News
VaproShield press releases, news and events.
WrapShield SA Featured in Contractor Supply Home
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In June 2010, WrapShield SA (Self-Adhered) was featured in Contractor Supply reaching over 18,000+ construction equipment, tool and supply distributors, manufacturers and rep. agencies.
Read the entire article
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WallShield featured on sustainable campus in Rhinebeck, New York
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VaproShield WallShield was recently installed on the 6,250-sqaure-foot Omega Center for Sustainable Living in Rhinebeck, New York.
Holistic at Heart: A new building on the campus of the Omega Institute performs a very practical function, but also serves the organization’s loftier, pedagogical goals.
The Omega Center for Sustainable Living, or OCSL, houses part of a sewage treatment process and includes a classroom that the institute uses for general educational programs and to teach guests and the general public about the water cycle and sustainable building. |
Read more about the Omega Center for Sustainable Living
VaproShield premiers WrapShield SA Self-Adhered at AIA Convention
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VaproShield premiered their new product WrapShield SA Self-Adhered to over 17,000 architects and designers from across the nation at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2010 National Convention and Design Exposition in Miami.
The theme of this year’s convention was “Design for the New Decade” based on the organization’s stance that as a new decade begins in the 21st century, architects and design professionals continue to learn how the next 10 years could revise the traditional ways they practice architecture. |
This theme was especially applicable to VaproShield as they lead the industry in promoting awareness about breathable, energy-efficient building envelopes versus the “traditional” approach to seal up buildings.
VaproShield Complete Media Kit click here
GIG HARBOR, WA – 6/18/2010 VaproShield, marketing and distributing affordable, innovative products that reflect state-of-the-art building envelope science, announces a new product that will open the door to a host of new projects.
WrapShield® SA Self-Adhered is the highest vapor permeable (50 perms) membrane and an air barrier in one innovative, affordable self-adhering product. It fully bonds to almost any substrate for air tightness and ease of installation, requiring no primer, saving thousands of dollars on labor, and eliminates environmental, health and safety concerns of primer application. Additionally, the membrane contributes to LEED points for Indoor Environmental Air Quality and Energy & Atmosphere.
Architects and engineers agree that buildings must be able to breathe; however, many commonly used underlayments and membranes trap condensation and moisture in wall cavities. “They ‘seal’ a building but also essentially minimize air exchange while increasing condensation, which can lead to poor indoor air quality, energy deficiencies and costly building damage,” according to VaproShield managing partner, Phil Johnson.
All VaproShield membranes allow a building to “breathe.” Breather membranes allow vapor to permeate the material while protecting the building from damaging moisture by allowing vapor to escape, reducing condensation and allowing the structure to dry during and after construction.
“Adding WrapShield SA Self-Adhered to our product portfolio gives us an opportunity to expand our business opportunities throughout the US and Canada,” notes Lee Snyder, VaproShield managing partner
VaproShield has experienced double-digit growth over the past five years. From modest beginnings with a few reps around the country, they now boast representation in all 50 states with nation-wide distribution. Phil Johnson, managing partner says, “We have had interest in our product as far as away as Chile. This is an exciting time to be in the breathable membrane market. The entire industry is seeing that breathable membranes are energy efficient as well as helping to prevent mold and mildew.”
VaproShield offers high performance building envelope systems consisting of breathable membranes, rain screen design components and 3D window flashing elements that address client needs even in the most demanding climates. VaproShield membranes are breathable, water-shedding, weather-resistant barriers that provide high performance vapor control. For information about VaproShield, please contact Carol Danhof at (616) 608-9995. Carold@innovative-mr.com, or visit
www.VaproShield.com.
Who is VaproShield?
VaproShield markets and distributes breathable, high performance building envelope solutions. They provide expertise in building envelope systems, increasing awareness of breathable, energy-efficient buidling envelopes vs. traditional “tight” buildings. VaproShield products support sustainable building practices and efforts to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in multiple categories; new construction and major renovations.
