Delta-Dry Takes New Approach to Housewrap

Wall assemblies face many challenges from moisture. Wind-driven rain can directly penetrate certain wood and fiber-cement sidings. When porous claddings, such as wood, brick, fiber-cement, and stucco, are soaked by rain, the sun’s heat can drive water vapor farther into the wall assembly. Water vapor generated inside a building can migrate outward through the wall and condense on surfaces within the assembly. All of these problems—more common than generally recognized—can lead to mold, structural instability, and shorter building life (see EBN Vol. 12, No. 7). One of several layers in a typical wall assembly, housewrap (like DuPont’s Tyvek^®, for example) is intended to mitigate these and other problems.
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