Underfloor moisture - Does duct tape fix everything?

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Dav4122

73 posts

Master Geek

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# 118975 15-May-2013 14:50

I am putting a polyethylene damp-proof sheet under my house to reduce the moisture and am wondering if there is a particular tape that I should use?

I will be sticking plastic to plastic but also plastic to wood (for around the piles)

Is Duct tape the way to go? or is there a specialist tape i should look for?

tardtasticx

2971 posts

Uber Geek

# 820138 15-May-2013 15:10

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I think tape alone should be fine for sticking the plastic together, but when attaching it to the piles/house use nails or staples or whatever to give it a stronger hold incase the tape comes off. Then seal up with tape.

Head over to Mitre10 or Bunnings and have a look at their 3M tapes, you'll need multipurpose weatherproof tape since it is a damp environment.

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timmmay

15331 posts

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# 820141 15-May-2013 15:22

The guys who did under my house used tape. They also used metal stakes to hold the polythene down, basically #8 wire bent into a U shape.

Bung

3019 posts

Uber Geek

# 820158 15-May-2013 15:51

NZS 4246 mentions that the taping is for durability rather than moisture sealing. Assume that means making sure that the plastic stays where you put it. I used wider overlaps and old bricks to hold it down. There is ventilation after all.

Jeeves

298 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 820179 15-May-2013 16:16

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Use polyethelyne tape for joining the sheets together, and something else for taping it to the walls/piles.

I laid some last year myself, and the piles were concrete so nothing stuck to them, so I effectivly wound up using duct tape as more of a rubber band than an adhesive so seal the sheets around the piles.

But sheet to sheet - definately use the proper stuff. It is a little more expensive, but it's worth the piece of mind knowing it's the right tool for the job.

Dav4122

73 posts

Master Geek

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# 822550 20-May-2013 17:21

Thanks for all the advice everyone

I have gone with some PVC Gator tape by Holdfast and it has help up well with me crawling around under the house

Incidentally the plastic I am using is the 250 micron black polythene that folds out to 4m wide, so lots of joins as i cut and tape it around piles