Why Is Tyvek Used Under Vinyl Siding

During a recent repair to our siding we found that the house had no building wrap tyvek under the siding.

Why is tyvek used under vinyl siding.

Our house was built about seven years ago. I ll stick with tried and true felt paper. The wood that goes under residential siding exterior sheathing performs several functions. That s what the tyvek is for.

What type of wood is used under siding. Vinyl siding can be installed directly over wall sheathing wood siding or stucco. This explains why the house does not retain heat. They were built in the 1950s and 60s the felt was in perfect condition.

By doing so however you miss out on the opportunity to add add energy savings to the project. I have seen literally hundreds of houses stripped of asbestos siding that had 15 felt under it. Siding that s assembled from large panels such as vinyl or aluminum cladding also makes a good candidate too since water can enter through cracks where the pieces are joined. On all walls and all exposure conditions there were large areas of the tyvek which were deteriorated to the point of tissue paper.

It seems that we have two options. Builder omits house wrap under siding. Use tyvek over building felt under siding. It adds insulation waterproofing and structural support.

Several areas where the tyvek had shrunk and torn mainly at window corners. I just finished removing some vinyl siding installed in 1987. If you ve ever taken vinyl siding off a house the day after a good rain it s all wet back there anyways which is why we insist on tyvek. Tyvek was used underneath very poorly installed.

Vinyl siding is not water proof is not intended to be water proof and i don t know a siding manufacturer that claims it to be anything more than a cladding. I want to replace the tar paper but i can t find it at homedepot or lowes. I saw a new house with felt paper under the siding rather than tyvek. Its primary purpose is to prevent air and water leaks that may have seeped past the vinyl exterior.

On the other hand brick stucco and other masonry based sidings can be used with house wrap but your builder will need to use the right type. To sum it up house wrap is a lightweight paper like material that is most often used to completely cover the house directly on top of the sheathing and behind the vinyl siding.