blend the actual paint pigment into the cork spray.
Speaker B:So if someone picks a color code, Sherwin Williams or a bear, we take that color code and we match that pigment into our cork spray.
Speaker B:So there's no need to paint.
Speaker B:However, I will tell you this, it's very paintable.
Speaker B:So, for example, if you want to paint your home or your building or spray it with cork spray and then paint the pop outs to give it an accent, the cork spray receives the paint extremely well and it does not degradate any of the attributes of the cork spray.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So you mean that is.
Speaker A:That's so important?
Speaker A:Because obviously we have a lot of homes here in the valley that are all stuck out and a lot of them have pop outs around the windows, sometimes around the doors.
Speaker A:And for our listeners, just so that you can get an idea of what it looks like, if you are familiar with a Sand finished stucco that's smooth and it looks like it's a sand finished.
Speaker A:It's not, not skip troweled or it's not Spanish lace or anything like that.
Speaker A:It's a sand looking finish that looks very similar to what a cork.
Speaker A:The green cork products look like once it's sprayed on, it's got again, it has texture.
Speaker B:Yeah, you're describing it exactly right.
Speaker B:The only thing I caution people is because the cork is brown, we're not able to get to a stark white about.
Speaker B:Swiss coffee is about as white as we want to get.
Speaker B:And if you think earth tones, most of the earth tones we can do very well with as far as a selection of a paint color by, by a building owner.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:So talking about colors and you know, not being able to get to pure or white, obviously you have to worry about, especially in Arizona, some of the municipalities around here, like Scottsdale have the, the paint that they choose has to have a special light reflective value to be able to do that.
Speaker A:How does the cork product compare, you know, or have you had any dealings with any municipalities?
Speaker A:And because you can blend any color, have there been any issues with any of the cities?
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:And one additive we do put in there, a little bit on side top is ultraviolet inhibitor to help with that paint fading.
Speaker B:We put ultraviolet inhibitors in part of our certification.
Speaker B:And by the way, there's been some other websites out there we found that are claiming to have patents and the only product we are, to our knowledge, unless somebody shows us another piece of paper.
Speaker B:The only certified cork based exterior coating in North America.
Speaker B:Now there are others selling it, but I, to our knowledge none of them are certified.
Speaker B:And to us that's very important that the architects, the homeowners and everyone involved have an independent laboratory.
Speaker B:They do the fungus test, they do the ultraviolet, they do all kinds of testing that the buyer can be assured by an independent third party that the product is what we're claiming it is.
Speaker A:You mean there are scammers out there?
Speaker B:Well, I don't want to use that.
Speaker A:Word, but trust me, I've seen a lot of those online lately for a lot of different products, products and stuff like that.
Speaker A:Do you know, think about it.
Speaker A:You know, it's so bad that when you go look for a product and you see that those things online that you're, you're really looking and you really want this product for something and then all of a sudden you need to see this deal that just looks like it's too good to be true.
Speaker A:Well, you know, a lot of Times.
Speaker A:That's absolutely right.
Speaker A:It's too good to be true.
Speaker A:And you see, it takes you to a website that, well, you know, Target is doing a.
Speaker A:A special sale and overstock sale or something like this.
Speaker A:And you've got to go back and try and check to make sure that the website that that link took you to is legitimate or if it's a scam.
Speaker A:I was looking for some electronic equipment this week, and that's why I brought up the thing about scammy, because you got people out there trying to imitate your product and make a dollar on what you've researched and done correctly.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I want to brag a little bit on our partner and chemist.
Speaker B:He's had 50 years of blending building material, exterior coatings.
Speaker B:I mean, this is probably the most talented, and I would say now one of the world's leading chemists in the use of cork in the construction industry.
Speaker B:And we're very proud of that.
Speaker B:And that's why.
Speaker B:And if you look at the laboratory we used at QAI out of California, probably one of the most renowned building materials laboratories in the world.
Speaker B:So we've not taken any shortcuts.
Speaker B:It's taken us longer because of that.
Speaker B:But at the end of the day, everybody wins because we know we got a product that we can stand behind that does what we claim it does and that the owner of the building can be extremely proud of.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I mean, that is just.
Speaker A:It's so good to know that your product that you created will stand up to anybody's criticism, really, because you've got the certifications.
Speaker A:I mean, the years that you and I have known each other, you've always made mention.
Speaker A:While we're getting this certified, we're doing this, we're making sure that we have all those documents to show your credibility of what it is.
Speaker A:We talked a little bit.
Speaker A:I want to go back to it for a minute.
Speaker A:We talked earlier in the first segment of the show about the cork comes from Portugal.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:How.
Speaker A:How is it harvested and how.
Speaker A:What part of the plant is used and how often can you harvest it?
