Blueskin VP
™
The new standard of protection
for wood frame construction
Air Tight
Water Tight
Weather Tight
Blueskin VP
™
An important breakthrough
Better protection for buildings and occupants
Over the years, building envelope technology has evolved. First came
roofing felts, followed by building paper. The introduction of polymeric
wraps in the mid-1980s was an important innovation, functioning as a
“rain barrier” drainage plane that sheds bulk water. But today it’s understood
that wood frame structures – like large commercial buildings everywhere —
would also benefit from air and vapor barrier protection.
Now, thanks to next generation technology from Henry Company, they
can. Drawing on decades of commercial air barrier experience, Henry has
created Blueskin VP™
, a fully-adhered system that functions not only as a
water resistant barrier and rain barrier, but stops uncontrolled air leakage
to improve building comfort, safety and energy efficiency.
Product Description
• Vapor permeable water and air barrier
• Tri-laminate polypropylene fabric
• Fully adhered to sheating —
eliminating mechanical fasteners
• Meets industry standard for a Water
Resistant Barrier (WRB)
• Patented intermittent adhesive
• Fully water resistant
• Peel-and-stick — easy to apply
• Packaged in convenient rolls for full wall
and flashing applications
Self-adhered– no staple holes and tears
that allow air and moisture to pass through walls
in Building Envelope Technology
Picks up where traditional polymeric wraps leave off
Despite common perception, traditional building wraps are not
air barriers in many applications. This is because the required
detailing, fastening, taping and sealing are often lacking in the
field. Consequently, they allow uncontrolled air movement in
both directions, resulting in reduced thermal performance of the
wall assembly, as well as potential for moisture and mold problems.
By contrast, Blueskin VP™ is both a water resistive barrier
and air barrier. By providing a continuous plane of air-tightness,
this tri-laminate prevents air and bulk water from moving
through exterior walls in either direction.
• Provides greater moisture
and water protection of
sheathing than mechanically
attached Water Resistant
Barriers (WRBs)
• Keeps water from being
trapped behind the WRB
during construction phase
• Lowers energy costs
(defined by Energy Star
whole house modeling)
• Improves occupant comfort
by eliminating drafts
• Improves performance
of insulation
• Eliminates wind washing
of insulation due to
pressure cycling
• Helps prevent mold growth
by removing moisture
Traditional polymeric wraps provide a rain barrier,
but do not provide an effective air barrier.
Blueskin VP™ provides a continuous plane
of air-tightness to block the movement of air
and moisture.
Wind washing
Positive and negative pressures
on the building envelope drive air
and moisture into and out of the
structure through porous materials
or unintentional openings. Blueskin VP™
prevents pressure cycling to improve
the thermal and moisture performance
of exterior walls.
Exterior wind-induced
pressure profile
Airflow into enclosure
through porous materials
or unintentional openings
Airflow out of enclosure
through porous materials
or unintentional openings
Thermal Control in Buildings, Building Science Digest 011,
by John Straube 2006 Building Science Press
Blueskin VP
™
Energy Costs
Air Barrier Systems vs WRB
City
Annual Savings % (gas/electric respectively)
Bismarck, ND
Minneapolis, MN
St. Louis, MO
Phoenix, AZ
Office
42%/26%
43%/33%
57%/28%
77%/9%
Retail
26%/2%
28%/18%
38%/9%
64%/14%
Apartment
40%/9%
43%/14%
57%/12%
57%/0%
2005 NIST report #7238
Lowers energy and building costs
One of the largest energy saving factors in building
construction is a functioning Building Envelope
System®. In fact, as much as 25-40% of energy
consumed to condition indoor space in wellinsulated homes is due to air leakage through
the building envelope.* Blueskin VP™ eliminates
uncontrolled air leakage created by various
mechanisms such as stack effects, wind effects
and mechanical air handling effects – to deliver
significant financial benefits to owners
and occupants.
• Increases
structure’s energy efficiency —
see energy savings comparison chart
•P
ermits HVAC equipment to be downsized in
some cases, reducing building costs
• Improves performance of
fiberglass insulation to
SPF levels
• Eliminates perimeter
caulking for labor and cost
savings in most cases**
• Prevents loss of
conditioned air
*A. N. Karagiozis, Impact of Air Leakage on the Thermal and Moisture
Performance of the Building Envelope, ORNL 8/15/2001
**Still required in some code areas
Provides mold protection, too
Moisture is transported with moving air, so failure
to prevent this can lead to condensation within the
wall cavity. Controlling moisture and air leakage
controls one of the variables leading to the growth
of mold. By excluding mold spores that may be
in the wall enclosure from spreading to the indoor
environment, Blueskin VP™ can help keep structures
healthy and eliminate costs for mold remediation.
“Air barrier systems are an
important part of preventing
condensation, but they also help
to exclude mold spores that may
be in the enclosure from spreading
to the indoor environment.”
–John Straube, Thermal Control in Buildings,
2006 Building Science Press
From Henry Company, the leader
in Building Envelope Systems®
Blueskin VP™ is a product of Henry Company,
the industry’s leading provider of products and
systems to manage the flow of water, air, vapor,
and energy throughout the building envelope.
Blueskin VP incorporates the same advanced
technologies used in Henry commercial grade
air and moisture barrier technologies, proven
effective in both cold and hot climate extremes.
Henry Company
909 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Ste 650 El Segundo, CA 90245
1-800-486-1278
www.henry.com
(C) 2009 Henry Company. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
Henry Company Canada
15 Wallsend Drive
Scarborough, ON M1E 3X6
1-416-724-2000
www.henry.com
Item # xxx
Printed 06/09