Air/Weather Barriers (AWB) control the unintended movement of air and moisture into and out of a building enclosure. Air/Weather Barrier systems are comprised of a number of materials which are assembled together to provide a complete barrier to air and water leakage through the building envelope. AWB’s essentially “wrap” the building shell and ensure that it protects the building from the effects of leakage. As would seem obvious; moisture intrusion into a building can create long term degradation problems, which are difficult and expensive to remedy. Air leakage issues are less obvious, but none-the-less can detrimentally effect the functioning of a building’s environmental systems and ultimately can reduce the life span of a building. When HVAC conditioned air leaks out of a building and unconditioned air leaks into a building additional energy is required to then condition this air. Air leakage can result in an increase in energy costs of up to 30-40% in heating climates and 10-15% in cooling climates. It’s easy to imagine the expensive waste of energy and resources this results in.

Fluid applied AWB’s are the most efficient means of stopping air and moisture migration through gaps, cracks and holes in the exterior of a structure; more so than building wraps and traditional building paper. This is true because, fluid or liquid applied systems form a seamless skin which tightly envelops the exterior substrate of the building filling and spanning gaps, fastener holes and lap joints, which can compromise traditional paper or wrap installations. Two additional benefits of fluid applied AWB systems are their durability and effectiveness in controlling both weather damage during construction and in preventing the growth of mold and mildew.

Fluid applied systems generally include 4 components; a spray or trowel applied treatment for fastener heads and sheathing joints; a reinforcing mesh used for strengthening the sheathing joints, a membrane or mesh for application around windows and penetrations and lastly; a waterproof air barrier which can be spray, roll or brush applied over the properly prepared wall surface. Salmon Bay is supplied with these energy saving products, by the nationally recognized manufacturers listed on our Clipboard.