This weekend I am putting on the house wrap and I have seen two different methods on the forum. One is to use tar paper like you use on your roof and the other is to use a house wrap like tyvek. I have plenty of tar paper but wonder if there is enough advantage to tyvek to spend the money on it.
I believe the big advantage to Typar and all the similar wraps is felt mostly by the professional home builder crew. It saves them labor as it wraps a single story full height all at once.
They have been documented instances where the synthetic barriers have trapped liquid water behind the wrap to cause problems. With traditional "tar paper" and liquid water transpires through the layer and evaporates.
Synthetic products are good made to block liquid water and allow water vapor to pass through. It's all good theory until one ends up with liquid water behind the barrier. That's not supposed to happen, but that's only guaranteed in a laboratory setting.
If you go with the "tar paper" or building felt as it is sometimes called, use #15 for the walls. #30 is reserved for roofing as a rule. #30 is too difficult to handle for wall use. Use the nails with the plastic caps in place of regular roofing nails.
I have also had better experience with building felt (tar paper). Although a great enthusiast of Tyvek in the early 80's, I have since seen buildings where cedar siding has shredded Tyvek in less than 20 years leaving no protection at all. Felt on the same house and under the same type of siding for over 25 years looks almost new and the sheathing is dry.
Plastic sheet sheathings may be fine under vinyl or cement siding, but natural woods like cedar can react with the synthetic house wraps.
I vote for felt. Good stuff. Time proven for decades.
I used this product on my house addition. I really like it and it is unlike standard woven house wrap. IMO it is a cut above Tyvek. A little more costly than the standard. Not real sure how it would stack up to natural wood but I am sure it is contained in the additional site info.
http://building.dow.com/na/en/products/housewrap/wmplus.htm
Thanks for the replys, I'm going to go with my first impression and go with the felt(tar paper).
Quote from: MountainDon on September 01, 2009, 01:40:24 PM
If you go with the "tar paper" or building felt as it is sometimes called, use #15 for the walls. #30 is reserved for roofing as a rule. #30 is too difficult to handle for wall use. Use the nails with the plastic caps in place of regular roofing nails.
Do the plastic cap nails work in cheap roofing nailers? Or will 1/2" staples work? Doing this stuff by myself it helps a lot if I've got a tool that can be used with just one hand.
The only plastic cap nails I've seen are loose nails for hand nailing. There might be some gun ones, I just don't know.
Staples are no good without using "tin hats" for each one. Otherwise the paper is requently torn through by the gun staples.
Don here is Bostich's model. A little pricey for a one time application though. You may be able to rent the gun at HD or Lowes.
http://www.bostitch.com/default.asp?CATEGORY=BOS%5FSPECIALTY%5FCONST%5FNAILER&TYPE=PRODUCT&PARTNUMBER=N66BC-1&SDesc=BOSTITCH%26%23174%3B+Cap+Nailer
They also make a cap stapler as well.
http://www.bostitch.com/default.asp?CATEGORY=BOS%5FSPECIALTY%5FCONST%5FSTAPLER&TYPE=PRODUCT&PARTNUMBER=SB150SLBC-1&SDesc=Bostitch%26%23174%3B+Cap+Stapler+Kit
Put it on with a manual staple gun then nail it after if you're not going to cover it up right away.
Tarpaper should be covered pretty quickly, the wind and sun are both hard on it. I've pushed that envelope but best practice is to cover it fast. I've uncovered 20 year old tyvek on the job we're on, it tears like toilet paper, this is the old stuff and I'm not sure how long it was exposed but it's shot.
Then there's the whole Huber Zip Panel system in which case you use neither. Love it.
Quote from: DirtyLittleSecret on September 02, 2009, 09:17:32 AM
Then there's the whole Huber Zip Panel system in which case you use neither. Love it.
What is the cost of this type of system?
Quote from: bayviewps on September 03, 2009, 05:52:03 AM
Quote from: DirtyLittleSecret on September 02, 2009, 09:17:32 AM
Then there's the whole Huber Zip Panel system in which case you use neither. Love it.
What is the cost of this type of system?
Looks like about $12-13 per 4 x 8 sheet on the internet.
That's about right. Really made a difference.
Don't forget the tape, that adds up.
Someone give us a link to that Hunter Zip product you mentioned. At the price quoted it better be good...darn good. Tar paper is MUCH less expensive and it works great!
Okie Bob
The company is Huber Engineered Woods
(http://huberwood.com/main.aspx?pagename=advantechflooring)
I'm planning on using felt but will have to leave it exposed for at least a month while waiting on a chance to get the siding on. The climate is dry though so I'm hoping it will be ok (15" of rain a year)??
So to re-cap: nail felt to the walls, 15lb felt for walls.
I assume start at the bottom and wrap the walls all the way around, nail down, cut and overlap the next wrap (by how much) until you get to the top of the walls?
Once done cut out the windows and doors leaving 4-5" to nail down into the window/door framing?
Thanks!
I'm going through the final Tyvek vs. felt decision right now - gonna start with the windows next weekend. The Integrity website has instructions on installing their windows with both Tyvek and building paper - http://www.integritywindows.com/download.aspx?DocumentID=787 (http://www.integritywindows.com/download.aspx?DocumentID=787). They (and others I've read/talked to) reckon you shouldn't use bitumen-based flashing tape for vinyl and fiberglass windows - use the butyl-based tape.
I haven't seen much discussion of the differences between 15lb felt (which appears to be marketed as a roofing product) and building paper (which is what folks use behind stucco around here). The stuff I've seen behind wooden siding on the older houses around here appears to be more like building paper. In HD, the felt is with the roofing supplies and the building paper is with the concrete/stucco stuff, just to confuse things. Does the felt/paper distinction matter?
Tarpaper is much more forgiving than Tyvek type products. It will wick out water if you screw up - The housewraps will make you a nice water bucket in your wall.
Quote from: glenn kangiser on October 09, 2009, 10:56:31 PM
Tarpaper is much more forgiving than Tyvek type products. It will wick out water if you screw up - The housewraps will make you a nice water bucket in your wall.
Oh I WILL screw up -- no doubt there -- so ;) Tar Paper it is!
Actually the builders supply told me it's really every bit as good if not better and cheaper. They said "contractors like Tyvex becuase they can wrap a floor at a time easily and speedily". Seems Tarpaper is much more popular for cabin builders in this area.
Erik
Quote from: OlJarhead on October 12, 2009, 01:41:40 PM
Actually the builders supply told me it's really every bit as good if not better and cheaper. They said "contractors like Tyvex becuase they can wrap a floor at a time easily and speedily".
Quote from: MountainDon on September 01, 2009, 01:40:24 PM
I believe the big advantage to Typar and all the similar wraps is felt mostly by the professional home builder crew. It saves them labor as it wraps a single story full height all at once.
;D ;D ;D
Good choice Erik!
I'll just add my vote for tarpaper as well. :)
Quote from: MountainDon on October 12, 2009, 07:22:52 PM
Quote from: OlJarhead on October 12, 2009, 01:41:40 PM
Actually the builders supply told me it's really every bit as good if not better and cheaper. They said "contractors like Tyvex becuase they can wrap a floor at a time easily and speedily".
Quote from: MountainDon on September 01, 2009, 01:40:24 PM
I believe the big advantage to Typar and all the similar wraps is felt mostly by the professional home builder crew. It saves them labor as it wraps a single story full height all at once.
;D ;D ;D
Good choice Erik!
haha you know I thought I'd heard that somewhere and when talking to the builder I was thinking -- dejavu?