You should not use standard staples alone to install house wrap. While they are fast and easily applied with a hammer tacker, manufacturers consider them temporary. Standard staples can easily tear through the material on windy days, ruining the weather barrier.
The days of using a hammer tacker to install house wrap are gone. Today, most house wrap manufacturers require their product to be installed with cap nails or cap staples. This change definitely slows down the process, but on the upside, capped fasteners hold house wrap to the wall up to 25 times better than staples.
The Best Way To Install Housewrap
Overlap all vertical seems by 6-12”. Secure Tyvek® WRB to the stud or other nail-base material, i.e., wood sheathing. Fasteners should be placed no closer than 6” and no farther than 18” on vertical stud lines. Securing along stud lines will assist in maintaining fastening pattern.
Yes, taping Tyvek seams is highly recommended for maximum weather protection. While it is technically optional (the manufacturer only explicitly requires tape for repairing holes or tears, and to secure overlaps to achieve an optimal air barrier), taping all vertical and horizontal seams ensures a continuous protective barrier against air and moisture infiltration.
I only use regular staples, I have a pneumatic stapler that use to apply it. In 30+ years I've never had an issue or warranty claim. If installed right you are good to go. Staples put a thousand holes into it, cap nails, by the nature seal and hold the tyvek.
In most cases, you should not tape the bottom edge of your house wrap to the foundation or flashing. The bottom edge must be left open so that any moisture trapped behind the wrap can easily drain out and escape.
There are several problems with Tyvek® House Wrap that diminish its ability to resist water and air.
For house wrap, the best practice is to use 3/8-inch or 5/8-inch leg staples with 1-inch plastic caps (cap staples). If you are using a standard hammer tacker for temporary holds on solid wood sheathing, use 3/8-inch wide crown staples. Capped staples are highly recommended because they prevent the staple from tearing the wrap and seal the puncture point against moisture.
No, Tyvek® Supro / Supro Plus does not need any soffit, tile or ridge ventilation, therefore saving time and money. 2- Do I need an airspace between the insulation and breather membrane? Because the Tyvek® Supro / Supro Plus membrane breathes, it does not need an airspace.
For installing house wrap, always use plastic cap staples or staples shot through plastic washers. Standard uncapped staples can tear the material and leave holes that allow moisture in. Most manufacturers recommend capped fasteners for superior holding power and to ensure your wall remains weather-resistant.
No, it does not matter if Tyvek building wrap is installed upside down or even with the logos facing inward. The material is non-directional and functions exactly the same way regardless of orientation, providing the same air infiltration and moisture protection.
Installing house wrap creates a crucial weather-resistant barrier between your sheathing and siding, protecting the house from bulk water and air leaks. The primary goal is to "shingle" the walls, meaning upper layers always overlap lower layers to shed water downward.
18-gauge narrow crown staples provide a firm hold for various projects. Ideal for securing roofing felt and house wrap with superior holding power and moisture diversion.
In new construction, or in remodeling projects in which the existing windows will be replaced, the DuPont™ Tyvek® WRB can be installed under or over the DuPont Exterior Continuous Insulation based on whether the windows will be aligned with the exterior finished wall or recessed from it.
Even the toughest house wraps are not immune to stress. Under high-wind conditions or after a few days exposed to the elements, traditional narrow-crown staples can easily tear through the material. Capped fasteners reduce the risk by spreading the load across a larger surface area.
How many sheets of paper you can staple at once depends on more than just the stapler. Standard office models handle between 10 to 20 pages, but heavier stacks require stronger tools. The staple itself plays a key role.
The best practice for house wrap fasteners is to use plastic cap nails or cap staples. Uncapped staples or nails can tear through the material and leave small holes that allow moisture to enter the wall cavity. Caps seal the penetration point, holding the house wrap securely against wind and preventing blow-off.
While Tyvek manages moisture, it's not immune to all moisture-related problems. Two of its main issues are mold growth and sensitivity to surfactants.
"Better" than Tyvek depends on your project. For home building, Zip System Sheathing and Henry Blueskin outperform traditional house wraps by acting as fully adhered, all-in-one moisture and air barriers. For camping, Polycryo is significantly lighter, more puncture-resistant, and packs smaller than Tyvek.
House wraps are installed to the outside surface of a home's envelope, undersiding, or exterior cladding. Housewraps must be permeable enough to allow water vapor to pass through them from the warm side, but still, stop bulk water like rain from entering on the cold side — similar to a Gore-Tex jacket.
Whether you tape horizontal seams on Tyvek depends on your building goals. If you only want a drainage plane to shed water, you do not need to tape them, provided the upper layer overlaps the lower layer by at least 6 inches. However, if you are building an airtight home, you must tape all seams.
Yes, mice can easily get in under siding. Because their skeletal structure is incredibly flexible, they only need a gap about the size of a dime (or roughly 14one-fourth14 inch) to squeeze through. The hollow spaces behind siding act as highways, allowing them to climb and access your attic or walls.
Whether flashing goes under or over house wrap depends entirely on where the flashing is located. As a rule of thumb, all flashing must be installed "shingle-style"—meaning the top edge of the flashing goes under the house wrap, and the bottom edge hangs over the layer below it.