The Technical Team at Winstone Wallboards have invested over 7,500 development hours on the GIB Weatherline® systems and recently achieved BRANZ Appraisal and compliance with the New Zealand Building Code.

This is the first time that we have developed systems specifically for the outside of the building and we have gone to great lengths to make sure they are suitable for New Zealand conditions. The extensive testing programme has included full scale wind pressure, weather tightness, fire, bracing and environmental noise to produce a range of market ready performance options. There have also been hundreds of small scale bench tests ensuring that our quality assurance meets consistent standards.

One of the most severe tests GIB Weatherline® was put through in order for us to be able to claim temporary weather protection for the exterior of a building for up to 90 days, was the BRANZ Weather Tightness Performance Limit Test.

This test involved a continuous water spray of 24 litres per minute directed onto a 2.4m tall x 2.4m wide timber frame wall lined with GIB Weatherline® for a period of four hours. During this four hour water spray period the lined wall was also subjected to a 70 Pa (Pascal) positive air pressure. This positive air pressure worked to force water into the lining, through the sheet joints and along the line of any sheet fasteners. This was where the performance of the GIB Weatherline® Flashing Tape came to the fore.

Upon the completion of the test the laboratory technicians found no visible signs of any water on the back of the lining and there was no increase in the moisture content of the timber frame in the eight designated measurement locations.
This result meant we had passed the test and added to our confidence that the GIB Weatherline® Rigid Air Barrier Systems were suitable for the New Zealand environment.

For your convenience a Technical Manual has been developed to cover buildings designed within the scope of NZS 3604 and offers five key sections (two rigid air barrier options, structural bracing elements, fire rated walls and a range of environmental noise options). For the first time we are able to offer fire rated wing wall and parapet options in both 30 min Fire Resistance Rating (FRR) and 60 min FRR.

For buildings requiring specific design we have developed the Specific Design Technical Data Sheet. This document allows a suitably qualified professional to take the product performance data and incorporate it into their design.