Plastic Sheeting Blog. Click on Home for all our product categories...

How do you tape plastic sheeting to concrete foundation wall?

Question:  How do you tape plastic sheeting to concrete foundation wall? 

"Visqueen" Vapor Barrier

So often people inquire about, "Visqueen" vapor barrier.  What they are really asking for is some sort of plastic sheeting to use as a vapor barrier/retarder. (Click here to visit the vapor barrier page).

Visqueen has become one of the generic names for plastic sheeting, just as Kleenex has become the generic name for tissue. When someone asks for Visqueen, they are referring to a lesser grade of plastic sheeting. The plastic sheeting known as Visqueen has become a generic name for Construction and Agricultural Grade Polyethylene sheeting (C&A film). C&A film contains up to 25% post consumer recycled content, and is made from the least expensive resins available at any given time. While it is excellent for use in many projects, it is not ideal for any use that requires sustained strength such as a tarp or for use as a vapor/moisture barrier or retarder. People will often do a search for "visqueen vapor retarder", or fire retardant visqueen" when they may be looking for an engineered plastic. An engineered plastic is one that is intentionally designed to meet certain measurable criteria to insure its suitability for the job it is intended for.

When looking for a vapor retarder/barrier, we recommend  an engineered film like VaporBlock Plus for this purpose to block as much of the moisture, radon, methane and VOC's as possible. VaporBlock Plus  engineered films are designed to last forever buried in the soil, where C&A film often completely breaks down within a couple of years. Have you ever dug up some old black plastic? Remember how torn and crusty it was? It's important that today's vapor/moisture barriers or retarders should pass the ASTM E1745 Class A, B and C (standard for underslab vapor retarders in contact with soil or granular fill) , especially since most homeowner's insurance coverage for mold is very limited today. Ideally you want to do the job once, and put in a vapor barrier that won’t decompose over time.

8 Mil Black Plastic sheeting- Does it pass NFPA 701-04 Test 2?

Question: Does you 4 mil or 8 mil Black Fire Retardant Plasticpass the NFPA 701-04 Test 2 to meet the fire safety codes the fire marshal has requested?

Answer:  We went to the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) Standard Methods of Fire Tests for Flame Popagation of Textiles and Films handbook to briefly explain the differences. To quote from their website (http://www.nfpa.org/)

Test Method 2 (flat specimen configuration) shall be used for fabrics, including multilayered fabrics, films, and plastic blinds, with or without reinforcement or backing, with areal densities greater than 700 g/m2 (21 oz/yd2).

In other words, black fire retardant plastic sheeting in the 4 mil or 8 mil does not have enough density to qualify for this test. This test simply does not apply for these two versions of the Black Fire Retardant Plastic that is used in Haunted Houses and more.

NFPA is an international nonprofit organization that was established in 1896. It's mission is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other harzards by providing  in part codes and standards for fire prevention.