Construction & Renovations 101

Admin · Member

Rain Screen

Date: Jul 6, 2008

Rain screen isn't going to solve a thing if no one is inspecting the papering and flashing.

Admin · Member

What is rain screen?

Rain screen or drain cavity is essentially a built-in gap or cavity between the cladding of a building and the building paper layer. This gap allows water that may get beyond the cladding to escape so that it does not seep through to the sheathing or framing where long term damage could occur.

This type of wall design has been incorporated into all condo or multi-family projects in the coastal region of the province for several years. The new code amendment extends this design requirement to single family homes for the first time.

Date: Jul 11, 2009

The architect does need to properly design the details of the membrane and the flashing, and there should be some oversight that the details are being installed correctly.

But new North American Test Standards for rainscreen assume an imperfect membrane and will design failures in the backup wall (usually will design a series of holes in a sheet of plexiglas) so that the performance of the system joints is what is being evaluated, not the membrane itself.

Going thru the scope of these details with the contractor will also highlight their importance (but as you say, there is no guarantee without oversight).

Steven Hunt · Newbie

Here simple solution to the problem of keeping rainwater out of buildings.

You choosing rain screen cladding are able to select from a huge range of designs that are able to enhance the look of new builds and existing buildings alike.