Top Products – Best Practices

Are there different water-resistant barriers? (most commonly known as “vapor barrier). It is a membrane, which inhibits moisture from impacting the plywood sheathing of the home. 

Vapor barriers come in many forms’; the most recognizable name in vapor barriers is Tyvek. Tyvek is applied on top of the exterior sheathing of the walls.

Another version is a liquid membrane, which is applied via sprayer to seal the plywood, concrete block, etc. This is very similar to the way damp proofing or waterproofing is applied to a foundation. Here is an image of Prosoco house wrap liquid, which is a fantastic product.

The last system of note is a system that has the vapor barrier liquid applied to the sheathing during production instead of onsite. The most notable of these is the Zip System, but there are many others as well. Once the exterior walls are in place, a bitumen tape is applied over all the seams. Bitumen products are essentially very strong rubber strips which have extreme adhesivity, and once in place, are essentially waterproof and never come off. I say waterproof because there is always someone who will ask if this product works in a flood. This same type of bitumen product is used for window wrap installation to keep water from finding an avenue into the home. Here is an image of installed Zip with the bitumen tape applied.