It’s a testing time for Waterproof paints and vapour barriers

The building and construction industry relies heavily on vapour barriers to meet the stringent water and air tightness requirements of modern building practice.  But not only can barriers such as paints, films and membranes  work differently in changing weather or structural conditions, the results you get in the real world are often far removed from the theoretical published values.   

The only way to check this is to test them – and, though conventionally difficult and expensive, this just got a whole lot easier and cheaper due to recent product developments at Versaperm – a world technology leader in the field.   Traditionally measurements have taken weeks, or even months - and have been expensive and of questionable accuracy.

Versaperm’s new and highly sensitive permeability meter is simple to use and can produce accurate results in as little as thirty minutes for some materials.  Accuracies are typically in the parts per million range, (PPM).  The equipment is unusually flexible as it can measure anything from thin coatings to complete wall structures, including laminates, boards, coatings, adhesives, mastics and other sealing and structural materials.

The flow of moisture affects both the building’s structure and the health of the people who live or work inside.  Not only that but it has a considerable effect on thermal insulation, but getting it wrong can cause mould, rot and decay, which have been linked to the rise in Asthma and other medical conditions.

The company also offers a sample testing service and technical consultancy to the building industry.