Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Property Projects & Construction House wrap?

Hey you experts out there. Can any of you give me any insight on how I should wrap my cabin? I have the wrap but not sure how I should put it on?

What type of staples should I use? How far apart should the staples be? Is a half inch staple good enough?

We can get the wrap in 150 foot roll. I think it's ten feet tall? Do you just pull it and wrap it or would you be better off cutting off 4 foot wide strips and wrapping that way?

Thanks for any help on this part I apprecaite it!!

dont cut it!! wrap as much as you can in one piece...1/2 inch staples should be fine every 8 to 10 inches if youre going to side it soon...tape all seams with the tape that is made for it..if your windows arent in yet leave about 4 inches all the way around the window opening then fold it over the opening on all 4 sides...then put your windows in and tape over the nailing flange...if 10 ft is too tall you can use a saw to cut the entire roll to desired height

Yes, use house wrap. It should be installed immediately after the exterior sheathing is applied to the walls (and all the door and window openings have been cut open). Staples are OK if you are going to get your siding installed quickly. Otherwise, the first windstorm will give you issues and you may wish you used plastic cap nails. We used the plastic caps and don't regret it. Space them about 3' in each direction. OK to cut open the door openings thru the wrap and pull the excess into the interior and staple it tight, but don't cut open the windows...yet. The window manufacturer may have very specific installation instructions that will involve a specific way of incorporating the house wrap. Failure to follow these installation instructions can void the window warranty. Be careful. We used JeldWen windows. I called the manufacturing tech support and found out before I plowed forward and did it the old fashioned way.

Vinyl window installation clinic


We also added another facet at the bottom edge of all our exterior sheathing that will pay back in the long haul. Since you are much higher above the grade, splashing of rain will likely NOT be an issue and my added measure may not be necessary….but it is still a good idea, regardless.

scroll down to the close up of the sheathing bottom edge

Finally, select the correct housewrap product. Which one is it?…..I don’t really know. What I do know is that I see more Typar and Tyvek on custom (and cookie cutter) houses than anything else.
Lastly, regarding taping the seams….
I don’t. Why? Taping is supposed to seal the edge to create an impervious bond (ie; wind). My opinion? The stuff is incredibly expensive; turn off for me. I have seen tape eventually give up it’s bond over time; another turn off. And, finally, if taping a seam stops the wind, what are you going to do at the bottom edge that wraps all the way around the house? Talk about an “open edge that will get hammered with wind pressure”. For me, I make sure the seams are overlapped well (at least a foot) to eliminate the possibility of water infiltration. I will run a row of plastic caps, maybe 6-8” on center, and call it good. If I really need to be anal retentive about sealing a seam (for whatever reason), I use a thin bead of polyurethane caulk between the overlapping fabric, squish it flat by running my finger over the caulk sandwich, and popping in a plastic cap nails directly into the caulk seam.

Or not….

I used Tyvek and installed it using a modified Brettski installation proceduer. Caulked and nailed the bottom like Brettski did, using the plastic capped nails. I overlapped the housewrap by about 10", but I also taped the seams. I ended up using $50 worth of tape, but I thought it was a minor expense in regards to the cost of the whole project. I'm a belt AND suspenders kind of guy.

Hey thanks guys for the input! I will be using the Tyvek wrap. And we will be siding the place pretty much right after so no problem there.

I have all Pella windows side slide vinyl. So I may just give them a call. Brettski thanks for the info! I apprecaite it very much all ya'll!