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Job Site Diaries

Rainscreen and Window Installation in Portland, Oregon

Builder Josh Salinger shows how his crew installs, waterproofs, and air-seals a window in a wall with rainscreen siding details and a self-adhered housewrap.

By Josh Salinger

Builder Josh Salinger is back at his recent build in Portland, Ore., where he and his crew have been working to complete an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) on the property. In his wet region of the country, top-notch water management and air-sealing details are especially important to create a durable and comfortable home. In this episode of Job-Site Diaries, Josh explains how his crew wraps the Siga self-adhered housewrap into the window rough openings and flashes all the seams with compatible Siga tape before installing Alpen triple-pane windows. They then move on to installing prebuilt window casings that integrate with the robust rainscreen assembly, which includes Cor-A-Vent strips at the the top and bottom to help the wall assembly dry out while also keeping critters from entering the ventilation and drainage gap behind the siding.


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  1. User avater
    dogtown | Aug 25, 2021 02:19pm | #1

    Canned foam isn't a good air seal? I did not know that.

    1. User avater
      josh_salinger | Aug 27, 2021 07:40pm | #2

      Canned foam can make a good insulation, but isn't a reliable air seal. It is better than nothing, but foam can fold back on itself, not bond to the materials, spots may be missed, it can be hard to get around shims and fasteners, seasonal movement can break the bond, etc. We use tape that goes from the WRB/Air Barrier directly to the window frame. This is inspectable, repairable, and with good tapes-- very durable.

  2. user-7157896 | Aug 30, 2021 12:49pm | #3

    What is the purpose of omitting the sealant behind the window flange when it's recommended by the window manufacturer? Most window manufacturer's recommend sealant and flashing tape to be installed, so I'm curious as to your thought process behind knowingly omitting the sealant.

  3. krauserbot | Aug 30, 2021 03:23pm | #4

    Great video Josh! What happens at the interior sill condition? Does that also get the rockwool/tape treatment, or is it different due to lack of tape on the exterior sill flange? Just hoping you can expand on how you said you will "connect the back of the window to the weather barrier". Much appreciated, Blake

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