VaproShield breathable, vapor permeable membranes and air barriers help to control the effects of condensation and water intrusion on the building envelope. Water intrusion can cause wood rot, swelling and distortion of lumber, corrosion of metal and reduction of insulation thermal performance.
VaproShield breathable membranes are constructed from three-layer spun bonded polypropylene. The membranes are inert and can be recycled into their original bed form for reuse. VaproSillSaver and VaproBatten components are made from reprocessed residual vinyl trim material from old windows.
VaproShield promotes sustainable business practices that support a strong economic base, environmental responsibility and respect for the community. VaproShield measures their success by designing and providing products that create and promote high-performance building envelopes, ensuring a healthy environment for all occupants while reducing overall building and operating costs.
Why should I go to VaproShield?
VaproShield membranes can be used with almost any type of exterior cladding or roofing material. You can use VaproShield membranes on new, retrofit, rain screen, open joint, air barrier, pressure-equalized and drain back vented building designs. They offer innovative product solutions, expertise in building envelope systems and solid third-party testing performance data to back their products.
Description
- Markets and distributes breathable, high performance building envelope solutions
- Provides nationwide expertise in building envelope systems
- Promotes industry awareness of breathable, energy-efficient building envelopes vs. the “traditional” approach of sealing buildings tight
- Products support sustainable building practices and efforts to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in multiple categories
- Headquarters in Gig Harbor, WA
Objectives
- Provide total building envelope solutions
- Provide solid third-party testing performance data
- Provide in-house testing for difficult design details
- Increase awareness with architects about the importance of breathable, energy-efficient building envelopes
- Offer innovative and affordable building envelope solutions
Goals
- To be a leader in sustainable, innovative, breathable building envelope solutions
- Improve awareness within the construction industry about climate science, risks of mold, mildew and rot, stack effect and rain screen design
- Provide outstanding support for nationwide representatives
- Grow into North American and Southern hemisphere markets
History
- Formed in 2002 as RoofShield USA LLC,
- Changed to VaproShield LLC in 2006
- 2005 formed corporate headquarters in Gig Harbor, WA
- First product sold was RoofShield
- 2002 added WallShield - highest rated weather resistive vapor and air permeable underlayment in the industry
- 2006 added SlopeShield - highest vapor permeable commercial quality breathable roofing underlayment
- 2008 added WrapShield HS - state-of-the-art breathable, water resistant membrane, WrapShield is bonded to Home Slicker®, a rolled product that creates the necessary airspace in a rain screen wall system.
- 2010 added WrapShield SA (Self-Adhered) – the highest vapor permeable, air barrier self-adhered breathable membrane, requiring no primer to adhere.
Clients
- Commercial construction buildings
- Multi-dwelling, mixed-use buildings
- High end residential homes
Services
- Product specification support
- Installation support
- Local representation
- Educational seminars on building envelope design
Phil Johnson
Lee Snyder
Location
915 26th Ave NW, Suite C5
Gig Harbor, WA 98335
P : 866-731-7663
WHAT IS WEATHER RESISTIVE BARRIER (WRB)?
Weather resistive barriers are part of exterior wall systems designed to protect building materials from moisture penetration. Moisture can penetrate through a variety of places including cladding joints, and weather resistive barriers act as a secondary weather protection assembly. High performing permeable weather resistive barriers allow moisture vapor to escape and can resist air movement while ensuring building materials to remain dry and weather tight, increasing building performance, decreasing maintenance costs and reducing the risk of moisture-related problems such as mold, mildew, rot and sick building syndrome.
IS MOLD, MILDEW AND ROT A PROBLEM IN BUILDINGS?
The North American building industry spends around $9 billion each year repairing and litigating damages from water and moisture1. Risk management companies note that new materials used in building construction over the last 20 years were energy-efficient, but ventilation poor, resulting in toxic mold claims of over $3 billion.2 Air leakage can result in increased energy use of up to 30-40% in heating climates and 10-15% in cooling climates.3
1. Source: www.buildingmedia.com
2. Risk Management for Mold Hazards to Commercial Building Owners and Managers paper, William Gallagher Associates
3 Air Barrier Association of America
WHAT IS PERM?
