Homeowner Builder / GC
(781) 492-6671 Request a bid

Fluid-applied air barrier, checked to thickness

Sprayed or rolled membranes with treated joints and detailed openings, applied to the thickness in your spec and covered by the same crew.

Fluid-applied air barrier on sheathing of a building in progress

A fluid-applied barrier forms a seamless coat once it cures, so there are no laps to fail across the field of the wall. The weak points move to sheathing joints, rough openings, corners and penetrations. Those get treated first, with the joint filler, mesh or detail membrane the manufacturer calls for. Then the field coat goes on by spray or roller, and we check wet film thickness with a gauge as we go. Readings get logged by elevation, so you have a record of what went on the wall.

Thickness is where fluid systems pass or fail. Too thin and the coat can pinhole or crack over joints. Too thick and it can sag or cure slowly. We apply to the thickness in the product data, recoat thin spots and keep application inside the temperature and humidity limits. Common systems include Prosoco R-Guard, Henry Air-Bloc and Tremco ExoAir. We install the product in your spec. Cure time gets respected before insulation or cladding goes over it, and the details go in before the field coat every time.

Pricing is by the square foot of wall, with openings and penetrations broken out as your bid form needs. Billing is bi-weekly by percent complete. Certificates of insurance go to you before mobilization. One foreman manages the crew, sends a daily progress report and photographs every elevation before insulation or cladding covers the barrier. Framing, sheathing, roofing and general site cleanup are by others. Quantity changes bill at the same unit rates as the base contract, and installed quantities are tracked by elevation with each billing.

What's in our scope

  • Sheathing joints treated with filler or reinforcing
  • Rough openings detailed and sill pans installed
  • Field coat sprayed or rolled to spec thickness
  • Corners, transitions and slab edges detailed
  • Penetrations sealed with compatible accessories
  • Tie-ins to windows, doors and storefront
  • Overspray protection at adjacent surfaces

What we check as it goes on

  • Substrate clean, dry and within temperature range
  • Wet film thickness gauged across each elevation
  • Joints and openings detailed before the field coat
  • Pinholes and thin spots recoated
  • Cure time respected before covering
  • Elevation photos sent to your super

What we need to bid

Drawings, specs, the product submittals if you have them, your schedule and the bid due date. You get unit pricing back, line by line.

Popular fluid-applied air barrier brands

These are the lines most people ask us about. We install the product in your spec.

What you get on your site

01

Dedicated foreman

One person runs our crew on your site every day and answers to your superintendent.

02

Daily reporting

Progress reported every day. Any delay in material, access or weather gets flagged right away.

03

OSHA staging

Staging, ladders and fall protection set up per OSHA before work starts.

04

Nothing buried

Damage or a bad substrate gets photographed and priced before it's covered.

05

Scope in writing

Inclusions and exclusions listed line by line. Dumpster and general site cleanup are by others unless added to the scope.

06

Punch list closed

Final walkthrough with you, and the punch list signed off before we demobilize.

Questions GCs ask

Spray or roller?

Both work when the product allows it. Spraying is faster on large, open walls. Rolling gives more control near windows, finished surfaces and occupied areas, and limits overspray. We usually combine them, rolling details and spraying the field. Either way, the thickness has to match the product data, so we gauge it as we go.

What happens at sheathing joints?

Joints are the most common place for a fluid barrier to crack. We treat each joint before the field coat, using the filler, reinforcing fabric or detail membrane the manufacturer lists for that substrate. Wider gaps get filled first. Then the field coat goes over the treated joint at full thickness.

Can fluid-applied barrier go on in winter?

Each product has minimum temperature and humidity limits for application and cure. Some cure fine in cooler weather and some don't. We follow the product data and won't apply outside it. If your schedule puts barrier work in winter, raise it during submittals so the spec can match the season and the coat cures as designed.

Do you install the windows too?

We can. Windows, doors and the barrier tie together at the rough opening, and that joint is where most walls leak. When one crew handles the opening, the barrier, the flashing and the window, the laps go in the right order. If windows are by another trade, we prepare the opening and coordinate the tie-in sequence with them.

The rest of the envelope

Brazilian roots.New England weather.

4Ever has Brazilian roots. The jaguar, the biggest cat in the Americas, carries that origin onto every truck, shirt and yard sign. Yellow is its coat. Black is its spots.

It stands for what we want on every wall we close: strength that holds for decades and precision you can check with a level.

  • StrengthMaterials and fastening that last decades.
  • PrecisionMeasured, flashed, taped and sealed.
  • ResilienceBuilt for wind, snow and freeze thaw.
  • TrustWritten scope and insured crews.
  • BrazilWhere the jaguar comes from.

Build your quote.Start a bid.

Four quick steps. A real person from our office calls you back.

Who is this for?
What do you need?

Pick as many as you want. Looking for work? See jobs on our crews.

Tell us about the building.

How tall is it?

When do you want to start?

Where do we call you?

By sending this you agree that 4Ever Exteriors may call, text or email you about your project. No spam, no sharing your number.

New England colonial home with charcoal siding, white trim and a composite deck at sunset Multifamily building in progress with 4Ever crews on site

Get a written quotewith every itemspelled out.

Send the drawings.Get unit pricingback, line by line.

Call Free quoteRequest a bid