Speaker A:Because you think about if you're going to start doing this, is that the only place to get the cork is from Portugal.
Speaker B:Great question.
Speaker B:And obviously, our large building supply partners want to ensure that we have a.
Speaker B:A cork, a raw material supply chain that can sustain their demand.
Speaker B:Portugal is the only place, but it is the world's leading place, and we have an exclusive with the world's leading supplier of cork, and that's Amarill might encourage people to Google cork just because it's so fascinating.
Speaker B:And the reason cork is sustainable is every nine years, the cork tree is an oak tree.
Speaker B:And by the way, Amram is investing $300 million for New Cork trees, which they will not see a return on for 25 years.
Speaker B:That's pretty deep pockets.
Speaker B:But to answer your question, they harvest that bark, it's about eight feet up the tree.
Speaker B:They go manually like they did in medieval times with it looks like a small axe.
Speaker B:And they can only go so deep because what they're going to do is they're going to peel that bark off.
Speaker B:They are going to take.
Speaker A:Almost like a potato skinner.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:Only it is thicker.
Speaker B:It is thick as a cork.
Speaker B:And then they are going to.
Speaker B:Once they harvest that, by the way, they will mark that tree.
Speaker B:And the reason it is sustainable is no tree is ever killed in this process.
Speaker B:It is against the law in Portugal to kill an oak tree or a cork tree.
Speaker B:So they will harvest that with that medieval tool.
Speaker B:And again, I encourage people to go online and watch this.
Speaker B:It is fascinating.
Speaker B:And every nine years, that cork tree will regrow that bark and they will come back and re harvest that bark off of that same cork tree, and they'll have about 17 possible harvests.
Speaker B:So these oak cork trees are living very long time, even longer than you, Steven.
Speaker A:Oh, well, thank God for that.
Speaker A:Everybody's saying, well, you're showing your age.
Speaker A:No, I'll use that.
Speaker A:Cork trees are older than me.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:And they can be harvested about 17 times.
Speaker B:So that sustainability comes from the fact that no cork tree is harmed during this process.
Speaker A:Well, but most of the people, I would think that you have the contract with them to be able to get that.
Speaker A:But like you said earlier, the cork gets harvested and doesn't it go get made into corks for wine and stuff like that?
Speaker A:And then you take.
Speaker A:Take the remains of what's left over through the manufacturing process.
Speaker A:Or do you get it all?
Speaker B:No, no, they'll punch the cork.
Speaker B:We're getting the waste.
Speaker A:You're getting the waste.
Speaker B:What we're using would have in the past been thrown away.
Speaker B:Now it's also used for other things.
Speaker B:Like people are probably familiar if they've been in floor and decor or any other tile place that under floor laminate is cork.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker B:And that's because sound dampening and all these natural attributes of cork add tremendously to that.
Speaker B:And so they're also using that waste.
Speaker B:But Amarum clearly is looking to expand their markets for the use of this waste because they're generating A lot of wasted cork.
Speaker B:We acquire that in these super sacs.
Speaker B:It's ground to the size that we desire.
Speaker B:And when it shows up at our plant here in Phoenix, it's in these huge super sacks.
Speaker B:And we're taking those granules in and out, blending it in with our proprietary elastomeric formulation.
Speaker A:Let's just hope there aren't any additional tariffs on it to make it cost more.
Speaker B:I don't think we haven't seen that issue with Portugal.
Speaker B:I think people love wine too much.
Speaker A:To mess with that, but we'll see.
Speaker A:Well, let's have to check and see if they have a new agreement with the Trump administration on tariffs.
Speaker B:Good point.
Speaker A:That's true.
Speaker A:But you know, and you would think, even though where Portugal is located in the world, you know, that there would be other areas like my first thought would be either in South America somewhere or even in Africa that would be.
Speaker A:Would be able to grow cork.
Speaker B:They may be, but the Portugal region right in there and the other countries around it are by far, I think they're probably 80% or higher of the world's cork supply.
Speaker B:After we did our prior show, I might add, we did have someone contact us and say they were growing cork trees or oak trees again in California.
Speaker B:And I have no idea the scalability of that or how quality it is, but I can tell you we'd love to have local cork granules if anybody's selling them.
Speaker A:That would be great.
Speaker A:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Unbelievable.
Speaker A:But, Randy, tell us a little bit how, if someone's interested in getting their home or their business building.
Speaker A:Actually, as we said the first time we met, have you been corked today?
Speaker A:Well, they say they want to get their house corked.
Speaker A:How would they go about that?
Speaker B:Well, the first thing, go to our website.
Speaker B:It's greencorkproducts.com and do your research on our company.
Speaker B:On there is our contact information.
Speaker B:Myself and my partner and one of us would take your call and we would then talk about your project.
