Building for Resilience: Glass-Mat Sheathing in Residential Construction
Discover a noncombustible, moisture-resistant, and mold-resistant sheathing option.
Sponsored by USG
Aron Jones, co-founder and supervisor at Big Dog Construction, explains why glass-mat sheathing is quickly becoming a popular alternative to traditional sheathing. Not only is it moisture and mold resistant, but it’s also non-combustible, making it a perfect option for tightly-spaced neighborhoods or areas prone to wildfires.
Glass-Mat Sheathing in a Residential Setting
While you may not be familiar with glass-mat sheathing, it has been used for a very long time in commercial construction, and more recently in the last few decades, it’s starting to make inroads into residential construction. What you are familiar with is sheetrock panels which we’ve seen on the inside of our homes since post-World War II.
What is Glass-Mat Sheathing?
USG Securock® Brand Glass-Mat Sheathing is a vapor-open, non-combustible, structural sheathing, and it solves a variety of residential building challenges. One that comes to mind is zero lot lines. So we’ve got residential construction very close together — non-combustible sheathing solves that issue.
It also helps with urban wildfires and, for that matter, if you’re building in a rural location where wildfires could be an issue, Securock® may solve some of those problems for you. It also provides architects, engineers, and builders with a variety of options for cladding.
It is a cost-effective, readily available, easily installed product. Another unique feature of glass-mat sheathing beyond it being a vapor-open product is it is also moisture and mold resistant. That leads to better indoor air quality and overall a more comfortable and durable home for occupants.
Easy to Install
This is a common wall assembly that you’re most likely familiar with. It is a pre-15 wall assembly. I’m familiar with this particular assembly, mostly in a zero-lot-line setting. This is one of the situations where glass-mat sheathing shines. It’s gypsum core, fire-resistant (which is why we use it in a zero-lot-line situation). The gypsum core is also moisture-resistant, the facer is moisture and mold resistant, and the sheathing is designed for exposure for up to a year.
Depending on the environment you build in and your local code, the amount of bracing or blocking may vary. For installers, you don’t need any special tools — just a utility knife. You literally score and snap it. We’re going to install it using an exterior grade screw or a hot dip galvanized roofing nail. If you can install drywall, you can install glass-mat sheeting.
Considerations for Continuous Exterior Insulation
Energy requirements are ever more increasing, and continuous exterior insulation is becoming standard practice, much like you see on this wall assembly here. As you can see, we’ve got a Sheetrock® Brand panel in the back, fiberglass cavity insulation, we’ve got our glass-mat sheathing, a self-adhered WRB, continuous exterior mineral wool insulation, 3/4-in. rain screen, and lap siding.
Securock® Brand Glass-Mat Sheathing provides great fire resistance and with a properly detailed vented rain screen, it gives architects and engineers a variety of options when designing for walls with continuous exterior insulation.
As an alternative to field-applied WRBs, Securock® ExoAir®430 panels come with a factory-applied air and water control layer. It doesn’t matter whether you’re using Securock® glass-mat panels or Securock® ExoAir® panels. The installation process is exactly the same. Whether you’re on the ground, up on a lift, or on staging, the panels are easily maneuverable, easily cut, and installed.
Glass-Mat Sheathing with Stone and Stucco
Finally, we’re showing glass-mat sheathing with a stone and stucco veneer system. As you can see, we have our WRB, our ventilated rain screen with our mortar mesh, and we have our stucco veneer and our stone veneer. On all of these assemblies, we’re not changing the wall system. We’re simply changing out traditional sheathing or glass-mat sheathing and offering the benefits of a gypsum-based product.
As a builder, if I’m doing a stucco detail, glass-mat sheathing is a solid option. It is moisture and mold resistant. I have seen wall assemblies exactly like this in the commercial world stand up for decades, so why wouldn’t I use glass-mat sheathing in one of my builds?
As you can see from the assemblies here, properly installed Securock® is a resilient, durable sheathing option for residential construction with proven performance and commercial applications. It’s cost efficient, it’s easy to install, and it enhances the performance of exterior walls to better resist air and water infiltration, mold growth, and flame spread. To learn more about glass-mat sheathing and how it might be right for your next project, check out USG.com or the Gypsum Association.
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