Vapour Contol Layer

[Blob the Builder]

Hi, I'm purchasing my vapour control layer and wondering about tips for use of, and type used. I'm considering BarriAir, which says comes with integrated sealing laps. But is only 1.5m wide, is that a practical width?

Although i'm only at panel erection stage, beautiful day for it today, i'm thinking about when i place my mid floor joists atop of the ground floor panels, and the need to have the VCL in place to be underneath the joists. As the VCL layer will go around the ends of the joists and be taped above and below. Does this make sense?

[ProDave]

I used a lot of Barriair  A few comments.

 

It was the cheapest stuff I could find.

 

The 1.5M width does NOT line up with 600mm stud spacing, so some joints will not lie on studs.  Not a great issue for me as my frame was lined internally with OSB (see next point if you are expecting floating joints)

 

I do NOT trust the supplied inbuild sealing tape.  As it is it joins sticky tape to sticky tape, so you would think it sticks like $&!£ but it doesn't.  While waiting to batten and board, I found a few seams coming unstuck.  So what I did, anywhere there was a joint that did not end up under a batten, I screwed ripped strips of OSB offcuts over the entire length of the joint to keep the joints sandwiched together.  I could do that as I had 2 layers of OSB to screw through into.

 

If you are expecting floating joints, don't just rely on the inbuilt tape, supliment the joint with a trusted air tightness tape as well.

 

[Blob the Builder]

1 hour ago, ProDave said:

I used a lot of Barriair  A few comments.

 

It was the cheapest stuff I could find.

 

The 1.5M width does NOT line up with 600mm stud spacing, so some joints will not lie on studs.  Not a great issue for me as my frame was lined internally with OSB (see next point if you are expecting floating joints)

 

I do NOT trust the supplied inbuild sealing tape.  As it is it joins sticky tape to sticky tape, so you would think it sticks like $&!£ but it doesn't.  While waiting to batten and board, I found a few seams coming unstuck.  So what I did, anywhere there was a joint that did not end up under a batten, I screwed ripped strips of OSB offcuts over the entire length of the joint to keep the joints sandwiched together.  I could do that as I had 2 layers of OSB to screw through into.

 

If you are expecting floating joints, don't just rely on the inbuilt tape, supliment the joint with a trusted air tightness tape as well.

 

Good tip about the integral taped seams; that sounded a good reason to buy the stuff in the first place. Siga Sicrall tape sounds good; but whether its necessary to use a double sided as well? I'm not going for any passiv standard, just practical sense as i have a single leaf wall with timber cladding. 

[ProDave]

Siga tape is good but expensive.

 

I was very happy with Tescon Vanna tape. There is a German ebay seller who sells it a lot cheaper than anyone in the UK

[Russell griffiths]

If your building your own wall panels why not use one of the smart ply products so you don’t need to use a membrane at all just tape the joins. 

[Blob the Builder]

4 hours ago, ProDave said:

Siga tape is good but expensive.

 

I was very happy with Tescon Vanna tape. There is a German ebay seller who sells it a lot cheaper than anyone in the UK

Ok, i'll check that stuff out....

[Blob the Builder]

52 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

If your building your own wall panels why not use one of the smart ply products so you don’t need to use a membrane at all just tape the joins. 

Ahh, most of my panels now constructed. So much to research, i've not even discovered certain products yet...

[Blob the Builder]

On 26/10/2018 at 12:31, ProDave said:

I used a lot of Barriair  A few comments.

 

It was the cheapest stuff I could find.

 

The 1.5M width does NOT line up with 600mm stud spacing, so some joints will not lie on studs.  Not a great issue for me as my frame was lined internally with OSB (see next point if you are expecting floating joints)

 

I do NOT trust the supplied inbuild sealing tape.  As it is it joins sticky tape to sticky tape, so you would think it sticks like $&!£ but it doesn't.  While waiting to batten and board, I found a few seams coming unstuck.  So what I did, anywhere there was a joint that did not end up under a batten, I screwed ripped strips of OSB offcuts over the entire length of the joint to keep the joints sandwiched together.  I could do that as I had 2 layers of OSB to screw through into.

 

If you are expecting floating joints, don't just rely on the inbuilt tape, supliment the joint with a trusted air tightness tape as well.

 

My BarriAir has arrived, and i'm a little surprised as it is fabric material akin to external membrane. I was expecting polythene. 

So, do you think it is suitable as a vapour control layer?