Features & Benefits of Faswall® Wall Construction Materials

Faswall® wall construction materials benefit you in six ways:

Simplicity: A Dream Come True for the Do-It-Yourself Builder
Sustainability: A Satisfying Solution For the Environmentally-Conscious Builder
Affordability: Long-Term Savings for the Value Builder
Safety & Security: Peace of Mind for Conscientious Homeowners
Durability: Confidence for the Legacy Builder
Health & Comfort: Breathe Easier, Live Better

Features of Faswall® Wall Construction Materials	How it Benefits You
Simple Installation Faswall® wall construction materials are so straightforward to build with that supervised unskilled labor can be used for installation — ideal for DIY home construction. See how to build with Faswall®.	No Worries Faswall® blocks are dry stacked — no mortar needed!
Organic Faswall® wall construction materials are made entirely of organic and earthen materials: 85% mineralized wood chips from recycled wood and 15% Portland cement and slag cement — nothing else. The wood content of Faswall® block is 100% clean recycled pallets.	Do Good While Building Well You feel the satisfaction of knowing you’re doing your part to maintain our planet by building with one of the most environmentally-friendly, sustainable building materials available.
Clean No polystyrene plastics or foams are used in the manufacturing process of our wall construction materials. Simple formula, simple ingredients, no hidden chemicals or toxins.	Health This makes for a more healthy indoor environment, particularly for allergy sufferers who may be sensitive to the chemicals found in other insulated concrete forms. You’ll breathe easier in a Faswall®-built home.
Unrivaled Thermal Properties Faswall® blocks are highly energy efficient and boast one of the lowest embodied energies in wall construction material. Faswall® wall forms create a 12-inch wide wall that performs better thermally than conventional 2 x lumber-built walls, foam-insulated concrete walls, and structural insulated panel walls. The difference is that Faswall® wall forms are made of wood fiber surrounded by a grid of internal concrete with three inches of insulation placed on the exterior side of the wall. The concrete thermal mass inside the cores of Faswall®, matched with an additional three-inch layer of insulation on the outside of the concrete cores, and furthermore surrounded by two inches of wood fiber, provides a unique and more efficient way of retaining heat and cool inside the building. Compare Faswall® with other building materials.	Save Money This means that your heating and cooling costs are drastically reduced. Although building with Faswall® increases your initial construction costs modestly, the energy efficiency makes for a better overall value over the lifetime of your home or building. See pricing details.
Insulation Inserts Insulation inserts within the Faswall® wall construction materials insulate the thermal mass into the living space. This harnesses the full benefit of a “thermal flywheel effect,” meaning that the wall construction material absorbs heat from the atmosphere in warm weather and releases it during cooler periods. Faswall® has lower temperature swings as compared to foam insulated concrete forms, which isolate the mass from the living space.	Easier & Cheaper to Heat & Cool This means it’s easier and cheaper to maintain comfortable temperatures in your Faswall®-built home or commercial building.
Proprietary Wood Mineralization Process The wood chips used in Faswall® wall construction materials are mineralized in a proprietary process that neutralizes the sugars from the wood. This makes the wood chip inert, which means that Faswall is not susceptible to rot or insects. It is similar to crushed stone aggregate in concrete.	Durability This means your home can literally stand for hundreds of years. Unlike foam, termites do not tunnel through Faswall®, as proven by tests performed by the University of Georgia Deptartment of Entomology.
Does Not Degrade Wood-fiber cement composite does not degrade over time. Some European countries rate wood-fiber cement composite as a 200 to 300-year wall construction material.	Longevity This means your home will essentially last forever, with minimal upkeep and maintenance cost.
Lightweight Wall Construction Materials Faswall® wall forms are relatively lightweight — just 28 pounds each.	Easy to Carry & Stack This makes them very easy to transport and stack. You won’t break your back building with Faswall®!
No Mortar Between Blocks Faswall® wall construction materials require no mortar between blocks and require minimum bracing when filing with concrete. The wall forms can also withstand higher concrete pressure than any other insulated concrete forms and blow outs are rare. Read more about how to install Faswall®.	Reduced Construction Risk This means drastically reduced risk, hassle, and wasted time and resources for you during the construction process.
