What is the Best Building Wrap?
Author: Lee Polevoi | April 13, 2020
Building wrap is a critical component of any home or building design, providing a protective barrier between the wall substrate and the exterior. But with so many options on the market, what is the best building wrap?
What Is Building Wrap?
At the most basic level, building wrap is a protective barrier that help keeps moisture out while helping to promote air flow, keeping the building efficient and comfortable. It acts as a secondary weather barrier behind a code-compliant exterior wall covering, and is installed during construction after framing is complete and before windows and doors are put in.
Building wrap is particularly important in cold or wet climates with high winter winds. While building wrap's primary purpose is to reduce air infiltration, it can also keep rain from seeping in between the shell and the building's exterior and condensation from building up.
What to Look for in Building Wrap
Building wrap is tested in four areas: durability, vapor permeability, water resistance and drainage. Vapor permeability — how easily vapor can pass through the building wrap — is perhaps the most important feature of any building wrap.
Common activities like cooking, showering, washing dishes and even breathing allow water vapor to build up inside a building. In fact, the average home produces three to six gallons of water vapor every day. Without a proper vapor barrier in place, moisture can build up between the walls and exterior and cause mold and mildew.
Advantages of Using TRI-BUILT Building Wrap
TRI-BUILT offers a complete line of high-performance building wraps that are appropriate for a variety of structures. Offered in both woven and non-woven options, TRI-BUILT's wraps can be installed behind all types of exterior siding. Whether it's during a long roofing and siding repair project or new construction, these wraps protect the building envelope from UV degradation, and can later be covered by anything from vinyl and composite to brick and masonry.
For example, TRI-BUILT Building Wrap C and C LP shed water and reduce air infiltration while allowing moisture to escape. TRI-BUILT Building Wrap H/C is a durable woven polyolefin fabric with a micro-perforated coating that helps control the transfer of water vapor and reduces air infiltration.
TRI-BUILT building wraps are UV-stabilized to resist damage when exposed for 180 (Building Wrap C-LP) to 300 days (Building Wrap H/C). They're also designed to meet or exceed building codes for weather-resistant barriers, and are a critical component for an energy-efficient building.
TRI-BUILT vs. the Competitors
There are a few other building wrap options out there, including the most well-known: Dupont's Tyvek. Both TRI-BUILT and Tyvek building wraps meet the minimum requirements for weather-resistant barriers. There are, however, some important areas where TRI-BUILT has a distinct advantage.
TRI-BUILT C Housewrap has a higher UV rating than Tyvek HomeWrap — six months for TRI-BUILT versus four months for Tyvek. TRI-BUILT building wraps are also commercial grade and come in a translucent option, which Tyvek's HouseWrap does not.
In addition, TRI-BUILT has been tested and highly rated for its durability. ASTM D 882 is the standard test for tensile strength — TRI-BUILT has a tensile strength of 65 pounds per inch MD or 45 pounds per inch CD, making it one of the most tear-resistant building wraps on the market. Tyvek's breaking strength is reported to be 30/30 per ASTM D 882.
Ready to Learn More About TRI-BUILT?
So, what is the best building wrap for roofing contractors to use? TRI-BUILT is a name contractors can trust, and they're an exclusive partner of Beacon Roofing Supply. It just might be the best bet for your next project.
