System
Approach
Professional Solutions
A systems approach to managing water is the most effective
strategy for controlling moisture and minimizing the growth
of mould and mildew. Since mould is found naturally occurring
everywhere in our environment, it is important to know how
construction practices can impact systems moisture
management.
The chart below illustrates the effect that moisture has on
Construction Cycle
building systems during all stages of the construction cycle.
Controlling moisture through proper design, good construction
practices and maintenance will help eliminate mould growth.
Moisture Challenge Construction Stage Moisture Control Strategies
Moisture- and mould-resistant Manufacturing Keep products dry.
1 products Introduce safe and effective products to
enhance moisture and mould resistance.
Designate correct areas for use.
Moisture intrusion in structure Design Create building exteriors鈥搑oof, cladding,
2 doors and windows鈥搘ith multiple barriers
to water intrusion. Avoid trapping moisture
by providing paths for drainage and drying.
Moisture exposure during Distribution Protect inventory from water, ensuring that
3 transportation and storage materials are delivered dry to job sites.
Properly store materials at distribution
center and jobsite.
Moisture exposure during Construction Cover structures open to the elements
4 construction during construction to shut out weather.
Install building materials when weather
protection is in place.
Drying building materials Construction When moisture is introduced, such as
5 through wet cement and painting, maintain
ample ventilation and use special drying
equipment where needed.
Moisture exposure after Maintenance Treat water infiltration from any source with
6 construction the same urgency as fire. Stop leaks as
soon as they are discovered.
Wet
Performance
Products and Systems
Wet performance is a term that describes a product鈥檚 ability
to perform when appropriately installed. Typically products are
engineered for one or all of the following attributes moisture,
sag, mould resistance, and tile bond. CGC offers a comprehensive
product line, application guidelines, and tools for ceilings,
substrates and drywall systems that help you address wet
performance issues.
SHEETROCK庐 Brand HUMITEK鈩? Gypsum Panels
Drywall Systems Interior Walls
For use in interior areas such as bathrooms (not in tub
surround), basements, and limited air control areas, these
panels deliver moisture, mould and mildew resistance.
SHEETROCK庐 Brand HUMITEK鈩? Gypsum Liner Panels
Cavity Shaft Walls and
Providing moisture, mould and mildew resistance, these high
Area Separation Walls
performance panels are used in SHEETROCK Brand Cavity Shaft
Wall Systems and SHEETROCK Brand Area Separation Wall Systems.
DUROCK庐 Brand Cement Board
Backer Board Tub, Shower and
A high-strength tile backer board that delivers a water-durable,
High-moisture Areas
mould-resistant tile base for walls, ceilings and countertops鈥?
anywhere tile is used. The board will not swell, soften, delaminate
or disintegrate. It is also noncombustible and carries a 30-year
limited warranty.
FIBEROCK庐 Brand Underlayment鈥擜QUA-TOUGH鈩?
Substrates Floors
Uniform composition provides strength, moisture- and
mould-resistance. For all residential underlayment needs.
FIBEROCK庐 Brand Sheathing鈥擜QUA-TOUGH鈩?
Exterior
Uniform composition provides strength, moisture- and
mould-resistance, with a built-in drainage feature and no
facing layer to delaminate. For use in most exterior systems.
ASTRO鈩? CLIMAPLUS鈩? and ECLIPSE鈩? CLIMAPLUS鈩? Ceiling Panels
Ceilings Acoustical Ceilings
Fine-textured, mid-range and high-end ceiling panels with the
脝GIS MICROBE SHIELD for protection against mould and mildew
growth. When installed with the DONN庐 Brand Suspension
System, these panels are guaranteed for the lifetime (30 years)
of the product, subject to use under normal conditions, to inhibit
or retard microbial growth on product treated surfaces that can
result from high humidity conditions.
Resistance
Testing
The Purpose of Testing
Testing provides a basis of comparative performance results
under controlled lab conditions. This does not mean that the
test will accurately represent the mould and mildew performance
of building materials in actual end use. Unsuitable project
conditions during storage, installation and after completion can
introduce moisture to building materials and cause mould and
mildew.
A 鈥?0鈥? rating on D3273 means excessive disfigurement due to
ASTM D3273-00
mould growth on gypsum wall or ceiling panel surfaces, while a
Test Data
鈥?10鈥? rating indicates that no mould grew on the panel. This
grade is determined by inspecting the panel with a microscope
and comparing the findings with standardized photographs of
allowable growth for each score level. With this method, a
panel may not receive the top 鈥?10鈥? rating even if mould growth
is invisible to the naked eye.
SHEETROCK庐 Brand HUMITEK鈩? Gypsum Panels
Drywall Systems
ASTM D3273-00
8
Test Results
Test reports are
SHEETROCK庐 Brand HUMITEK鈩? Gypsum Liner Panels
available from CGC
8
upon request.
DUROCK庐 Brand Cement Board
Backer Board
10
FIBEROCK庐 Brand Underlayment鈥擜QUA-TOUGH鈩?
Substrates
10
FIBEROCK庐 Brand Sheathing鈥擜QUA-TOUGH鈩?
10
ASTRO鈩? CLIMAPLUS鈩? (with 脝GIS MICROBE SHIELD鈩?)
Ceilings
10
Ceiling Panels
ECLIPSE鈩? CLIMAPLUS鈩? (with 脝GIS MICROBE SHIELD鈩?)
9
Ceiling Panels
It is important to note the numbers obtained with this test
method cannot predict how long a building material would
be free from mould growth in its installed condition.
System
Performance
Test Standards Facts
Measuring the performance of building systems exposed to
moisture is difficult. Existing tests examine products under
artificially created, static conditions. Building systems experience
extremely dynamic conditions where steady-state conditions are
rarely achieved.
Currently, CGC believes there are no standardized tests for
reliably determining how various building materials may resist
moisture damage or mould and mildew growth over time.
In the absence of specific tests for the broad category of
CGC鈥檚 Position on
construction products, the industry uses ASTM C473 and
ASTM D3273-00 and
D3273. ASTM C473 measures water absorption of panels as
ASTM C473
a percentage of weight. ASTM D3273 measures resistance
to mould growth on the surface of interior coatings rather than
building materials. These test results do not represent definitive
installed performance in specific project conditions.
CGC is actively working with academic and industry testing
leaders to develop a new test method with conditions that
more closely approximate real-life conditions.
The key to minimizing mould and mildew growth is controlling
Beyond Testing
moisture. Moisture exposure can occur during all phases of the
construction process and through the building life cycle from
condensation, roof and pipe leaks, gross water penetration of
the fa莽ade, and natural disasters.
Products alone cannot control moisture or prevent mould.
All products become susceptible to mould growth under unfavor-
able conditions. The EPA has found that mould will grow on
stainless steel, glass and all surfaces, given the right conditions.
Responding to the wet performance issue, CGC provides the
Systems Approach
industry鈥檚 most comprehensive information regarding best
practices to reduce the risk of moisture damage. CGC is the
leader in offering products and systems that address the full
spectrum of performance needs for specific applications.
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