Less Concrete Needed Faswall® requires less concrete infill compared to foam insulated concrete forms for similar wall thickness.	Reduced Cost Among other compared features, this means Faswall® costs less to build with than other types of insulated concrete forms. See pricing details.
Easy Fastening & Cutting You can nail and screw directly into Faswall® wall construction materials. You can also easily cut Faswall® blocks with carpenter’s tools. No installation or searching for furring strips. Electrical wiring can be cut into the walls. See pictures of the installation process.	Simplicity & Speed This makes a myriad of operations quicker and simpler, e.g. fastening windows directly to the Faswall® wall construction material, fastening cabinets directly to the interior wall, electrical wiring, etc.
Easy, Direct Surfacing You can surface finish Faswall® directly on both sides. It makes an excellent substrate for plasters and stuccos — it keys-in on the porous surfaces.	Reduced Time & Complexity, Greater Beauty & Health With no need for interior framing or exterior prep, your building will go up faster and easier. It also means that your Faswall® home can be designed to look as beautiful as any other wall construction material — it won’t look like a typical concrete block home. Furthermore, this reduces the layers of wall construction materials needed, which means less toxins in your home as compared to conventional wall systems.
Impact Resistant Faswall® wall construction materials are impact resistant. Both stucco and drywall can be applied direct to the Faswall® wall forms and the surface remains durable and puncture proof.	Less Maintenance This means you won’t have to spend a lot of time, money, and hassle maintaining your exterior and interior walls.
Vapor Permeable Faswall® blocks store and release moisture (water vapor, not liquid water) in a “sink effect,” depending on the environmental conditions. The scientific term for this is “hygroscopic.”	Indoor Comfort This means that the wall construction materials eliminate moisture building in the wall and regulate the indoor RH (relative humidity) levels at a healthy and comfortable level. You’ll feel more comfortable during the day and sleep better at night.
Inhibits Mold Growth Being a vapor permeable building envelope, RH levels in a Faswall® building are kept low enough so that it is not possible to reach the level of RH where mold can start to grow (typically 70% RH). Combined with the high pH (alkaline) environment resulting from the cement content, this means that the wall construction materials actually inhibit mold growth.	Breathe Easier, Less Maintenance This means that allergy sufferers sensitive to mold spores in particular will breathe easier and feel safer. You also won’t have to worry about tearing out and replacing walls due to mold.
Sound Proof Faswall® wall forms are sound Proof (ASTM E 90-90) with an STC rating of 55.	Peaceful This creates an exceptionally quiet indoor space. You’ll feel more protected and peaceful.
Flame Resistant Unlike foam insulated concrete forms or conventional stick-framed walls, Faswall® block cannot burn or melt. The fire rating of Faswall® wall construction materials is 4 hours with zero flame spread and no smoke development (ASTM C-119-88, E-84-89a; test done without insulation inserts). Faswall® walls cannot sustain a fire, and there is no release of toxic smoke from Faswall® walls during a fire. Faswall® customers are providing their families and businesses a security that cannot be achieved except through building concrete bunkers, adobe, or clay in-fill structures. A home of one of our builders sustained an internal fire, which destroyed the inside belongings. But the wall system endured, making it possible to rebuild with the original Faswall® walls intact.	Safety This means that you can sleep better at night knowing your family is more protected from fire danger.
Strength Faswall’s strength makes it suitable for all seismic zones.	Security This means you can rest assured that your home can withstand anything that nature dishes out — from earthquakes to hurricanes.
Withstands Freezing & Thawing The Faswall® wall construction material withstands freeze/thaw cycles without degradation. It passed the 300 cycle test (ASTM C-666).	Confidence This means that homeowners can build year round in very cold weather conditions without fear of the Faswall® forms losing their integrity.
Meets or Exceeds Codes Faswall® meets or exceeds building and energy codes in all states.	Reduced Hassle This reduces your hassle in obtaining permits and approvals.

