Airseal the Rim Joist and Wall Framing Connection

Glue the rim joist, caulk the gaps, and overhang the wall sheathing to tighten this leaky building assembly
Sept. 29, 2017
2 min read

Glue the rim joist, caulk the gaps, and overhang the wall sheathing to tighten this leaky building assembly

One of the leakiest parts of a house is where the floor meets the walls and foundation. On the Model Remodel project, Ben Bogie added air sealing to each step of the framing sequence, beginning with a sill seal gasket.

Step by step:

  • The mudsill and joists are added, but before installing the rim joist, he laid a bead of construction adhesive to bed it in. Adhesive is also applied up the edge, for an airtight corner.

  • Huber’s new foaming subfloor adhesive was used to glue down the AdvanTech subflooring.
  • Walls are framed as usual, but before adding sheathing, seal the gaps with silicone sealant.
  • The wall panels are sealed to the foundation in perfect-world of animation-land, but the real foundation was out of square, so some onsite 'engineering' was needed.
  • Last, he taped the corners and seams in ZIP System’s R Sheathing for a tightly seamed and well-insulated wall.

—This detail comes from the 2017 Model Remodel project in Woodbury, CT. Watch the progress weekly on the Model Remodel Show.

About the Author

Dan Morrison

Dan Morrison is a founding editor of ProTradeCraft.com, where he is also the editor-in-chief. Fun fact: Dan is also a founding editor of Green Building Advisor and executive editor of Fine Homebuilding.

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