[Greenbuilding] [BULK] Vapor Barrier Paint

[Lawrence Lile]

No, and I would no longer recommend using vapor barrier paints in most
situations!  Study why at this site:


http://www.buildingscience.com/bsc/

We used to wrap whole houses in plastic, but no more.  
 
Current thinking about vapor barriers and retarders has changed
radically in the last 15 years.  Many of the walls that were built with
heavy duty vapor barriers in the 1970's are now soaked with water and
growing lots of mold.  Walls need to dry, as much as they need to have
moisture locked out.  

Very little of the moisture that gets into a wall moves through building
materials.  Most of it either is transported by bulk air leakage, where
moist air contacts cold surfaces and drops its load, or bulk water
leakage due to poor drainage plane details.  Caulking around electrical
penetrations in sheetrock, for example, will do more to keep moisture
out of the wall than ten layers of vapor barrier.  Read the link above,
it is a wealth of informaiton.

 
Lawrence Lile, P.E., LEED AP


-----Original Message-----
From: greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org
[mailto:greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org] On Behalf Of William
Updike
Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2007 8:58 AM
To: Greenbuilder list
Subject: [BULK] [Greenbuilding] Vapor Barrier Paint
Importance: Low

Does anyone know of any low or no-VOC vapor barrier
paints (<1 perm)?

How 'bout a low or no-VOC fire retardent paint?

Thanks!

Cheers,
Bill Updike


 
________________________________________________________________________
____________
Finding fabulous fares is fun.  
Let Yahoo! FareChase search your favorite travel sites to find flight
and hotel bargains.
http://farechase.yahoo.com/promo-generic-14795097

_______________________________________________
Greenbuilding email list
List info:
http://listserv.repp.org/mailman/listinfo/greenbuilding_listserv.repp.or
g
List email: Greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org
Managed by BuildingGreen, Inc. http://www.buildinggreen.com
      publisher of Environmental Building News and GreenSpec(r)
Hosted and archived by REPP / CREST http://www.crest.org