These air sealing details attempt to minimize the effort required to reduce air leakage in residential buildings. The idea is simple -- reduce the number of sealing steps and delay them until as late as possible in the construction process. This approach is based on the notion that no matter how good a job is done on the major components (like walls and ceilings), unless attention is paid to all the penetrations, the overall quality of the job will suffer.
Air sealing consists of only two parts:
- Subfloor sheets and gypsum-board wall and ceiling finishes (excellent air barrier materials that cover 90 percent of the building) and the joints between the sheets.
- A standard set of other components and penetrations in the building envelope that require sealing.
The air sealing techniques in this chapter focus on details typical in site-built, wood-frame construction in which most of the walls and ceilings are covered with gypsum board.
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