I'm in the midst of covering a barn (workshop) with peel+stick. I'll be putting insulation on the outside, so my vapor barrier needs to be on the *outside* of the OSB sheathing, between the OSB and foam. I'm having a heck of a time applying the wall membrane. I'm getting a ton of wrinkles, and I think it should be easier. The product doesn't have a split release liner, though the packaging indicates it should. Any suggestions?The first level I was able to rest it on my flashing and get a fairly smooth, even application: Thanks!

It's a two man job

Yes - I have two helpers. Is there a technique I'm lacking? I'm going to try stapling it up (in the upper edge that will be overlapped) the full length and release the paper and remove the staples.

I just did my ICF basement wall. I found it easier to do in vertical strips. We did some horizontal on the front/daylight wall and they were way more difficult to control and peel the paper off than the vertical strips. First off they are smaller and easier to handle. Second, the weight they do have pulls them tight as you peel the paper off from top to bottom. With the 11' strips rolled up, I could put them up easilly by myself. I use a block of foam insulation as a squeegee to wipe the sheet onto the wall and force the air out as I pull off the paper. I found it best to only pull off about 10"-12" of paper at a time so I could control how it first contacted and stuck to the wall. If it touches ahead of where you are wiping it onto the wall you get bubbles and wrinkles... Here is a video I did while putting one up...

https://youtu.be/CNrHO1Y9VIo

How much did you overlap the vertical seams? Grace says horizontal seams need to have a 3" overlap, but vertical seams need to be overlapped 6". At 6" I lose 1 foot for every overlap, and I calculated I'd need to make 11 overlaps, so something on the order of 11' (4 pieces of peel+stick extra). This works out to an entire roll, and I was really hoping I could return the extra roll I bought.

The guy I bought them from said some installers do vertical seams.

Thanks for the video - I like the PVC roll holder!

Henrys specs 65MM(2.6") overlaps with no differentiation between vertical or horizontal. I ran them about 3" as that was where one of the guide lines were printed on the material and it made laying them out straight and marking out the areas to prime easy as a 36" wide sheet advances 33" along the wall for each piece. 6" of overlap sounds like a lot for a vapor barrier application, but I have not used any Grace products. I could perhaps see using a different overlap if it was a below grade installation where it might see direct water applied and perhaps even some hydraulic pressure, but above grade doesn't make as much sense...

Good Luck.

What you say makes sense - and it would be a heck of a lot easier from the top down. Based on how the membrane sticks, 3" feels like it would be sufficient for my application.

I wouldn't advice giving up the long term drainage advantages of horizontal overlapping sheets for the short term advantage of an easier install. When the upper sheet overlaps the lower sheet you are not dependent on a complete seal for protection. With vertical sheets you are. There are ways to rig this up for one person install if you can't get a helper. I used a rope tied through a block of wood to hold the bottom of the roll in place.

True, but in this case, he is putting insulation and I am assuming siding over that sealing layer. I think it highly unlikely that that layer will ever see any water...

If I had to do it horizontally, I would do as Torben is suggesting and make a jig to hold the roll at the proper height, either resting on the ground or hanging from the wall and unroll the material a foot or two at a time and peel the paper at the same rate as I work my way along the wall.

Correct - I will be putting a layer of insulation, taped seams, layer of insulation, tape, air gap, furring strips, siding. I've been unrolling it, but holding the roll by hand (a helper has, actually). I'll try to figure out some sort of jig to make the job easier. I also emailed Grace to see if they have an "opinion". The sheets were not split release, otherwise I could have stapled them up and removed the bottom liner first.

Can't water/moisture get trapped between the membrane and the OSB? If so, that can cause rot.

It shouldn't be able to, provided the flashing/membrane are done properly, from what I've read. And, the vapor barrier only goes on one side - such that the OSB can dry inwards. With my configuration I'll be putting strips of recycled wood on the inside covering the OSB (pallet wood), so I shouldn't have anything that impedes drying.

I'm a bit skeptical of the whole dry inwards theory - I have not read of any studies where they wet the "outside" of the material and check how it dries, and from what I'd heard some OSB is considered a vapor barrier. I don't have the reference to that anymore. That being said, I'm pretty confident in the membrane's ability to prevent water damage.

Yep, with a sealed membrane like that it most definitely needs to breath to the inside. That is the purpose of the exterior insulation, so that membrane never gets below the dewpoint and condenses moisture against the OSB...

Correct - forgot to mention! Depending on the climate, there are minimum thicknesses of foam that are recommended. With R-20, I'm well above the minimum R-value.

I've gotten better at it - not perfect - but better. ronmar - I'm using a modified technique of yours. For short sections (8' or less) I place blue painters tape every 3 feet along the top edge where the membrane should stick. For longer sections (ie, 35'), I run a string across the full length.

I then peel back the corner, stick it in place.

For short pieces (< 8'), I have a helper hold one end while I peel the entire top edge of the membrane back. I then brush from the middle of the sheet top to bottom, and slowly peel back the membrane as I go.

For long pieces (>= 8), I roll the membrane up. then starting from one side I peel back a corner and unroll as far as I can stretch. Once I'm satisfied that the roll is tracking straight, I start to unpeel the roll and slowly press it down.

If I'm ambitious I'll make a video. I'll have pictures, but they don't really show the (painful) process.

So, almost done: