The most important part of weatherproofing begins before the window goes in. After the house wrap is cut, tuck the bottom flap into the house and install sill flashing. Then fold in the sides of the house wrap, but leave the top flap alone.
Removing the old siding also gives homeowners the opportunity to improve the homes energy efficiency by adding a high-quality house wrap, like Barricade Building Wrap, to the exterior of the home. When properly installed, house wrap protects a home against air and water leaks. When remodeling the exterior of a home, the correct application of house wrap around the existing windows and doors is particularly critical to preventing moisture and air intrusion and ensuring an energy-efficient, durable and healthy home.
How to Install House Wrap around a Window
Unwanted air infiltration reduces the effective R-value of the wall assembly and reduces the air quality and energy-efficiency of a home or building. During an exterior remodel, correct installation of house wrap around existing windows and doors is essential to controlling unwanted air and moisture intrusion into the wall system.
A crucial attribute of house wrap is its microscopic pores that permit water vapor to pass through; however, the pores are too small for air and bulk water. Without these microscopic pores, moisture would accumulate in the wall cavity.
Installing house wrap not only helps create a high-performing building but helps the structure meet the International Building Codes (IBC) minimum requirements for exterior walls. According to the IBC 1403.2, exterior walls shall provide the building with a weather-resistant exterior wall envelope, including a manner to stop water from accumulating within the wall assembly by providing a water-resistive barrier behind the exterior veneer.
Properly installing new house wrap around existing windows and doors, in accordance to manufacture instruction, will reduce air and moisture intrusion and contribute towards a healthy, durable, energy-efficient home or building. Follow these steps to properly install wrap around windows:
When properly installed, house wrap around a window or door can prevent moisture intrusion; however, there are several other techniques to stop water intrusion to the wall system near windows and doors.
The days of using a hammer tacker to install house wrap are gone forever. 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.
After the opening is covered, make one cut with your knife straight up and down in the center. Next, cut the house wrap flush at the top and bottom of the opening, creating two flaps. Wrap the flaps inside the building, past the jack stud, before cutting off the excess. At the top, slice several inches up and away at an angle, and hold the flap up with a piece of tape (it will be folded back down and taped after the window is installed).
Most of the installation process is the same as for a new construction project with the key difference being that you usually have a helper in new construction and that the windows are usually not installed before the Tyvek.
Notice that the house wrap comes over the flashing tape at the top of the window. The tape is good, but with the house wrap coming over the top like that, the chances of water getting in are greatly reduced. The Hammer & Hand Best Practices Manual I wrote about recently has great details on how to do this.
Men and women wearing white suits, rubber boots and gloves were cleaning up the beaches of the recent BP Gulf oil spills. The white suits acted as a barrier to the penetration of oil. Known as Tyvek suits and used in level "D" HAZMAT situations, they allowed moisture to escape from the bodies of the workers while protecting them from unwanted contact with harmful oil residue. The same protection is available for your house when you install Tyvek on your building.
There are many products on the market today to use on window and door sills. Some great, some not so great. I do not advocate not using or using these products. Just be sure to read and follow any manufacturers directions. Failure to follow them could result in a void of your warranty.As you can see, the shingle method of installing the tape under the side and over the sill portion, will allow water to work itself down the outside of the building. Just be sure to caulk the area where the tape meets the 45 degree angle cut at the bottom, as there will be a small pinhole that water could penetrate.Next, cut the house wrap in the upper corners on a small 45 degree angle. This cut should just be enough to easily fit the window flange under. Tape the wrap out of the way to caulk and install the window.
Once you have everything plumb, level and square; finish nailing the perimeter of the window.Apply window tape, again in a shingle fashion, starting at the bottom. Be sure to slide the side window tape under the 45 degree cut at the top of the window and caulk the joint to assure it is water tight.Some say the installation is complete. I like to install one more piece of window tape at the top to ensure the installation will shed any unwanted water. Adding this extra step while installing house wrap could be the difference in successfully shedding water far into the future. For more information, check out our post on installing windows.Search for:Door Installation Has Never Been EasierInstall 5X Faster
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House wrap is one of the most important features of modern construction. House wrap is a fabric made from polyethylene fibers designed to protect a structure from drafts and moisture. Used in conjunction with special tape, house wrap seals up the small cracks and gaps that would otherwise allow air and moisture to enter the building. Today we will discuss how to install house wrap around existing windows (and doors), and why it is needed.
In years past, builders attempted to eliminate or reduce these drafts using roof underlayment, better known as tar paper. The tar paper was wrapped around the entire home, or at least around doors and windows to help reduce unwanted air from entering the building. However, because tar paper was not designed for this purpose, over time it tended to dry up and crack, creating the very problem it was trying to solve.
Answering this question will depend on the type of exterior facade you have. The installation of house wrap around an existing window will require the removal of the facade, so those attempting this repair on masonry homes like brick and stucco will find this step extremely difficult and in many situations, infeasible. However, on homes with siding like vinyl, aluminum, hardboard, T1-11, shakes, and other forms of lap siding, the project will be relatively simple.
Wood counterweighted windows were some of the first window designs that did not require hinges. However, these windows lacked any form of flashing and being made of wood, tended to allow leaks around the frame. Since these windows do not include a mounting fin, the house wrap and tape should extend from the rough opening, over the gap and onto the window frame. In most instances, removing any trim such as brick molding will make the job easier.
Both vinyl and aluminum replacement windows are designed to be installed within the existing frame of an older window. Due to this design, replacement windows generally do not include a mounting fin and are simply attached with screws inside the existing window frame. As such, new house wrap will not extend to the actual window, but to the original window frame. If the window has brick molding surrounding it, the molding should be removed and the new house wrap installed under it.
Adding house wrap to a home with new construction windows, whether vinyl or aluminum, is very simple. In most circumstances, the nails are gently removed from the nail fin one side at a time and the house wrap is slid underneath. The order is important, so the bottom should be installed first, then the sides, and lastly the top. The nail fin is then reinstalled and tape is applied over the nails and fin.
This section will assume that the exterior facade has been removed and the sheathing on the home is accessible. As mentioned previously, installing house wrap retroactively requires removal of the exterior facade. This is why this repair is not generally recommended for homes with brick or stucco unless the absence of the house wrap has caused water damage. In this instance, the facade will require replacement anyway.
Generally speaking, most siding can be removed with a combination of nail pullers, hammers, and pry bars. Vinyl and aluminum siding are usually installed with galvanized roofing tacks or staples. Removing these fasteners is a matter of gentle persuasion and patience, with the goal of re-installing the siding without damage. Once the edge of the window can be seen, the house wrap can be installed.
We will cover building code best practices, how to install housewrap (the right way), how to prevent common house wrap problems, reasons why housewrap can still leak, and how seaming tape can make your building project airtight and moisture-proof.
While manufacturer instructions for installing housewrap vary, generally there are three main tasks involved: wrapping, taping, and flashing. (Click here to watch an exterior house wrap installation, courtesy of the NAHB Research Center.)
Most also require or recommend 1 in. plastic or metal cap fasteners. The caps protect the house-wrap from damage during installation and spread the surface area of the fastener over a broader area of the WRB so the fastener is less likely to tear through. 2ff7e9595c
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