Speaker B:And based on that, we would have an applicator that we've worked with prior here in the Valley, and we now have applicators around the country, I might add.
Speaker B:And one of those applicators would visit your site and give you a quote, because we don't do application.
Speaker B:We do the product, but then we have applicators that would come out and meet with you on your project and give you an estimate or a contract on.
Speaker A:On.
Speaker B:On the.
Speaker B:The job, which would include the cork and the prep and the spraying.
Speaker B:And we stand behind that as with a 10 year warranty.
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean that's, I mean that says a lot about a 10 year warranty plus the attributes of it.
Speaker A:You know, you've got, well, you know, you've got the regular paint warranties.
Speaker A:If you do traditional paint, you've got those other companies out there that are talking about 25 years, you never have to paint your house again, this and that.
Speaker A:But on the other hand, they don't have the, the characteristics of, you know, you know, allowing heat to come into your home.
Speaker A:And God forbid you have a, there's a fire in, you know, around your home or in the neighborhood.
Speaker A:So I think, you know, 10 years with that, with that kind of guarantee, I think is, is well worth money investing.
Speaker B:Well, I think as people look at options for the exterior coating of their homes, there's all kinds of products that have attributes.
Speaker B:None of them have all of the attributes that Greencourt products.
Speaker B:That's to me the secret sauce is some have some thermal benefits, some have some fire benefit, some have some fading benefit.
Speaker B:We have it all.
Speaker B:There's nothing a product is going to be put on the exterior of your home has that Greencourt products does provide.
Speaker A:So every time I go have Atlas a Kendall Jackson and I pull a cork out, then I'll think of green cork products.
Speaker B:Please do.
Speaker B:And we've even thought about starting a little recycling local.
Speaker B:You know, imagine collecting all of the cork stoppers that people in the valley are pulling out a wine bottle.
Speaker A:People do that.
Speaker A:I've been in people's homes, you know, doing remodeling and then you see they have a big like fishbowl in the kitchen somewhere and they just throw there.
Speaker A:I mean, my, my good friend who's been a realtor for as long as I've known her almost, she collects corks because she is a wine aficionado.
Speaker A:I'm like, what are you going to do with all those?
Speaker A:Well, it's just there for decoration.
Speaker B:Well, one thing I like to suggest to certainly a residential customer because let's face it, your home is one of your greatest points of pride and one of your biggest investments.
Speaker B:So I would say open a glass of your, open a bottle of your favorite wine and let me have the cork before we blend your product.
Speaker B:And we will take, we'll grind up your little cork of your favorite wine and that'll be a part of your blend that'll always be on your home.
Speaker A:Oh, now see, now I could use, you could use that for like a present for maybe Valentine's Day.
Speaker A:No, you get killed.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:No, that's a great thing.
Speaker A:But, but, but other than that, Randy, thanks so much for being on the show today.
Speaker A:It's great.
Speaker A:And we look forward to, you know, following your journey here as you keep going and in reaching out and doing such tremendous things around the country.
Speaker A:And we're going to keep you on, on board on what we're doing with Boxcar Universe and Ideal Home Improvement.
Speaker A:So this way, you know, we will be showcasing a lot of things and hopefully all the good things that green cork products can do on our new Roku channel.
Speaker A:That's coming soon to a, actually to not just a TV but also to a Roku app that you will have to be able to watch our channel on as well, too.
Speaker A:So it won't make a difference if you have Roku TV or not, but you'll be able to watch us on the app so you can get your fill of green cork products anywhere in the world.
Speaker A:So that's going to be really good.
Speaker B:Well, thank you, Steven.
Speaker B:And awareness.
Speaker B:We've come through our development phase and our certification phase and our testing.
Speaker B:We're now ready for the awareness phase and that's what you represent to us.
Speaker B:We can make people more aware of this option for their home or their building and your show allows that opportunity.
Speaker B:So we're grateful for that.
Speaker A:I appreciate those kind words and we always like to have you here on the show and we look forward to having you back, back real soon.
Speaker A:And I want to thank all our listeners for listening to Boxcar Universe.
Speaker A:As we said earlier, you know, we are your source for cutting edge information on container homes, container pools and ADUs.
Speaker A:So if you have plans for building any one of those items or, you know, or if you want to do a dream container home, we could actually build that for you.
Speaker A:And, you know, put some green cork products on the outside with some really fabulous, you know, earthy, earthy tones to make it blend in right next to your container pool.
Speaker A:So if you have any questions at all, you could always reach me, Steve, at boxcaruniverse.com and always remember, Boxcar Universe can be heard weekly on any podcast player.
Speaker A:And always remember, let us remodel and renovate your world.
Speaker A:We'll see you next week.
Speaker C:You're a great American.
Speaker B:I love you.
Speaker A:It.
