Fluid Applied Air and Moisture Barriers for New Construction
Air barrier is one of the few scopes on a commercial project that is required by code, critical to building performance, and routinely left unassigned until it becomes urgent. It belongs to no other trade. The framer does not do it, the mason does not do it, and the roofer does not do it. Chroma Coatings does.
We install fluid applied air and moisture barrier systems for general contractors and developers on new commercial construction and building additions throughout North Carolina and the East Coast.
Air Barrier & Fluid Applied
Applied Before Cladding
What a Fluid Applied Air Barrier Does
A fluid applied air barrier is a continuous membrane rolled or sprayed onto the sheathing before brick, panel, or cladding goes on. Once it cures it forms a seamless layer that controls air leakage and manages moisture in the wall assembly.
Continuity is the entire point. Air and water find the gap, so the value of the system lives in the transitions: around windows, at the roof to wall junction, at penetrations, and at every seam and fastener. That is application work, and it is the difference between a barrier that performs and a barrier that passes a glance.
Why It Matters to the Owner
- Energy performance. Uncontrolled air leakage is one of the largest sources of heating and cooling loss in a commercial envelope.
- Moisture control. Water that gets into a wall assembly and cannot dry causes mold, corrosion, and structural damage that surfaces years later.
- Code compliance. Continuous air barriers are a requirement in the commercial energy code for new construction.
- Occupant comfort. Drafts, temperature swings, and humidity complaints usually trace back to the envelope.
Why General Contractors Should Assign It Early
Air barrier sits in a scheduling window that closes fast. It has to go on after sheathing and detailing are complete and before cladding starts, and if it is not bought out ahead of time it becomes a scramble that holds up the masons.
We recommend general contractors identify the air barrier scope during preconstruction. On projects where we are already performing New Construction painting, adding the barrier scope to our contract removes a subcontractor from your log and puts the schedule risk on a trade already mobilized to your site.
Our Application Process
Substrate Inspection and Moisture
We verify the sheathing is sound, dry, fastened correctly, and ready to receive the system. Manufacturer requirements for substrate condition are not optional and we document conditions before starting.
Detailing and Transitions
Seams, fasteners, penetrations, and rough openings are treated with the manufacturer’s specified detail materials. This is the step that determines whether the assembly performs.
Field Application
The membrane is applied at the specified thickness across the field of the wall, sprayed or rolled depending on the product and site conditions.
Inspection and Documentation
We verify coverage and thickness, document the installation with photos, and coordinate any third party inspection or testing the project requires before cladding covers the work.
Project Types We Serve
- New commercial buildings and additions
- Fire stations and municipal facilities
- Self storage new construction, supporting our Storage Facilities clients
- Multi-family and mixed use podium construction
- Industrial and warehouse envelopes
Add Air Barrier to Your Next Project
Send us the wall sections and the specified system. We will price it, schedule it, and install it inside the window you have.