Insulation Board Under Vinyl Siding

If they use a backer board at all contractors will often call it and sell it as insulation board.

Insulation board under vinyl siding.

As many things in building science go you my dear reader have to learn something. Insulated vinyl siding is standard vinyl siding with a backing of solid rigid foam insulation. Most homes in the united states are built with traditional wood frame construction with studs every 16 on center. This detail is used with both new construction and also with renovation work.

Many houses built today have a double wall type of insulation with fiberglass batts fastened between the studs on the inside and rigid foam board over. Because rigid foam doesn t provide much resistance to vinyl siding sagging under its own weight such an installation requires threaded nails that. Why insulation under the siding is important. Since i need to replace this window and it is on a small north sided wall i got to thinking if it would be a good idea to remove the siding replace the window then install 1 2 inch insulation board on top of the osb then put back the vinyl siding.

Hot climates already have a lot of heat and vinyl siding tends to expand and contract with temperature changes up to 1 if the siding is. Foil faced foam board insulation. Continuous insulation under new siding has become a popular way to improve energy efficiency on an existing home because it addresses a problem known as thermal bridging. It also serves as an air barrier.

But herein lies the problem. Installing foam board insulation under vinyl siding today more than ever before homes are being built with foam board insulation installed on the outside of the sheathing and under the siding. Foil faced foam board insulation is a great idea but is not a good choice for hot climates or cold climates as an exterior insulation product. By filling the voids behind the siding s stepped profile the insulation makes the complete material stiffer and more resistant to warping and movement than conventional vinyl siding.

I get asked if this or that in the in the cavity works as well as foam under the siding. By glenn hooper june 2 2015. Maybe as i get time working my way around the whole house with this process. Whenever vinyl siding is installed over rigid foam with or without foil facing studs should be spaced no more than 16 inches on center and the thickness of the foam should be limited to 1 inch.

How to install rigid foam under siding. Below are some of the design details along with the benefits. We will start with hot climates. Generally referred to as rigid foam insulation this type of foam insulation is.