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Abstract
Many builders use 1x3s spruce strapping to create a rainscreen behind siding. Others make strapping by ripping plywood into one and 1/2-inch-wide strips. Recently, however, builders experimenting with different types of plastic strapping have realized that the products are cheaper, easier to install, better draining, and perhaps more durable than wood strapping. At two recently built homes, Rollie Peschon, a builder in Spirit Lake, IA, made rainscreen strapping from a corrugated plastic material called Coroplast. Building consultant Mark LaLiberte, the president of Shelter Source in Lakeville, MN, recently had the idea of using plastic roofing battens as rainscreen strapping. LaLiberte advised Renaissance Homes, a builder in Portland, OR, to strap their walls with BattenUp strips. Like Coroplast, BattenUp battens have channels that allow water to drain right through the product, even when installed horizontally.