Brazilian Lumber Presents
Grad Concept Inc. is renowned for producing the finest clip-on fastener system designed for cladding and decking applications. We take pride in selecting top-notch materials and incorporating innovative technical solutions to ensure an optimal, comfortable, and long-lasting outcome. Brazilian Lumber stands as the exclusive South Florida company equipped with the manufacturing expertise to mill a diverse range of products compatible with The Grad® System. Some key advantages of this system include:
- A 100% concealed fastening system that results in a seamless surface.
- Effortless installation – simply snap the surface material onto the clips.
- Elimination of the need to individually screw each clip, leading to savings in installation time and labor costs.
- Backed by a 20-year warranty, providing peace of mind and durability assurance.
NO CLIPS TO FASTEN, FAST RESULTS
100%
RECYCLABLE
100% HIDDEN
FASTENING SYSTEM
100%
ACCURACY
50%
FASTER TO INSTALL
EASY TO SHIP
UP TO A 20-YEAR
WARRANTY
Grab System FAQs
- Build better and faster without the hassle at 3,000 SF a day per people
- A 5-year-old can do it, building is straightforward, no need to worry about whether the project will be completed on time and who is on it: a super qualified worker or not
- Use less material, be more efficient, move your teams from one project to another faster while making margins work even better for you
- Make sure everything is perfect and deliver greater client satisfaction
- Have fun building
- The product has been in use across North America from Mexico to Nova Scotia, Canada since 2010
- It has been used in many projects with different types of woods, for different applications, across different geographies and with small or large architectural firms and with large manufacturers and recognized brands all across North America since 2010
- The product has been developed and used in Europe since 2005 and is being used globally across our network: Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Oceania, South America.
- There might be a similar product on the market, but this one is ours and it is our patent
- Thermory introduced the individual clip system across North America in 2010 but never mentioned who was making the product, leading the market to believe it was Thermory’s when it was not
- The product has known an increased push into the US market since January 2020
- Conceived and engineered in France, made in France, raw materials sourced in Europe, nothing from China
- We have inventory in TX, Brazilian Lumber will keep inventory in FL, we can location across North America
- Lead time is usually 1-2 weeks from within the US, but if months lead time from PO until receiving the goods at the destination location in the US
- They all have the same clips, are made of the same aluminum, can all be used for different project needs
- They have different heights to accommodate for different project needs
- Only PR39 rails are structural and can be used with pedestals
- Yes, but it may impact our warranty
- Tests results from CCRR reports will not be applicable if other pedestals are used
- Always seek our approval before using other pedestals from other manufacturers
- No
- Our pedestals are for use with our products only
- Walls are rarely straight, so when you apply rails on walls, there will often be a gap between the rail and the wall, and over concrete walls, we are not very worried.
- In case of horizontal siding when rails are positioned vertically on the wall: water will flow down as usual.
- In case of vertical siding when rails are positioned horizontally: there is always a gap between two rails positioned one after another, so water will thin out and fall through these gaps.
- In any case: aluminum and clips do not absorb water.
- The clips sit on the rail and the outer cladding sits on the clips, meaning there is always a gap between the rail itself and the outer cladding for water to freely flow down.
- The rails are shaped to retain a minimum amount of water or to ensure water flows down and does not stagnate.
- Moisture naturally disappears through evaporation through natural wood, and our system does not prevent it.
- If you expect a shower at the back of the outer cladding, it might mean the wall is not built properly to standards because siding should always be covered by the roof, or that the type of siding you want to apply is not appropriate for the specific situation. The questions asked should apply to any traditional method.
- With shiplap, the upper lip of the board you want to remove will need to be cut to release the board from the one that comes right after. Then the boards will need to be cut in two places so the boards can be slid off the rails.
- Traditional installation methods usually ask for every board to be individually taken from the top of the wall down to the one board you want to take out. With us, it is easier.
- It is important to note that unless there is a problem with one board, no one spends their time building and unbuilding siding either.
