I'm currently writing an article for the Journal of Light Construction titled "HouseWrap Update: Good, Better, Best Strategies". (Look for that article in the May issue) The main premise of the article is that you should specify your housewrap with respect to the exposure the house. A higher exposure house requires a more robust waterproofing strategy.
This house I'm currently building for Alterstudio Architecture certainly fits in the category of "High Exposure". The Architecture is amazing, but the house has very few roof overhangs. In short, the walls of the house will get wet every time it rains. Which means that we needed to treat the walls much as we treat the roof. (with great care!)
So, let's talk about Polyguard's Aluma Flash. This is a peel-and-stick, similar to Ice & Water Shield, but it's specifically designed for walls. It's typically used in Commercial construction and I've not seen it much on Residential projects. This 40 mils thick product is just like most other ice/water shields, but the big differentiator on this product is the aluminum face. The aluminum facer means that this product has a VERY long exposure time before needing to be covered. We primed our plywood sheathing with a solvent based primer then rolled the peel & stick Aluma Flash onto the walls in 36" lifts starting at the bottom and overlapping about 3". It was on the walls for about 12 months before we were finally ready to cover it.
In summary, this product is unique among the peel & sticks in the market because of the aluminum face. The custom homes I build are all designed for Austin's hot, humid climate by Architects and are usually built in a time frame of 12+ months so that longer exposure is critical to me. I really like Polyguard's Aluma Flash and you'll see this product on alot of my houses.
Risinger Homes is a custom builder and whole house remodeling contractor that specializes in Architect driven and fine craftsmanship work. We utilize an in-house carpentry staff and the latest building science research to build dramatically more efficient, healthy and durable homes.
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