Tar Paper Behind Vinyl Siding

Installing foam board insulation under vinyl siding today.

Tar paper behind vinyl siding.

If you want vertical drainage with tar paper you have to add treated lumber strips on top of the tar paper. Siding applied directly over tar paper creates a sandwich effect and can trap water between the siding material and the tar paper. This is a time intensive process and requires all sorts of skill. Use tyvek over building felt under siding.

The short answer is that felt paper is fine as a weather resistant barrier behind vinyl siding and will not cause a problem if the siding is installed correctly. The irc 2000 code and our building dept. Should any water get past the siding. Tar paper does not offer this.

Faq s acronym s terminology to tyvek or not to tyvek that is the question. Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how to from fine homebuilding plus special offers. Its primary purpose is to prevent air and water leaks that may have seeped past the vinyl exterior. By chris baylor felt paper also commonly referred to as tar paper is an underlayment material applied to bare walls before siding is installed.

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