What is strapping and why is it necessary with other products but not GemThane™ Siding?
Strapping involves applying strips of wood (typically 1″ x 3″ nominal) over your vapour barrier during construction so as to create an air space behind the siding when it is installed. The reason? Up until now, all wood siding has been porous on the back, making it susceptible to rot from trapped moisture. Much of the cost of strapping lies in building out window and door frames so that they project beyond the siding, which of course has been forced outward by virtue of the strapping beneath. Some of this cost can be avoided on new buildings by specifying extra thick door and window frames, but this incurs some degree of cost as well. All in all, strapping costs about 70 cents to a dollar per lineal foot. GemThane™ siding has a thick clear coat of polymer on the reverse side, in fact about twice as thick as the paint on your automobile. This polymer, named ArborSeal™, is completely impervious to water making it unnecessary to strap the building. The result is savings that more than off
