If you’ve ever paid attention to homes as they’re being built, you might have seen that some have a green seal over the wood. That’s the ZIP system.

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I’m out here at a community in northwest St. Johns County called Cedar Point. Landon Homes and Dream Finders Homes are building here. We wanted to take some time today to talk about something folks have been asking us about—the ZIP system. It’s a building system we’ve been using on some of the new construction here in northeast Florida.

You may have seen this in other communities, where the walls look green as they’re building the house. That’s the ZIP system.

Instead of using standard plywood or OSB strand board on the siding of the house, they use an OSB sheeting (about 7/16 thick, and 9/16 if it’s on the roof) with an impregnated green coating on it. The coating protects from moisture and wind. It saves the builders the trouble of having to go back through and put on the Tyvek wrap. Some builders use it, and some don’t, but it saves them a step in the process.

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It’s a great product that adds structural integrity to the house

The glue they use on the OSB is special as well; even if you pierce the coating with a nail, unless you go all the way through, the seal remains. They use rubberized flashing tape to seal all the joints.

It’s a great product that adds structural integrity to the house, and it saves builders a step by removing the need to Tyvek wrap everything.

If you have any questions about the ZIP system, please feel free to contact us.