Rosin paper


Rosin 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 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, comes from the rosin used in the paper, the process of sizing it to add the rosin, and its use by builders.