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Why does nobody talk about the difference between a 6 mil and a 10 mil vapor barrier?
I just finished two jobs a week apart, both in the same neighborhood with similar crawl spaces. The first one I used a standard 6 mil poly, and the second I went with a 10 mil reinforced barrier. The difference was huge. The 6 mil tore in three places just from me moving around on it, but the 10 mil held up without a single puncture. It cost about 30% more, but I saved at least an hour not patching holes. Is the thicker barrier always worth it, or do you guys stick with the thinner stuff to keep material costs down for the customer?
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taylor_patel6mo ago
Yeah, it's like that with so many things now. You try to save a little money upfront, but then you pay for it later with your own time and stress. Mason_reed47 is right about that peace of mind. I see it with tools, too. Buy the cheap version and it breaks halfway through the job. That thicker barrier might cost more on the receipt, but you're really buying your own time back. It just works better and you don't have to worry about it failing later.
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mason_reed476mo ago
Used to always grab the 6 mil to save a few bucks. After a job where I spent forever patching tears, I switched to the thicker stuff. The extra cost is totally worth the time saved and peace of mind.
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anthonynelson6mo ago
It's a classic case of buying cheap and paying twice with your time.
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wesleyflores4mo ago
Gotta disagree here. Sometimes the cheap option gets the job done fine and you can use that saved cash for something else. Not every project needs the premium stuff to work right. I've used 6 mil plenty of times on jobs where it held up just as well as the thick stuff. The key is knowing what you're doing and not being careless. If you're tearing through the thin stuff constantly, that's a technique problem, not a material problem. People blame the product when they really just need to slow down and work cleaner.
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