Tip #1: Don’t mix water with wood. Tip #2: Don’t let damp wood stay wet. Intuitive? Of course it is. Wet wood rots. Yet, this is a lesson the building industry has had to learn the hard way–and more than once–since necessarily stringent building codes have gone into effect in recent years. The well-intended codes are our industry’s effort to create airtight buildings. Good news for energy consumption, bad news for damp walls. Fortunately building science has taught industry professionals a thing or two about the movement of air and moisture in and around a building envelope. We can now create airtight buildings that also fend off unwanted, unavoidable moisture that originates both inside and outside of the structure.
Use of housewrap is no doubt a best practice in builders’ efforts toward airtight construction, with a general preference for the high-performance variety. There is a high demand for housewrap and as a result, there are several products on the market. How do you know which one performs the best? Before buying one brand over another, ask these seven questions to make sure the housewrap passes muster.