Do Overdriven Fasteners Cause Buildings to Leak

Water Management Cladding

Course Description

An “overdriven” fastener is any kind of mechanical fastener like a nail or a screw that’s been driven into a material a little too far so that the head of the fastener has broken the surface of that material. In the context of fasteners through exterior wall sheathings many people worry that unsealed overdriven fasteners are a problem from a water management perspective. This short course explains how much of this concern is misguided — walls with drained and ventilated claddings can tolerate the occasional overdriven fastener. We also discuss why the thousands of other unsealed cladding attachment fasteners don’t cause our walls to fail.

Course Instructor Christine Williamson

Course Length 10:15

Published 22 Apr 2022

Keywords: mechanical fastener, overdriven fastener, water management, ventilated cladding, walls, leaks

About Building Science Fight Club

Christine Williamson - Assoc. AIA

Building Scientist | Instructor

Christine Williamson has spent her career in building science forensics, discovering why buildings fail and working with owners, architects, and builders to remedy the problems. She is the founder of the Instagram account @BuildingScienceFightClub, an educational project that teaches architects about building science and construction.