Is a rain screen necessary?

If your walls are made of structural insulated panel (SIPs), or if your OSB wall sheathing has closed-cell spray foam on the interior, experts say it’s essential to include a rainscreen because the insulation won’t allow the OSB on these walls to dry to the interior.

How do you install rainscreen siding?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: Fold the screen up and install a water table trim board just above the flashing that way any rain that sneaks past can drain back out install siding up the wall.

What can I use for a rain screen?

The two most common methods for creating either vented or ventilated rainscreens are plastic mesh mats and rainscreen strips. Plastic mesh mats like Benjamin Obdyke’s Slicker Classic, which is available in various thicknesses, work well under some siding types, particularly wood shingles.

How thick is a rain screen?

1/4″ to 1″

Rainscreen gap depth or thickness is the most debatable detail. Vented airspace rainscreens typically see from 1/4″ to 1″ thicknesses. Bigger airspaces will promote more drying but they also increase labor and material costs and complicate trim and siding details.

Do you need an air space behind vinyl siding?

The air space between siding and sheathing should also allow humid air to escape. In order for both of these actions to take place, when siding is installed correctly there needs to be a continuous space behind siding where water can drain and air can flow.

Is rainscreen expensive?

Building science vs.



Because true rain-screen siding is labor-intensive and costly — it adds 25 percent to 30 percent to the cost of a typical siding job, according to several builders who have used the approach — code officials portray the stucco-wrap option as builder-friendly.

What is siding Rain screen?

A rainscreen is an exterior skin system made up of siding, an air gap via furring strips, WRB layer, and structural sheathing substrate (nowadays OSB or plywood). The siding sheds 90% or more of precipitation, but not all of it.

What is a rainscreen cladding system?

Rainscreen cladding is the attachment of an outer skin of rear-ventilated cladding to a new or existing building. The system is a form of double-wall construction that uses an outer layer to keep out the rain and an inner layer to provide thermal insulation, prevent excessive air leakage and carry wind loading.

Do you need furring strips for siding?

Most panel siding requires a solid surface or backing for a secure and stable attachment. Furring strips provide reliable backing. The second — and most important — purpose of furring strips for siding is that they create a crucial gap between the siding and the weather-resistant barrier of the home’s exterior.

What is rainscreen in construction?

A rainscreen is an exterior cladding infrastructure that sits away from a building’s outside wall’s weather-resistant barrier, creating an air cavity directly behind the cladding that helps to protect the buildings important weather-resistant barrier.

How do you build a rainscreen wall?

To build a rainscreen wall, simply add space between your siding and your weather-proof barrier covered sheathing. The secret to a rainscreen wall system is the airspace separation between siding and sheathing. Traditional wall construction consists of an exterior siding (primary barrier) installed over sheathing.

What does a rain screen look like?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: Screen. So the idea of rain screen is that when our siding material sits on top of this house there's actually an airspace in behind it.

What is a furring strip for siding?

Furring strips are long thin pieces of material usually made of wood or metal. They are used to make a backing surface for the siding to attach to. These strips create the drainage plane that is essential for rainscreen siding to be effective in the way that it was designed for.

How do Rainscreens work?

A rainscreen uses an exterior surface–a rainscreen cladding layer–to break the force of sideways, wind-driven water movement, so that any water that gets through the small breaches in the surface has lost its momentum. Most water simply bounces off the surface or runs down the exterior.

What is a rain barrier?

Rain barriers are often face-sealed curtain walls and have sealed joints between the components. Drainage is generally not required in these assemblies for moisture originating from the exterior.

What is rainscreen siding and what are its potential benefits?

Building Science Corporation notes “rainscreen gaps help walls manage moisture. A rainscreen gap helps to dry the sheathing, which may accumulate moisture during cold weather. It also helps to dry the siding when it is soaked by rain…. The gap provides a capillary break between the back of the siding and the WRB.

Which are following common rain screen cladding options?

There are a variety of cladding options as natural stone, GFRC, GFRP, Aluminium metal cladding, zinc cladding, copper cladding terracotta clay tiles, high-pressure laminates (HPL), ceramic tiles, ACP, etc.

Is rainscreen cladding safe?

Rainscreen cladding systems require an open cavity to allow the insulation to “breathe” behind the weather resistant cladding panels – however, this is potentially dangerous in a fire, as it creates a chimney for the fire to spread vertically through the building.

How is rainscreen cladding installed?

A rainscreen cladding system is installed externally, directly on the existing structure of a building. This creates a ventilated cavity between the structural frame of the building and the facade itself.