A unit of water vapor transmission defined as 1 grain of water vapor per square foot per hour per inch of mercury pressure difference (1 inch mercury = 0.49 psi). Metric unit of measure is ng/m2 s Pa. 1 perm = 55 ng/m2 s Pa
WHAT IS PERMEABILITY?
The time rate of water vapor transmission through unit area of a material of unit thickness induced by unit vapor pressure difference between two specific surfaces, under specified temperature and humidity conditions.
WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT PERMEABILITY?
Proper building envelope design promotes continual drying by allowing vapor to escape. Moisture can penetrate a building envelope through materials and rain/snow exposure during construction. General occupancy also adds to the moisture levels. Trapped moisture can cause wood rot, swelling and distortion of lumber, corrosion of metal and reduction of insulation thermal value. Any or all of these issues result in a high risk of mold, mildew, building deterioration, poor indoor air quality and health and safety risks to occupant’s increases. In some states, new air tightness and energy saving requirements increase the possibility of trapped moisture, when low or non-permeable air barriers are utilized.
Membranes with a higher perm value greater than 20 reduce the risk of condensation and promote escape of moisture through the building envelope. Additionally, membranes with a high perm value can help building materials “dry-out” during the construction phase.
Simply put, when you wear a traditional rain slicker (1 perm) outside, you perspire because the moisture your body is making cannot escape.
On the flip side, if you went outside with a high perm slicker lined with something like Goretex®, the moisture in your body can escape because the Goretex lining allows your body to “breathe.”
Buildings need to breathe just like our bodies.
VaproShield LLC Major Sponsor for Building Enclosure Science & Technology Conference in Portland, Oregon, April 12-14, 2010
Growing Company Supports National Institute of Building Sciences
GIG HARBOR, WA – 4/5/2010 VaproShield, marketing and distributing affordable, innovative products that reflect state-of-the-art building envelope science, is a Level II GREEN sponsor at the upcoming BEST2 Conference. “Being a sponsor at a major event like this, shows Owners, Developers, Architects, Engineers, and Building Envelope Consultants, that VaproShield is a leader in building envelope solutions,” notes Lee Snyder, Managing Partner. “This conference was in ‘our backyard’ so being a sponsor was a natural thing to do,” continues Snyder. VaproShield LLC headquarters is in Gig Harbor, WA. Printer Friendly Version
VaproShield has experienced double-digit growth over the past five years. From modest beginnings with a few reps around the country, they now boast representation in 28 states with nation-wide distribution. Phil Johnson, managing partner says, “We have had interest in our product as far as away as Chile. This is an exciting time to be in the breathable membrane market. The entire industry is seeing that breathable membranes are energy efficient as well as helping to prevent mold and mildew.”
Everyday, VaproShield reps are educating architects, designers, contractors and owners about the importance of breathable buildings versus the “traditional” approach to seal up buildings. Breather membranes allow vapor to permeate the material, while protecting the building from damaging moisture by allowing vapor to escape, reducing condensation, and allowing the structure to dry during and after construction. VaproShield breathable membranes can be used with all types of construction: conventional, air barrier, rain screen and open joint.
“Over $9 billion is spent addressing moisture damage every year,” says Snyder. “This conference (BEST 2) will bring together leading research from Europe, Canada and the US, focusing on existing and future buildings. We are excited to be a part of this innovative industry.”
The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), acting through its Building Enclosure Technology an Environmental Council (BETEC), in collaboration with The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is presenting the second biennial conference on Building Enclosure Science and Technology in Portland, OR, April 12-14. This international conference will address the urgent need for advancements in the energy efficiency of buildings as well as the buildings durability as affected by moisture and the indoor environment.
VaproShield offers high performance building envelope systems consisting of breathable membranes, rain screen design components and 3D window flashing elements that address client needs even in the most demanding climates. VaproShield membranes are breathable, water-shedding, weather-resistant barriers that provide high performance vapor control. For information about VaproShield, please contact Carol Danhof at (616) 890-6690 or visit
www.VaproShield.com
