Visqueen is a brand of
polyethylene
Polyethylene or polythene (abbreviated PE; IUPAC name polyethene or poly(methylene)) is the most commonly produced plastic. It is a polymer, primarily used for packaging ( plastic bags, plastic films, geomembranes and containers including bo ...
plastic
sheeting (typically
low-density polyethylene
Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is a thermoplastic made from the monomer ethylene. It was the first grade of polyethylene, produced in 1933 by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) using a high pressure process via free radical polymerization. Its ...
) produced by British Polythene Industries Limited. It is the registered trade mark of British Polythene Limited in numerous countries throughout the world. It is commonly between 4 and 10
mils (0.004 to 0.01 in./0.1 to 0.25 mm) thick and is available in clear, opaque, blue, and black.
Visqueen is used for many purposes. It is commonly used as a temporary
tarpaulin
A tarpaulin ( , ) or tarp is a large sheet of strong, flexible, water-resistant or waterproof material, often cloth such as canvas or polyester coated with polyurethane, or made of plastics such as polyethylene. Tarpaulins often have reinforce ...
, as a drop cloth when
painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...
, to cover
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...
as it sets, to line decorative
pond
A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from th ...
s, and to cover the ground before applying
stone
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
or wood chips to prevent
weed
A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...
growth. Large (100 × 20 ft) sheets of Visqueen are used during floods to protect
levee
A levee (), dike (American English), dyke (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is a structure that is usually soil, earthen and that often runs parallel (geometry), parallel to ...
s from wave wash erosion.
It is often suggested for use in greenhouses. Visqueen is used as a condensation barrier inside walls when installing
HVAC
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) is the use of various technologies to control the temperature, humidity, and purity of the air in an enclosed space. Its goal is to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality. HV ...
systems. It is also used as a ground cover in the crawl space of home foundations as a
vapor barrier
A vapor barrier (or vapour barrier) is any material used for damp proofing, typically a plastic or foil sheet, that resists diffusion of moisture through the wall, floor, ceiling, or roof assemblies of buildings and of packaging to prevent inte ...
. The use of Visqueen underneath a
basement
A basement or cellar is one or more floors of a building that are completely or partly below the ground floor. It generally is used as a utility space for a building, where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, ...
is to prevent water infiltration from water present in the ground that would pass through the concrete or dirt floor and bring in unwanted dampness.
History
Visqueen was first produced circa 1950 by the
Visking Corporation, a company founded in the 1920s by Erwin O. Freund for the purpose of making casings for meat products. Visking investigated the post-World War II emerging technology of polyethylene, and developed manufacturing techniques to make pure virgin polyethylene film. Originally spelled VisQueen, the film was an excellent moisture barrier and was marketed to many industrial, architectural, and consumer applications, such as moisture barriers, plant seedbed protection films, building fumigation barriers, drop cloths, case liners, and tarpaulins.
At a time when Visking was the largest producer of polyethylene film in the U.S., Union Carbide acquired Visking in 1956. An antitrust ruling forced the sale of the polyethylene business of Visking to
Ethyl Corporation
Ethyl Corporation is a fuel additive company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, in the United States. The company is a distributor of fuel additives. Among other products, Ethyl Corporation distributes tetraethyl lead, an additive used to make ...
in 1963. Ethyl, known best for its
tetra ethyl lead
Tetraethyllead (commonly styled tetraethyl lead), abbreviated TEL, is an organolead compound with the formula lead, Pb(ethyl group, C2H5)4. It is a fuel additive, first being mixed with gasoline #History, beginning in the 1920s as a patented oct ...
gasoline additive, renamed the division VisQueen. In 1989, Ethyl Corporation, desiring to concentrate on chemical manufacture, spun off VisQueen as a new company, Tredegar Film Products Corporation.
In popular culture
The song "Macho City" by the
Steve Miller Band
The Steve Miller Band is an American rock music, rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles t ...
(1981) contains the lyric: "Politicians and lawyers/all know what it means/They'll be keeping it all legal/with political Visqueen".
Notes
External links
visqueen.comnbsp; – Visqueen Website
{{Authority control
Plastic brands
British brands
Building materials