"Visqueen" Vapor Barrier
Posted by Nana Hinsley on Tue, Jul 05, 2011 @ 10:17 AM
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.
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, we do not feel it is 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. Builders are experiencing a much higher level of mold related repair costs and lawsuits since the time when most insurance companies changed their mold coverage to active leaks only. Click here for the home page.