Features of Faswall® Wall Construction Materials

How it Benefits You

Simple Installation

Faswall® wall construction materials are so straightforward to build with that supervised unskilled labor can be used for installation — ideal for DIY home construction. See how to build with Faswall®.

No Worries

Faswall® blocks are dry stacked — no mortar needed!

Organic

Faswall® wall construction materials are made entirely of organic and earthen materials: 85% mineralized wood chips from recycled wood and 15% Portland cement and slag cement — nothing else. The wood content of Faswall® block is 100% clean recycled pallets.

Do Good While Building Well

You feel the satisfaction of knowing you’re doing your part to maintain our planet by building with one of the most environmentally-friendly, sustainable building materials available.

Clean

No polystyrene plastics or foams are used in the manufacturing process of our wall construction materials. Simple formula, simple ingredients, no hidden chemicals or toxins.

Health

This makes for a more healthy indoor environment, particularly for allergy sufferers who may be sensitive to the chemicals found in other insulated concrete forms. You’ll breathe easier in a Faswall®-built home.

Unrivaled Thermal Properties

Faswall® blocks are highly energy efficient and boast one of the lowest embodied energies in wall construction material. Faswall® wall forms create a 12-inch wide wall that performs better thermally than conventional 2 x lumber-built walls, foam-insulated concrete walls, and structural insulated panel walls. The difference is that Faswall® wall forms are made of wood fiber surrounded by a grid of internal concrete with three inches of insulation placed on the exterior side of the wall. The concrete thermal mass inside the cores of Faswall®, matched with an additional three-inch layer of insulation on the outside of the concrete cores, and furthermore surrounded by two inches of wood fiber, provides a unique and more efficient way of retaining heat and cool inside the building. Compare Faswall® with other building materials.

Save Money

This means that your heating and cooling costs are drastically reduced. Although building with Faswall® increases your initial construction costs modestly, the energy efficiency makes for a better overall value over the lifetime of your home or building. See pricing details.

Insulation Inserts

Insulation inserts within the Faswall® wall construction materials insulate the thermal mass into the living space. This harnesses the full benefit of a “thermal flywheel effect,” meaning that the wall construction material absorbs heat from the atmosphere in warm weather and releases it during cooler periods. Faswall® has lower temperature swings as compared to foam insulated concrete forms, which isolate the mass from the living space.

Easier & Cheaper to Heat & Cool

This means it’s easier and cheaper to maintain comfortable temperatures in your Faswall®-built home or commercial building.

Proprietary Wood Mineralization Process

The wood chips used in Faswall® wall construction materials are mineralized in a proprietary process that neutralizes the sugars from the wood. This makes the wood chip inert, which means that Faswall is not susceptible to rot or insects. It is similar to crushed stone aggregate in concrete.

Durability

This means your home can literally stand for hundreds of years. Unlike foam, termites do not tunnel through Faswall®, as proven by tests performed by the University of Georgia Deptartment of Entomology.

Does Not Degrade

Wood-fiber cement composite does not degrade over time. Some European countries rate wood-fiber cement composite as a 200 to 300-year wall construction material.

Longevity

This means your home will essentially last forever, with minimal upkeep and maintenance cost.

Lightweight Wall Construction Materials

Faswall® wall forms are relatively lightweight — just 28 pounds each.

Easy to Carry & Stack

This makes them very easy to transport and stack. You won’t break your back building with Faswall®!

No Mortar Between Blocks

Faswall® wall construction materials require no mortar between blocks and require minimum bracing when filing with concrete. The wall forms can also withstand higher concrete pressure than any other insulated concrete forms and blow outs are rare. Read more about how to install Faswall®.

Reduced Construction Risk

This means drastically reduced risk, hassle, and wasted time and resources for you during the construction process.

