Compressible gaskets keep air and water barriers continuous without liquid sealants or adhesive tapes. But they don’t all last equally well.

by Peter Yost

This is part of an ongoing series. Read all the Sticky Business posts here.

In the U.S., we tend to put a lot of faith in caulks, tapes, and wet-applied sealants. But in Europe it’s a different story.

A beautiful map of amazing places, why FSC is still best wood certification, and the scary story of why you should still make your own file backups.

Finally fixing the basement drainage problems that have plagued my house for 30 years

When I bought the house in West Dummerston, Vermont, where my wife and I have lived for the past thirty years, one of the first things I did was fix the drainage problems that were dumping water into our basement….

Or so I thought. Let me explain.

Caulk joint sealants can be a major deciding factor in how long your building envelope lasts. Is there a better way to predict how long the sealants last?

by Peter Yost

This is part of an ongoing series. Read all the Sticky Business posts here.

Introducing all-natural expanded cork boardstock insulation to the North American market. Expanded cork insulation is available up to 12 inches thick and can be used much like polyiso. Click to enlarge.Photo Credit: Amorim Isolamentos

Oregon-based Viridian upcycles shipping waste to make stylish flooring, tabletops, veneers, and other products
Can top energy performance be achieved by combining fairly standard windows with really good storm windows or even a second set of prime windows? A low-e storm window at my colleague Peter Yost's house in Brattleboro. Click on image to enlarge.Photo Credit: Peter Yost

We’ve run the numbers from our quiz on toxic chemicals in building products, and we all have some explaining to do. Put down your #2 pencils and listen up!
LED lighting keeps on improving as yet another record efficacy is announced. Cree's new XLamp XP-G2 LED chip delivers up to 165 lumens per watt. Click on image to enlarge.Photo Credit: Cree
Understanding the options with room air conditioners, central air conditioners, and heat pumps. The outdoor unit of a Daikin mini-split air-source heat pump in Putney, Vermont. Click to enlarge.Photo Credit: Alex Wilson

Green Globes may have come out slightly ahead in a recent “alignment” report, but support for LEED is strong in the building industry.

When you use tape to seal a seam or flash a sill, you need peel-and-stick performance—not “stick-and-peel.”

by Peter Yost

This is part of an ongoing series. Read all the Sticky Business posts here.

Take our quiz to find out how much you really know about VOCs, lead, toxic flame retardants, and other common hazards in building materials.
A look at the fascinating history and operation of refrigerant-cycle air conditioners. Fedders room air 5,000 Btu/hour room conditioner. Click on image to enlarge.