Is Tyvek Necessary Under Vinyl Siding Replacement

There is nothing wrong with tar paper as a housewrap if it is in good condition.

Is tyvek necessary under vinyl siding replacement.

The wrap should go behind the foam insulation. Tyvek is like skin for your house. The seams should be taped and the windows and doors should be taped. There is a foam insulation product designed for.

I just pulled some vinyl siding installed 1990 with tyvek under it. Vinyl siding is one of if not the most popular exterior cladding for residential homes. I d rather not use the flashing because it will make it obvious the siding isn t really stucco. In this q a a reader is wondering if he should replace the housewrap before re siding his home.

Say that house wrap in not required under vinyl siding however alot of people are using it under vinyl siding and there is a debate seeming to begin to. There is no logical reason not to have house wrap under vinyl siding and many authorities strongly agree that it should be viewed as mandatory even if your local building codes don t necessarily require it. Tyvek is that it tears really easy when installing obviously shouldn t tear with siding over it. It serves the same purpose and really the disadvantage of tar paper vs.

In fact many builders disagree on the effectiveness of house wraps altogether and while some builders will only install 15 pound asphalt saturated felt paper underneath exterior siding others swear by plastic fabric house wraps such as typar or tyvek. Now that being said i did point out it must be done right or it is useless to use tyvek. Since felt is also made with paper it becomes food for mold behind the vinyl siding and i have seen this on many occasions. Once this is done the wrap is designed to make the home water tight in case a storm comes before the siding is finished being installed.

Vinyl siding is not water proof nor do any of the manufacturers claim it to be. But vinyl siding is not waterproof as i learned while inspecting a house in frigid temperatures after a heavy wind driven rain. It s coming in your house. Tyvek is not an insulation.

It is an air barrier. Short answer is yes it is absolutely necessary if installing vinyl siding. Water does and will get behind your vinyl siding. We answer this question and offer some additional advice to ensure he has the most successful re siding.

Then yes it is recommended to have a tyvek type house wrap installed on your home. The sidewall had icicles protruding from beneath one section of the vinyl siding where rain had penetrated the siding and was frozen in its tracks trying to escape. If the tar paper is in good condition then i wouldn t replace it.