Rosin paper - Misplaced Pages

Heavy duty felt paper used in construction

A construction worker using rosin paper as flooring protection

Rosin paper (red building paper, red rosin paper, brown rosin paper, slip sheet paper, rosin-sized sheathing paper, and building paper) is a heavy duty felt paper used in construction such as underlayment under flooring and siding.

Description and history

Rosin paper is a heavy duty felt paper. It is used in construction such as underlayment under flooring and siding. In building construction, rosin paper is used to reduce air and moisture flow through a wall or floor, create a "friction barrier" so different materials can slip by each other as they expand and contract, keep dust from working down through a floor, and minimize squeaking. Rosin paper is also sometimes used to temporarily protect a work site during construction.

Papers from the Middle Ages were sized with gelatine, but the invention of the paper-making machine in the late 18th century demanded a better size resulting in utilization of rosin. Rosin paper may have a polyurethane coating to improve moisture resistance and tearing. It contains abietic acid, and comes in many size rolls up to 96 inches (2.4 m) wide.

Alum-rosin size was invented by Moritz Friedrich Illig in Germany in 1807 and is known to have been used as a building paper by 1850.

Names

Rosin paper is known by a number of different names, including red building paper, red rosin paper, brown rosin paper, slip sheet paper, rosin-sized sheathing paper, and building paper. The name rosin-sized sheathing paper (commonly used to describe the material), comes from the rosin used in the paper, the process of sizing it to add the rosin, and its use by builders.

References

Svensson, Inga-Lisa and Alwarsdotter, Ylwa. "A Papermaker's View of the Standard of Permanent Paper, ISO 9706", A reader in preservation and conservation. München: K.G. Saur, 2000. 62. Print.
Jim Thurn, "History, Chemistry, and Long-Term Effects of Alum-Rosin Size in Paper" The Cochineal December 3, 2003. quoting Barrow Research Laboratory, W.J.. 1974. Permanence/durability of the book-VII physical and chemical properties of book papers, 1507-1949. Richmond: W.J. Barrow Research Laboratory., and Green, S. 1992. "An outline history of sizing methods with special reference to practices at Hayle Mill". Conference papers manchester 1992, Third International Institute of Paper Conservation Conference, Manchester. 197-200. "The Cochineal". Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2011-10-09. accessed 3/11/2014