Today I inspected a newly built townhome. In the Attic the sheathing and framing are “painted” with a hard shiny shelac? All I can think is this will hold water next to the wood and cause a mold issue. Any thoughts as to why a builder would do this, or what it is?
Thanks
Was this the model home? Sometimes they’ll do all sorts of things to gussy up the place to make it more appealing for people who are touring the model. I’ve seen unfinished bonus rooms that have had the OSB flooring poly’d, which was either for looks or so they could mop it once in a while to get the dust up from the foot traffic.
not the model and this was in the attic…
My vote is for mold encapsulation. I have seen this done when there is mold from wet framing lumber. This could also be a preventative measure, but it is costly. I have done post clearance for new builds and failed them for this type of encapsulation. The framing needs to be bare. Call it out as suspect, and follow up with the builder to get an explanation of the coating.
Don, does this mean you fail them if they use an encapsulation system of any type which seals framing lumber?
How about this Don?
Tony,
No need to write up an attic that has shellac applied to it’s members. Odd, but not a defect. What are they expected to do…Tear it all out and do it over again.
PLEASE…