Roofing felt behind the gypsum

[Ida95]

Hi!

I have removed some drywall panels from the interior wall in a room that borders the exterior wall of my apartment.

Directly behind the gypsum (in front of the insulation), there was roofing felt/tarpaper that happened to tear, so I need to replace it.

The apartment was built sometime in the late 60s, and I assume the roofing felt has been there since then, and it has apparently worked well.

But do you still put roofing felt like that nowadays, or should I put something else instead, like building plastic?

The exterior wall is made of brick, and there are 45mm studs for the interior wall and some kind of yellow insulation that itches if it gets on you.

Should it be airtight or not, do you think?

I'm not going to have drywall there anymore but paneling instead if it makes any difference.

 

[larsbj]

If it really is roofing felt, it's unusual, but there is other quite thick paper that has been used, even though the 60s seems late for such paper.

When it hasn't been moisture-proof before, it's unwise to switch to, for example, plastic now, so it should be something that is vapor-open but windproof.

For example, vapor barrier paper

http://www.isola.se/produkter-sv-SE/vaegg/vindskydd/isola-vaeggpapp-2/

https://www.byggmax.se/isolering/byggplast-och-vindskydd/vindpapp-p17040

or

http://www.isola.se/produkter-sv-SE/vaegg/vindskydd/isola-tyvek-isosoft/

 

[Ida95]

Okay, thanks! Maybe it wasn't roofing felt after all, I just thought it looked exactly like it

You're probably right that it should be open because I don't think the felt that was there was particularly dense, whatever it was, and why change something that's worked for 50 years

Thanks again!