- For decks: remove boards one at a time no matter where they are located on the deck with our set of special keys. Nothing gets damaged in the process, and everything can be reused as the keys unlock the clips from the rails to release the boards. The clips are then slid off the boards and reused when the boards need to be put back into place.
- It is not a guessing game; the rail is punctured exactly where the clips go.
- The clips can only be put back where these puncture points are. No other choice.
- You don’t need a new rail.
- You just need a new clip.
- It happens that sometimes clips get broken if not stored properly through carelessness during shipment or after reception of the goods.
- Check our installation guides for further information.
- We don’t do take-offs but can offer basic layout drawings to explain where every piece goes.
- We can only do this for decking, whether with rails on their own or with the pedestal system.
- We cannot provide this service at the moment for siding applications.
- Only Mini Rails can be bent to a certain radius.
- Otherwise, rails need to be cut accordingly to accommodate for curves.
- Not easily unless joists are positioned diagonally.
- If joists are straight, then there is not much point in using our system as it will require every single clip to be removed from all rails and new clips to be fastened one at a time. This will prevent boards from being individually removed with our set of keys.
- The rails are no replacement for the building code and follow standard good practices as well as local/state/national requirements.
- For siding: the rails are just like furring strips, so when you would usually apply furring strips every 16″ apart, rails need to be used every 16″ apart.
- For decks: when joists are 12″, 16″, or 24″ apart, rails are fastened over (and not across) the joists anyway, so they will also be 12″, 16″, 24″ apart based on the joist span.
- PR39 rails are structural and are therefore aluminum joists to be used like any other joists: if your building code requires normal joists to be 16″ apart, then our joists will follow the same rule.
- On deck frames, yes, because the system only follows traditional building methods: blockers will still be used under the deck to take guard railing posts, and these blockers will be between wooden/steel joists.
- Guard railings cannot be mounted onto the pedestal system.
- No.
- The system does not allow wood expansion beyond 7% or the clips will break.
- Our partners have a list of woods and follow strict guidelines as to what wood they can use or not and how.
- The clips work like harpoons, making it easy to snap the boards onto the clips but not out.
- Strong pull-out resistance: boards cannot be removed by simply pulling on them without causing serious damage to the rails and therefore the siding structure.
- Use glue over some clips, use our grip clip for open joint cladding, or use one screw at the top of the boards. Please refer to the installation guide for details.
- No.
- But they can be at an extra cost.
- No, at this stage: no composite board solution with these brands.
- Our systems only work with boards that have been specially profiled to work with it. You can’t simply use products from the shelf.
- We are currently developing solutions.
- Rails can be used for any applications.
- Applications include: vertical and horizontal siding, diagonal siding, decks, decks on pedestals, soffits, under deck ceilings, fences, revamping gates, and garage doors.
- Mini Rails and Start Rails are not structural.
- Only PR39 rails are structural.
- All claims we have ever had are from board-related issues.
- That’s why we test, retest, and assess all our partners.
- When usually builders only choose between clip A and clip B because nothing else is worth considering since it costs the same (labor, time, material type…), here you have to think about the bigger picture straight away and not compare the simple cost of our equipment vs clip A or clip B.
- Yes, the material cost at first will be a bit more, but everything else will be less.
- Facts:
- People say it is too expensive before even knowing the price, so when they tell me this, I ask them what is expensive for them, and often they can’t reply.
- The system costs the same no matter what you put on top: what makes a project expensive or not is whether you use a surface material at 20 USD/SF or at 4 USD/SF.
- Aluminum is not a very expensive raw material when not anodized.
- On average, we only use 0.21 lb of aluminum for every foot length of rail.
- On average, one individual can install 3,000 SF per day on their own.
- 1 rail covers 8 SF at 16” OC, so the price of a rail is per SF, not per LF.
- The cost per SF is actually to divide the cost of 1 rail by 8 and not to multiply the price per LF by 2.
- The pedestal system without boards often retails at 10 USD per SF and the siding system at 3 USD per SF (for standard configurations only).
