New Homeowner's Guide: How To Put House Wrap Around Your Home Before Starting A Siding Job
Installing vinyl siding on an older house you just bought can help you save on energy costs, make the outside of your home look new again, and cut down on the time and effort you would expend painting and caring for an old wooden exterior. However, before you start putting up siding, you should cover the home with house wrap. House wrap cuts down on drafts and moisture entering into the home. Here is how you to install house wrap on the exterior of you home.
You Will Need:
- House Wrap
- Scaffolding
- Hammer
- Metal or Wood Yard Ruler
- Stud Finder
- Magic Marker
- Cap Nails
- Utility
- Heavy-Duty Stapler
- House Wrap Tape
Step One: Remove Old Siding
Remove all the old siding from the house to get down to the bare wood that makes up the exterior walls of your home.
Step Two: Mark Studs
If there isn't any stud markings on the bare exterior wall from when the house was built, you should find and mark the studs with a stud finder. Mark a line over where the studs are with a bright magic marker and a yard ruler.
Step Three: Wrap Bottom of house First
Start at the corner of the house and stretch the house wrap over the bottom portion of your home first. Make sure you nail the house wrap into the exterior wall with cap nails. Nail along the stud marks you have previously marked on the exterior wall.
Start the second layer of house wrap at the same corner you started the bottom layer. Make sure you overlap the second layer over the bottom layer by a couple of inches at the top to help moisture drain down the wall and out behind the siding you will install later.
Seal all seams wherever two pieces of house wrap meet with house wrap tape.
You will eventually need a scaffold to reach the higher spots as you work your way up the wall.
Step Four: Set up Scaffolding
House wrap comes in rolls, and you want to be able to stretch out the rolls alongside the house without having to climb up and down ladders. The best way to do this is to use a scaffold when applying house wrap to the side of your home.
If you don't own any scaffolding, you can usually rent some at a home hardware or building supply store. Set up the scaffolding according to manufacturer's direction on the side of the house you are working on. The scaffolding should be high enough that you can comfortably reach up the roof line without stretching.
Step Five: Wrap Around Openings
Put the house wrap over the windows and doors and nail it into the studs on the both sides of the wall openings to keep it firmly stretched out. Take a utility knife and cut an "X" in the wrap over the openings. Trim the wrap back until just a little overlaps over the windows and doors.
Push the overlap up against the exterior trim on the windows and doors. Staple the house wrap so it is flush against side of the trim.
Step Six: Repeat Process
Repeat the same process on the other sides of the house as you did on this one.
You are ready to install your new siding once the exterior walls of your home has been completely covered with house wrap. For mroe informaiton, contact companies like Blue Springs Siding and Windows.
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