Product Brochure

is Vapor 85, our wedi Building Panel with Subliner Dry factory applied to one side. Naturally, wedi’s product systems
are not supporting mold growth. With one system, the entire interior tileable surface is now created and sealed tight
right below the level of tile and setting materials. wedi’s vapor barrier successfully retards all water vapor targeting it
and it is the direct bond surface for tile. It exceeds the requirements set by the Tile Council of North America as shown
in the steam room details SR613 and SR614 in their Handbook for Ceramic, Glass, and Stone Tile Installation. In their
details, the TCNA requires the permeability of a vapor retarder to be below .5 perms when tested using ASTM test
method E96, Method E, and with test environment set at 90% R.H and 100° F temperature. The second option, our
wedi Vapor 85 is a a specialized wedi Building Panel equipped and pre-laminated on the vapor exposed side with wedi
Subliner Dry, a strong vapor retarder in sheet membrane form. In such assembly, seams and fastener areas are covered
and sealed tight using Subliner sealing tape in combination with wedi Sealant 620.
The wedi Vapor 85 Building panel will be introduced in June of 2019 and is thoroughly tested on the basis of well-
known wedi product and listed under wedi’s ICC PMG 1189 Certification and Quality Assurance program. In fact,
wedi Subliner Dry and Vapor 85 assemblies incl. their seams were tested to ASTM E96 method E at 100*F and 90%
humidity, and achieved a perm rating of 0.03 by far exceeding TCNA requirements.
wedi Building Panels in all their sizes and thicknesses also help achieving success when working on smaller but crucial
details and offer safer installation experience. They cut tight and clean around protrusions and equipment allowing for
tight sealant and vapor barrier application, such as wedi’s Subliner Dry membrane. They install tight at seams and are
strong tile backer boards providing a gritty and very even and consistent surface you will love when tiling. Their sealed
joints offer strong waterproofing but also flexibility, replacing the need for slip joints as required with conventional
installation methods and materials. When working on ceilings, its lightweight nature keeps you working fast and safe.
Especially when thicker wedi Building Panels are used, these may be connected in Z notch or tongue and groove fash-
ion. This may come in handy when creating connections in ceilings and especially where walls meet sloped ceilings.
Their fabrication on site is comparably quiet and causes little to no debris or dust keeping a clean environment further
helping the speed of installation and allowing seals and material adhesion to proceed without risk of contamination
by dust particles or debris.
d. The Surface Finish in Steam Rooms
It is important to protect the steam room structures against exposure and migration of water vapor and water into any
those structures by placing waterproofing and a sufficient vapor retarder as close to the inside surface of the steam
room as possible. Insulation behind these protective layers work well to mitigate issues caused by movement of many
of the building materials and structures which may react to temperature and its frequent or even abrupt change. Where
steam rooms are tiled, it will come naturally that the tile, tile adhesive and grout, will be left exposed to temperature
and are also subjected to water and water vapor absorption potential. This is because most tile and setting materials
are, to varying extents, absorbing materials - whether due to their nature or production, or due to limitations in their
installation method. Natural stones usually offer higher absorption rates than certain glass or porcelain tiles.
Many natural stones are easily affected by the steam room environment and offer potential for discoloration and can
also contribute to and support the process of efflorescence occurring. Bond adhesives, such as certain epoxies, may be
impervious in itself, but it must be assumed that they cannot be installed providing a 100% coverage under tile and
on the next layer below. Neither can grout materials offer this protection, even if they are impervious epoxy materials,
and even if they fill straightest grout lines between very large, rectified and low absorbing porcelain tile.
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