For specialty contractors, finding proven products that speed up installation and cater to craftsmanship can be the difference between winning and losing a project bid. So, when a contractor finds a manufacturing partner who can help solve real-world challenges, it can be the right recipe for a successful project. Sometimes even award-winning.
Rich Geishart, project manager at Superior Drywall, knows this well. His team often partners with steel-framing market leader ClarkDietrich, and when reflecting on the recent Grand Junction High School project, he shared, “It’s our goal to use ClarkDietrich on every project because of the exceptional service they provide.”
One of the many ClarkDietrich products Superior Drywall used as part of the 250,000-square-foot, three-story project was the Danback® Flexible Wood Backing System. In fact, their crews installed an impressive 2,000 pieces of the prefabricated flexible wood backing plate system.
“We had seven skids of Danback on that job—we’ve been really steering toward the Danback, that is a great product,” said Geishart.
Danback Flexible Wood Backing System: Simplifying Stability
Danback features a hinge design allowing it to snap and flex around steel studs. This eliminates the need for cutting, notching, ripping, or routing traditional wood backing.
In new high school construction, every minute and every dollar counts. That’s where Danback shines. The system dramatically cuts labor time by up to 75%, and even lets one installer do what traditionally takes two—freeing up crews and speeding up installation.
“The number one challenge for anybody right now is having the appropriate workforce to meet the schedule,” added Geishart.
In addition to its time- and labor-saving benefits, Danback has several other key features that make it ideal for large-scale commercial, multi-family and education projects.
Key Features and Benefits
- Ease of installation: Just snap, flex, and screw into place.
- Improved structural strength: Offers superior shear and pullout capacity—capable of handling some of the heaviest wall-mounted fixtures.
- Fire-retardant wood: Uses D-Blaze® or FlamePRO® Class A fire-retardant treated (FRT) wood, reducing flame spread and smoke development. It complies with the IBC and IRC, and is certified by UL GREENGUARD Gold and ICC-ESR (D-Blaze: 2645, FlamePRO: 4244).
- Space efficiency: Sold in 48″ lengths, available for either 16″ or 24″ on-center stud spacing.
- Supports sustainability goals: FSC-certified lumber options can contribute to LEED® credits.
- Significant labor savings: Can reduce backing-related labor costs by up to 75%.
The Grand Junction High School project went on to receive the Industry Project Award from the Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA), for work on the structural steel framing, metal paneling, and the resulting cost savings.
Prioritizing Jobsite Productivity
Danback is just one example of ClarkDietrich’s solutions-driven approach to bringing efficiency to the jobsite. Other widely used proprietary products include 360TRAK™, which offers unmatched flexibility for creating curved walls and ceilings, enabling designers to achieve smooth radii and complex architectural shapes without the need for custom fabrication.
For projects requiring superior fire resistance, the BlazeFrame® Fire Stop System integrates intumescent material directly into track profiles, expanding under heat to provide joint protection, smoke sealing, and compliance with stringent fire-rating requirements. When speed and precision are critical, the TRAKLOC® Drywall Framing System streamlines installation with adjustable studs and tracks that eliminate field-cutting while accommodating deflection and layout changes on the fly.
“We feel like a lot of the ClarkDietrich proprietary items solve a lot of the slowdown processes that we have to deal with on a day-to-day basis,” said Jonathan Lamb, Project Manager at Millard Drywall & Acoustical Construction. “Once it’s on the job, the guys go, go, go, and it makes us look really good with the general contractor. From large-scale jobs to smaller remodel projects, we’ve done a lot of work with ClarkDietrich—we always want to make sure that we have the best for our guys to work with.”
Also showing up on jobsites around the country is one of ClarkDietrich’s newer products—the MEP Gusset Plate. It is a tested solution that restores the strength and stiffness of steel framing members with oversized field-cut openings on the web, and its two-piece design allows installation after MEP components are in place.
Traditionally, repairing steel framing members required cutting flat straps, u-channel, or using scrap material—methods that were untested and inconsistent. The complexity of the conventional approach often leads to costly delays, increased labor hours and mounting frustrations.
MEP Gusset Plate: Feedback-Driven Innovation
When contractors expressed a need for a faster, more efficient solution for repairing modified steel studs after MEP components had been installed, ClarkDietrich listened. Developed as a direct response to customer feedback, the innovative, overlapping MEP Gusset Plate eliminates the need for makeshift brackets, providing strength and stiffness to 3-5/8” and 6” framing members that are modified or field-cut.
Key Features and Benefits
- Built-in time-savings: Its precision-engineered layout ensures alignment with standard framing patterns, eliminating repeated measurements and rework during installation. In a side-by-side comparison, MEP Gusset Plates were installed versus a flat strap repair method. While flat straps must be cut and measured, MEP Gusset Plate eliminates that need, streamlining installation with a more efficient workflow—align the two plates around the opening, and affix using 12 screws at each hole repair location. Installation of the MEP Gusset Plate proved 50% faster, resulting in significant labor savings.
- Exceptional versatility: MEP Gusset Plates are suitable for use on non-structural and structural framing members.
- Long-lasting durability: Its high-quality, tested components ensure that installations remain secure, even under intense load strain.
Why Choose Danback and MEP Gusset Plate?
From mixed-use or multi-family housing to large-scale commercial builds, ClarkDietrich’s products stand out for their ability to specifically directly address industry pain points. These solutions offer:
- Enhanced Productivity
Streamlined installation processes mean contractors complete projects faster, enabling higher project turnover rates. - Improved Cost Savings
Reduced labor hours and minimized material waste equate to significant financial benefits. In addition, both products are available through ClarkDietrich Clip ExpressSM, which delivers parts to a jobsite overnight. Contractors can turn to Clip Express as a single source for the industry’s widest and most cost-effective array of rigid, deflection, bridging and general-purpose clips, connectors, supports and framing hardware for commercial and residential cold-formed steel framing. - Unmatched Reliability
Both products have been extensively tested to meet stringent performance expectations, ensuring confidence in their durability to professionals. - Assured Simplicity
By eliminating complex on-site adjustments through prefabricated solutions, both Danback Flexible Backing and MEP Gusset Plate make it easier for professionals to deliver outstanding results.
Building Smarter, Not Harder
ClarkDietrich’s Danback Flexible Backing System and MEP Gusset Plate make it clear that innovation can directly translate into practicality. With these products, building professionals gain superior solutions that allow them to work smarter, faster, and with greater confidence.
By choosing ClarkDietrich, contractors, specifiers, and installers align themselves with a brand committed to solving real-world challenges, empowering professionals to push the limits of what’s possible in modern construction. Your next project doesn’t just deserve solutions—it deserves ClarkDietrich’s industry-leading tools and expertise.
| Janine Dallies, category manager at ClarkDietrich, leads the clips and connectors category focusing on product marketing and new product launches. Involved in product development and positioning, she manages the creation of training and marketing tools. With CDT, CCPR and LEED® Green Associate credentials, Dallies also serves on the NAWIC board. |
