So what is the major difference between regular sarking and a high performance building wrap?

The answer is vapour permeability.

What is it?

Vapour permeability is the rate at which vapour  passes through a material.

Why does it matter?

Because there are so many things producing water vapour inside a building…starting with us!

We transpire up to 900ml of water every day.  When you add to this vapour (in the form of steam) from showers, kettles and boiling food on a stove, its easy to see how the build up can be immense.

How this effects durability;

When water vapour gets trapped in a wall it increases the humidity in the wall.  This increases the likelihood of condensation forming.

When this happens, if there is no where for it to go, it will fester, rotting out timber and possibly forming MOULD.

How can you avoid this happening on your builds?

Naturally, if you use the right building wrap, such as Solitex Extasana, you can ensure that it’s possible for vapour to exit the building.

If you combine that with a wall system that includes a ventilation cavity, you can be supremely confident that the high performance home you just built won’t become a death trap for your home owners!