Best brand of sealant and tape to use when installing Membrain vapor barrier? Need something widely available in the U.S.
I had to replace the drywall and insulation in one room of my 1980s house. I’m in Minnesota, so I bought a Membrain smart vapor barrier that I will install between the insulation and drywall. I’ve read and watched a lot of things online regarding installing vapor barriers. It seems most people recommend using an accoustical sealant with VBs. However the only one I can find at stores near me (Menards and Home Depot) is the OSI SC175. However that product says not for use with poly-type materials. Also it doesn’t meet the requirements set out in the Membrain official installation instructions, which say:
• Approved Sealant/Caulk
– Silicone-based sealants
– Must conform to ASTM C920 or C834 specifications
Any recommendations on a widely available sealant that works well with Membrain?
Likewise, for the tape, it seems in Canada they like to use the blue tuck tape, which I can’t find here in stores. And the Membrain instructions just say to use “an approved sheathing tape,” so I assume I can use any type of red Tyvek-style tape?
Any advice on both a recommended sealant and tape I can find in stores would be appreciated!
UPDATE: After posting my message above, I heard back from Certainteed support and they sent me a list of compatible tapes and sealants. I’ll paste it below, but the support rep also said regular Tyvek tape works too. So think I’ll use the red Tyvek tape and Dynaflex 230 caulk, both of which are easy to find.
Here’s the full list they sent me, in case others are wondering:
This letter is to clarify specific products that have been tested for adhesion and compatibility with MemBrain.
Tapes
o Scotch® Light Duty Packaging Tape 610
o 3M™ Venture Tape™ Polypropylene Sheathing Tape 1585CW
o tesa® 4101 PV2
o 3M™ Construction Seaming Tape 8087CW
o ECHO All Weather Aluminum Foil Tape MT-A7772
o 3M™ Aluminum Foil Tape 1520CW-2
Caulks & Sealants (ASTM C920)
o DAP Dynaflex 230 Premium Indoor/Outdoor Sealant
o OSI QUAD Advanced Formula Window Door and Siding Sealant
o HDX Premium Elastomeric Plus Silicone Caulk
o GE Silicone II 10.1 oz. Clear Kitchen and Bath Caulk
o LePage GreenSeries™ Draft & Sound Interior Sealant
o Manus-Bond 50-A Acoustical & Vapor Barrier
Spray Adhesives
o 3M Spray 90
o 3M™ Super 77™ Multipurpose Spray Adhesive
o *Water based adhesives will not work with MemBrain
Please note, this is not an exhaustive list of products that are compatible. This list is intended to serve as a guide. For additional installation instructions and fastening options, see documents literature codes 30-28-142 and 30-28-137, as found on our website.
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Replies
All the color tuck tapes are available on Amazon in the US. I used both red and blue in my project. While the blue is stickier (and strong smell), it didn't 100% stick everywhere on my poly even with pressure applied. So it's not a magic product in my experience.
Thanks for the reply. After posting this message, I heard back after emailing Certainteed support, and they said among others, Dynaflex 230 is compatible (and widely available), so think I'll go with that. In case anyone else wants to know, their full list of approved sealants to use with Membrain is:
Caulks & Sealants (ASTM C920)
o DAP Dynaflex 230 Premium Indoor/Outdoor Sealant
o OSI QUAD Advanced Formula Window Door and Siding Sealant
o HDX Premium Elastomeric Plus Silicone Caulk
o GE Silicone II 10.1 oz. Clear Kitchen and Bath Caulk
o LePage GreenSeries™ Draft & Sound Interior Sealant
o Manus-Bond 50-A Acoustical & Vapor Barrier
Thanks for posting the response from Certainteed. I had the same question when installing Membrain. I used Dynaflex on a hunch. Nice to see it on the list!