Prosoco R-Guard products are an excellent choice for an air and water barrier system.  They’re a popular product line but not everyone understands why these products are an excellent choice for building.  This brief blog post highlights the top five things we love about Prosoco and a little bit about the Prosoco R-Guard products we carry at Small Planet Supply.

1.  R-Guard Can Be Used in Wetter Cooler Weather, Reducing Construction Delays 

This is probably the biggest benefit of using the Prosoco R-Guard product line, especially for our customers. Building on the west coast means there are a lot of wet or cold days which impacts building schedules; using Prosoco R-Guard products can reduce days lost to weather. 

R-Guard products can be applied to damp substrates, in rainy conditions and when surface and ambient temperatures are between 35-110 degrees F, reducing construction delays. Prosoco writes more about this in their blog post, “How the Right Fluid Applied Air Barrier Can Help Builders Eliminate Delays.”

2. Prosoco R-Guard Cat 5 System Makes Meeting Passive House Goals Easier

R-Guard products are an excellent way to meet Passive House ACH requirements.  A recent case study by Prosoco demonstrates how a high school in Bellingham, Washington used Prosoco R-Guard materials to achieve airtightness that ended up exceeding the International Passive House Institute rate of 0.6 ACH50, without even intending to do so. If these results can be achieved without intion of meeting Passive House goals, think what theses products can be used to achieve these goals.

3. Compatibility with Other Building Materials

R-Guard products easily adhere to CMU backup walls, pre-cast concrete and exterior sheathing for cavity wall, masonry veneer construction, stucco, EIFS and most other building wall assemblies. 

4. Prosoco R-Guard Cat 5 System Meets Building Code Compliance

R-Guard products has been evaluated by the International Code Council evaluation service.  Their evaluation report provides assurance for code officials, designers, specifiers and consultants that a product is compliant with building code.

The Cat 5 Air & Water-Resistive barrier system has been evaluated for its water-resistive, air barrier and surface burning characteristics and the products were found to be compliant with the following codes:

·       2009 International Building Code

·       2015, 2012 and 2009 International Residential Building Code

·       2009 International Energy Conservation Code

·       2016 California Residential Code®(CRC)

·       2016 California Energy Code®(CEC)

5. Prosoco R-Guard Products are an Environmentally Friendly Choice

R-Guard STPE air and water barrier products help satisfy the most stringent green standards set forth by the industry’s leading organizations such as the International Living Future Institute, U.S. Green Building Council and Passive House.  Many R-Guard products are phthalate-free and VOC-compliant, giving them the green light for use on the most stringent environmental projects on the planet.

In addition, in September 2020 PROSOCO was recognized as a US Environmental Protection Agency 2020 Safer Choice Partner of the Year. This honor is given in recognition of a company’s achievements in the design, manufacture, selection and use of products with safer chemicals in the advancement of innovative source reduction.

Ready to Learn More About Using Prosoco in Your Next Project?

Small Planet Supply is holding a webinar with Prosoco’s Pat Downey on January 12, 2023.  You can register by clicking on the button below.

PROSOCO PRODUCTS AVAILABLE AT SMALL PLANET SUPPLY

If you aren’t familiar with Prosoco products (yet), here is a brief description of the products that we carry at Small Planet Supply and what they’re used for on your building project.

PROSOCO FOR ROUGH OPENINGS

FastFlash: Liquid Flashing Membrane

FastFlash is a liquid flashing membrane available in gun or rollergrade. Use FastFlash in rough openings, to fill joints and seams, to counter-flash waterproofing and air barrier components in new or existing wall assemblies, and to seal around penetrations.

Use FastFlash independently or with compatible R-Guard products to prevent the unwanted movement of water and air through building envelopes.  

PROSOCO FOR INTERIOR AIR SEALING

AIRDAM

AirDam is an STP (silyl-terminated polymer) sealant formulated to create a long-lasting, weather-tight seal that prevents moist outside air from entering, and conditioned indoor air from escaping around window and door assemblies. Appropriate for interior or exterior use, AirDam® is easy to gun and tool in all weather conditions and cures quickly producing a durable, high-performance, high-movement elastomeric sealant. R-GUARD AirDam® is immediately waterproof and can be applied in unfavorable weather conditions to dry or damp substrates. 

Use AirDam in all rough openings prepared with R-Guard FastFlash.

PROSOCO FOR JOINTS AND SEAMS

Joint & Seam Filler

Fiber reinforced fill coat and seam treatment Joint & Seam Filler is designed to fill openings and create transitions where flexible reinforcement is required to bridge larger gaps and provide continuous support of fluid-applied flashing membranes, waterproofing or air barrier components

FOR WALL FIELD

Cat 5: Air and Waterproof Barrier

Cat 5 is a primary air barrier designed for use over above-grade structural surfaces prepared with Joint & Seam Filler and FastFlash. Cat 5 produces a highly durable, seamless, elastomeric weatherproofing membrane on exterior sheathing, CMU backup walls, and precast concrete. Proven to prevent water and air penetration of the building envelope in conditions ranging from every day to the 155-mph winds of a Category 5 hurricane.

Ready to try Prosoco products on your next project?

You can order at our USA and Canada online stores: