Where Does Your Specified Product Fit on the Innovation Timeline?

It’s funny how things change over time.

More than thirty years ago, the order of the day for sheathing contractors was much different than it was today, the market dominated by less durable paper-based products that were heavily vulnerable to the elements.  The sheathing process always involved a hectic race against the clock to get exterior layers on to protect the sheathing.  If the weather didn’t cooperate, you were out of luck; undoubtedly some would have to be torn off and replaced.

Then came an innovation that changed the game for contractors and installers: powerful, fiberglass mat gypsum panels replaced flimsy paper products.  The industry never looked back.  Architects and contractors still rely on it due to its superior moisture and mold control in commercial and residential construction projects.

Which would you rather have protecting the side of your building: a bunch of paper, or a hearty layer of fiberglass? Three cheers for progress.

Today, while go-to exterior sheathing solutions vary, the goal is very much the same: a building needs protection from the elements.  Among the variables from product to product is not only how well it will perform, but the benefits it will deliver to the architect, contractor or installer in the process.

Sheathing and water-resistive and air barrier (WRB-AB) systems with an integrative design, exemplify this well, doing what a simple gypsum board could never do.  The DensElement^™ Barrier System is an advancement that goes further. Thanks to AquaKor^™ Technology, it fuses a WRB-AB directly into its gypsum core and fiberglass mat, reducing the need for an additional membrane.  This simplifies the sheathing installation phase by a step, resulting in significant time and cost savings.

Just as fiberglass mat gypsum panels innovated beyond paper-based products many years ago, so today enhancements in design have moved beyond yesterday’s innovations.

Nobody wants to be stuck in the past. Are your specifications for exterior sheathing solutions reflecting the progress and forward thinking technology available today?