All around the outside of a building, there are various holes cut through the wall.  Wires for lights, electrical boxes, water pipes, vents, etc.  They’re all important elements of a comfortable home.  But each time we cut a hole through the wall, we open the possibility for water to come from the outside and make its way into the wall.

Frequently builders will try to seal the edge of the hole to the exterior cladding.  Silicone is used to close up the gap between the pipe and the siding, brick, or stone.  This is an important spot to seal.  It is the primary point of defence against water penetration.  But we can’t rely on that 100%.  Over time, silicone starts to deteriorate and let water in.  Also, sometimes rain water can get behind the cladding at a point above the penetration and flow downwards.  Because of that, we need to have a continuous secondary level of defence.

We all understand that building paper creates a secondary level of defence against water penetration into the wall.  But when there’s a hole in the building paper, that creates an opportunity for water to get past the paper and into the structure.  So whenever we have a penetration through our paper, we need to seal it carefully to whatever is passing through the wall at that point.

Just by following a couple of simple steps and using a few small pieces of peel and stick membrane, we can have a continuous secondary level of defence against water penetration, plus feel free to place vents, pipes, and wires anywhere we want them on our exterior wall.

Here is a tip from our technical corner!