"Vapor barrier"

Vapor barrier / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Insulation and soundproofing

How to choose between open cell and closed cell spray foam and which is best?

...vapor barrier, meaning it allows moisture to pass through. This can be beneficial in some applications, such as attic spaces, where controlled moisture permeability helps prevent trapped condensation. But for walls it means you still a vapor barrier or vapor retarder depending on your climate. Closed-cell spray foam ac...

Insulation and soundproofing

Does a home need a radiant barrier in walls and ceilings? When is it worth it?

...barriers used for air barriers and in some cases like REMOTE Walls as a vapor barrier, and we think that the money you invest in reducing heat loss would be better invested as an additional inch of insulation rather than dropping it on radiant barriers. Now you know more about radiant barriers in homes, find more ...

Wall assemblies - new construction

Larsen truss wall systems with double-stud construction & extra insulation for new homes & energy efficient home renovation

...vapor barrier and air barrier 11 7/8" TGIs (I-joists) as a double-stud wall attached to the exterior of the sheathing (R42) 1.5" ECO4 Wood fiber-board rigid exterior insulation (R4) Weather barrier (WRB) Strapping Exterior cladding * Both homes are built on a raft-slab ‘slab on grade ICF Forming kit’ with 12 inches o...

Air and vapour barriers

Choosing the right house wrap / weather barrier, which is best?

...barriers and rainscreens play in a wall, choosing the right products and installation tips for optimum performance. They're officially known as water-resistive barriers or WRBs, sometimes weather-resistive barriers, but in practical terms they are more commonly called housewraps and weather barriers. With so many optio...

Air and vapour barriers

How to install an air barrier for reduced air leakage - video

...barriers and vapor barriers: The job of a vapor barrier is to prevent vapor diffusion (walls absorbing humidity from the air), and the job of an air barrier is to stop air leakage through individual holes. A wall system should have one vapor barrier, but it can have many air barriers. A vapor barrier can act as a very ...

Air and vapour barriers

The difference between air barriers and vapor barriers

...barriers and vapor barriers The job of a vapor barrier is to prevent vapor diffusion, and the job of an air barrier is to stop air leakage through differences in air pressure. A wall system should have one vapor barrier, but can have many air barriers. A vapor barrier can act as a very effective air barrier, but an air...

Crawl spaces

Should I build on a slab on grade foundation or a crawl space?

...barrier when installed with multiple layers and offset joints as it will not absorb moisture from the ground. • Building on high ground eliminates any risk of flooding. • A slab on grade with a frost-protection skirt designed for its specific climate will not heave. • EPS foam with parging on it or an ext...

Ventilation

Ventilation & air exchangers

...barriers became a part of the building envelope shortly thereafter. Vapour barriers stopped the flow of moist air through walls, this of course led to a buildup of moisture in homes, and condensation on windows was common place and hard to stop. This led to a build up of mould and mildew in homes. Modern day airtight ...

Radon in Homes - Mitigation

How to install vapor and radon barriers below slab floors

...barrier, we used a 10 mil barrier and a radon evacuation stack to lower radon gas levels in homes, research shows (see below) that thicker membranes offer more effective protection. In this video we are installing a 10 mil vapour barrier but we would probably use a thick vapor barrier like this one in future as the co...

Basements

Best practices for basement insulation in new home construction

...barrier primer © Benjamin Moore Interior gypsum board: Latex paint (or vapour retarder primer) is recomended as an interior vapour control layer below grade. It is most important to not include a polyethylene vapour barrier or other vapour impermeable materials that prevent walls from drying. 6 mil poly vapour barr...

Basement finishing

Basement renovations: How to prevent mold when finishing basements

...barrier. Notice the difference between the studs against the foundation and the studs that formed an interior division wall; the vapour barrier did not protect the exterior wall from damage and mold growth. It caused the damage by prevented the wall from drying to the interior and instead sealed the moisture in. Read h...