Easy House wrap installation guide: The outside sheathing of a house’s walls is protected by a substance known as house wrap. Even while most siding materials claim to be water-repellent, this isn’t always the case. House wrap is designed to shed water and prevent it from entering the wall cavity when it gets behind the siding. Because water vapor may pass through house wrap, it allows water vapor to reach the outside of the shielded structure. For each style of house wrap, there is a distinct set of house wrap installation instructions.
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Installation Tips
As a general rule, always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations and use only approved fasteners and sealers, when appropriate.
Fabric-type house wrap generally follows the following guidelines:
1. Avoid Substandard House Wrap
- A house wrap’s “perm rate” refers to how quickly water vapor may travel through it. If you’re looking for a cheap home wrap, you should steer clear of it.
- This is especially true in cold areas, where older homes with little or no moisture barrier are more susceptible. If the house wrap does not enable moisture to travel through quickly enough, it will condense and build as frost and ice in the wall cavity and sheathing. A wet sheathing and/or a wet wall cavity are not favorable outcomes when the ice melts.
- Cheap house wraps have a perm rating of 8 to 12. Choose a high-quality house wrap like Tyvek, which has a perm value of 54.
2. Why Cap Nails Are Required Right Now
- House wrap installation with a hammer tacker is a thing of the past. Most producers of house wrap today demand that their products be placed using cap nails or cap staples. However, capped connectors hold house wrap to the wall up to 25 times better than staples, so even while this tweak slows down the procedure, it’s not all bad.
- If you utilize capped fasteners, you may rest easy on windy evenings knowing that the house wrap you put up last week won’t blow all over the neighborhood.
3. Utilize the “Stinger” to Install Capped Fasteners
- When putting house wrap, you can hand-nail capped fasteners, but it will take a very long time. Instead, we advise using a Stinger Cap Staple Hammer. It behaves similarly to a hammer tacker but sinks capped nails rather than staples.
- The Stinger requires some getting used to, and the caps and staples aren’t cheap, but it beats hand-nailing cap nails hands down.
4. Buy 3-Inch Tape to save Time
- In the past, house wrap’s vertical seams were the only ones that required taping. Now, every seam needs to be taped, and most producers advise using at least 1 inch of tape on each side of the seam—which is challenging to do with 2-inch tape! Purchase 3-inch rolls instead.
- If the 3-inch tape is not already in stock, your house wrap provider ought to be able to order it. If not, it can be found online, just like almost anything else.
5. Cut the House Wrap into Useful Sizes
- House wrap Installation can be, at best, a frustrating task on a windy day. So use a circular saw to reduce full rolls to more manageable sizes.
- Cut as deeply as you can because most saws won’t go all the way through a full roll, then twist the roll to finish the cut.
- Although smaller rolls require more tape on the horizontal joints, the labor savings outweigh the additional hassle and cost.
6. Prior to Installing House Wrap, Prime the Wood Siding
- When there is house wrap beneath the siding, water tends to condense considerably more than it would if there was only wood sheathing.
- Wood siding will be penetrated by the water, and the finish will come off. Therefore, priming the back of wood siding before installation is more crucial than ever.
7. Inform Subcontractors that You Want House Wrap Installation
Make sure there is an additional roll of house wrap available on the job site for the framers, electricians, and any other subcontractors who will be fastening items to the wall, if you are the general contractor. (Include House wrap installation instructions!) House wrap is required below electricity meters, trim boards, and soffit stringers.
8. Fasten, Tack, and Straighten
Don’t fasten the wrap’s entire vertical length while beginning a new row. Place the roll in the desired location and secure the paper with a few screws in the center. This will enable you to modify the roll up and down without causing creases while rolling out several feet. Not only can wrinkles appear messy, but they can also collect water.
9. Make Sure You Don’t Remove Any Windows
- We used to cover window apertures with house wrap, cut them out, and then move on to the next section of the wall. Despite the fact that it was rapid, there is a superior method.
- Give a direct up and down cut in the middle of the opening once the cover has been applied. Cut two flaps out of the house wrap by cutting it flush with the top and bottom of the hole.
- Before trimming the extra, wrap the flaps around the jack studs within the building. Slicing at an angle from the top, snip several inches up and away, and then taping the flap to keep it in place.
- The pan flashing and a window can now be installed in the newly-created space. Most window manufacturers will accept this solution, and the inspector will be pleased.
10. Six Inches or More of Overlap
At least 6 inches should be overlapping all house wrap seams. Remember to think like you’re shingling: start at the bottom and work your way to the top.
11. Use Tape to Seal Existing Door and Windows
- Most building inspectors require that existing windows and doors be fixed directly to the house wrap if you’re placing house wrap around them. This implies you’ll need to apply a butyl-style tape to the edge of the brick mould or window.
- If you’re using a very sticky tape, this could be a time-consuming process. As an idea, how about this: You don’t have to remove the entire backing of the window tape at once; instead, peel it off one part at a time.
12. Tape Is Necessary for Every Hole in the Wall
- When it comes to walls, it’s not just seems that need to be taped! In most cases, a simple roll of household-wrapping tape suffices.
- So, here’s how you handle a pipe. Make two angled cuts up and away from the top of the pipe, then cut out as close to the pipe as possible.
- Once the flap has been taped, begin taping the pipe to the wall from the bottom up. Close the flap and secure it with a piece of tape.
13. How to Cut House Wrap Using a Simple Trick
- With a sharp utility knife, cutting a smaller portion of the roll of house wrap can be a challenge. The first half of the cut is always smooth, but the last section tends to get a little messy.
- To avoid this, begin by cutting in the middle, then in half, then in half again, etc. Keep a tiny portion of the wrap and snip the rest off. To remove the piece, simply cut it out of the roll.
14. Repairing Large Tears and Holes
- At some point, even the most meticulous labor will show signs of wear. Patches are required for larger holes and tears that cannot be mended with tape. Here’s how it’s done.
- A two-inch patch can be inserted by cutting a horizontal slit into the house wrap directly above the damaged region. any conceivable way. Put the tape to good use and get back to work.