What are the advantages of using a barrier membrane?
Because of the increased corrosion rates caused by many of the alternative pressure-treated wood chemicals, additional corrosion protection for connectors and fasteners is required. One way to ensure additional corrosion protection is to increase the amount of zinc coating on connectors and fasteners. Simpson Strong-Tie’s ZMAX®(G185) or Hot-Dip Galvanized (HDG) products have increased levels of zinc and are the minimum recommendation for use with many of the new pressure treatments. Testing indicates that ACQ-D (Carbonate) and CA-B treated woods used in conjunction with Grace Vycor Deck Protector barrier membrane are less corrosive than CCA-C treated wood. Because the barrier lowers the connector corrosion levels, the advantage of using a barrier membrane is that in some cases it allows you to use a connector with less zinc – such as Simpson’s standard G90 galvanized connectors. It is important to note that Hot-Dip Galvanized nails are still required as a minimum, even when using G90 c