Less Concrete Needed

Faswall® requires less concrete infill compared to foam insulated concrete forms for similar wall thickness.

Reduced Cost

Among other compared features, this means Faswall® costs less to build with than other types of insulated concrete forms. See pricing details.

Easy Fastening & Cutting

You can nail and screw directly into Faswall® wall construction materials. You can also easily cut Faswall® blocks with carpenter’s tools. No installation or searching for furring strips. Electrical wiring can be cut into the walls. See pictures of the installation process.

Simplicity & Speed

This makes a myriad of operations quicker and simpler, e.g. fastening windows directly to the Faswall® wall construction material, fastening cabinets directly to the interior wall, electrical wiring, etc.

Easy, Direct Surfacing

You can surface finish Faswall® directly on both sides. It makes an excellent substrate for plasters and stuccos — it keys-in on the porous surfaces.

Reduced Time & Complexity, Greater Beauty & Health

With no need for interior framing or exterior prep, your building will go up faster and easier. It also means that your Faswall® home can be designed to look as beautiful as any other wall construction material — it won’t look like a typical concrete block home. Furthermore, this reduces the layers of wall construction materials needed, which means less toxins in your home as compared to conventional wall systems.

Impact Resistant

Faswall® wall construction materials are impact resistant. Both stucco and drywall can be applied direct to the Faswall® wall forms and the surface remains durable and puncture proof.

Less Maintenance

This means you won’t have to spend a lot of time, money, and hassle maintaining your exterior and interior walls.

Vapor Permeable

Faswall® blocks store and release moisture (water vapor, not liquid water) in a “sink effect,” depending on the environmental conditions. The scientific term for this is “hygroscopic.”

Indoor Comfort

This means that the wall construction materials eliminate moisture building in the wall and regulate the indoor RH (relative humidity) levels at a healthy and comfortable level. You’ll feel more comfortable during the day and sleep better at night.

Inhibits Mold Growth

Being a vapor permeable building envelope, RH levels in a Faswall® building are kept low enough so that it is not possible to reach the level of RH where mold can start to grow (typically 70% RH). Combined with the high pH (alkaline) environment resulting from the cement content, this means that the wall construction materials actually inhibit mold growth.

Breathe Easier, Less Maintenance

This means that allergy sufferers sensitive to mold spores in particular will breathe easier and feel safer. You also won’t have to worry about tearing out and replacing walls due to mold.

Sound Proof

Faswall® wall forms are sound Proof (ASTM E 90-90) with an STC rating of 55.

Peaceful

This creates an exceptionally quiet indoor space. You’ll feel more protected and peaceful.

Flame Resistant

Unlike foam insulated concrete forms or conventional stick-framed walls, Faswall® block cannot burn or melt. The fire rating of Faswall® wall construction materials is 4 hours with zero flame spread and no smoke development (ASTM C-119-88, E-84-89a; test done without insulation inserts). Faswall® walls cannot sustain a fire, and there is no release of toxic smoke from Faswall® walls during a fire. Faswall® customers are providing their families and businesses a security that cannot be achieved except through building concrete bunkers, adobe, or clay in-fill structures. A home of one of our builders sustained an internal fire, which destroyed the inside belongings. But the wall system endured, making it possible to rebuild with the original Faswall® walls intact.

Safety

This means that you can sleep better at night knowing your family is more protected from fire danger.

Strength

Faswall’s strength makes it suitable for all seismic zones.

Security

This means you can rest assured that your home can withstand anything that nature dishes out — from earthquakes to hurricanes.

Withstands Freezing & Thawing

The Faswall® wall construction material withstands freeze/thaw cycles without degradation. It passed the 300 cycle test (ASTM C-666).

Confidence

This means that homeowners can build year round in very cold weather conditions without fear of the Faswall® forms losing their integrity.

Meets or Exceeds Codes

Faswall® meets or exceeds building and energy codes in all states.

Reduced Hassle

This reduces your hassle in obtaining permits and approvals.

Learn More in Our Free Downloads