"What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are but how you deal with incompatibility." - Tolstoy
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Tolstoy's Anna Karenina is widely considered to be one of the greatest pieces of literature in modern history. It is an expansive, sweeping novel that deals primarily with the conflict of the titular character, Anna, and a relationship triangle which ultimately leads to disaster. The central conflict revolves around Anna's relationship with her husband Alexei, a dutiful, but caring career man whom she just doesn't love; and Count Vronsky, a dashing cavalryman with whom Anna is having an extramarital affair.
If you can't tell, I just read this book and I'm willing to shoe-horn it into just about any conversation...including one about building envelopes.
The central problem in Anna Karenina boils down to compatibility. There is nothing wrong with Alexei but Anna just isn't compatible with him. She cannot force herself to be compatible with him. So she leaves her husband for Vronzky, causing her to become an outcast, her family to be left in ruin and ultimately to her own death. Who needs Bridgerton!? AMIRIGHT?!?!
In the same way, designers may have materials that are perfectly fine on their own, but they aren't compatible with adjacent systems. The question you must ask yourself is, "How am I as a designer, dealing with incompatibility on my project?"
This question arises daily in the world of construction. With so many different materials and chemistries interacting with one another, it's hard to tell what will share compatibility. So why don't we take the guess work out entirely and use a product in transitional areas that is compatible with nearly all construction adhesives?
Introducing York 304 SA, a flexible self-adhering stainless steel material that can be used as a transition membrane on wall connection points (roof-to-wall; below grade-to-wall, air barrier transitions, etc).
Basically, the idea is that 304 stainless steel is chemically compatible with almost every construction material and it’s an excellent surface to adhere all manner of air barriers, sealants, etc. By using the York 304 SA tape to detail areas of transitions between dissimilar materials, you almost entirely eliminate the chance for incompatibility.
Despite my references to Russian literature, it made the most sense to me once I saw it in a dumbed down gif...
A 50' roll of 9" wide material probably goes for $85.00 or so. It's a pretty small expense to have for that peace of mind. I included a link to an article in CoatingsPro Magazine that goes into a bit more depth on the subject. There's also a webinar for designers through the Air Barrier Association of America on the same topic on March 10th if you want to learn more.
With York 304 SA, your incompatible materials can have a happy marriage on your project.