Tar Paper Behind Vinyl Siding

Installing foam board insulation under vinyl siding today.

Tar paper behind vinyl siding.

Siding applied directly over tar paper creates a sandwich effect and can trap water between the siding material and the tar paper. Use tyvek over building felt under siding. In fact many builders disagree on the effectiveness of house wraps altogether and while some builders will only install 15 pound asphalt saturated felt paper underneath exterior siding others swear by plastic fabric house wraps such as typar or tyvek. If you want vertical drainage with tar paper you have to add treated lumber strips on top of the tar paper.

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. I want to replace the tar paper but i can t find it at homedepot or lowes. Should any water get past the siding. Tar paper does not offer this.

This is a time intensive process and requires all sorts of skill. By chris baylor felt paper also commonly referred to as tar paper is an underlayment material applied to bare walls before siding is installed. Get home building tips offers and expert advice in your inbox. The irc 2000 code and our building dept.

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how to from fine homebuilding plus special offers.