Air Leakage – House wrap vs peal and stick house wrap
![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/55f87442475ec19b46247e6a4f553d31?s=52&d=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.greenbuildingadvisor.com%2Fapp%2Favatars%2F200x200%2Fa.png&r=g)
Is there any data available about amount of reduction of air leakage of peal and stick house wraps vs traditional? I have a 1940’s house sheathed with boards. Going to put 1.5″ of poly iso over the house wrap. I have bought hydrogap house wrap from my local umber yard, but I’m now thinking I should upgrade to hydrogap SA to provide a better air barrier. I’ve spent hours trying to find data on how much better the peal and sticks are, but I cannot find much in the way of testing. It’s about $1,000 more to do the peal and stick for the whole house. Is there a payback for this upgrade in house wrap?
GBA Detail Library
A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part
![](https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/app/themes/greenbuildingadvisor/dist/img/modules/detail-library/thumb1.png)
![](https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/app/themes/greenbuildingadvisor/dist/img/modules/detail-library/thumb2.png)
Replies
Quite often in metro west Boston, board sheathed houses are using Blueskin SA and similar. Particularly as the aged boards shrink leaving substantial gaps. Given the importance of the air barrier, I would not skimp here. I used Blueskin w/ plywood furring strips as Hydrogap SA was not yet available.