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With all the opinions out on building wraps & cedar I was hoping to get some kind of final word.
Its my understanding that Tyvek is preferrable to Typar because Tyvek is a breathable material and Typar is simply a material with a lot of tiny holes punched through it. Whats the latest on 15# felt? Is it OK? Years ago people stopped using it because they thought it trapped moisture against sheathing and caused rot.
At this point I see that there are basically 3 scenarios out there.
1. Tyvek with back-primed cedar siding applied directly over.
2. Tyvek with cedar breather, for shingles.
3. 15# felt or Tyvek with furring strips and then siding. This obviously is the best solution, but labor intensive & costly.
Can I apply back-primed cedar directly over felt-paper without adverse water problems?
Can anyone describe what the most preferrable method and materials would be if NO furring strips were used on a siding job?
All this is planned with good internal vapor control. I’m in the Northeast Cold Climate.
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There was an article in a recent issue of
FHB about tannins and wood sugars drawing in the moisture regardless of the material used for barrier. Back-priming is thought to be the proper method prior to installing cedar siding directly to felt or Tyvek or Barricade, etc... I know that's the way I do it in winter rain-drenched Nothern CA/South OR, and it works.
fv
*Scott, I have posted this a few times before but I reccommend red rosin as my building paper, especially under cedar shingles. It is what I used extensively when I was building in Maine. I still use it here in Montana.It offers many advantages over other wraps. It is breathable, it is unaffected by oils and such in wood, it helps the back side of wood siding breathe because of it's porisity, and it helps dry out moisture from between the sheathing and siding, because it acts as a blotter, absorbing water, diffusing the water over a greater surface area therefore allowing better and quicker evaporation through the siding. It is also environmentally sound to use and is very effective as a wind paper.It is not a secondary protection against the elements. You must run your siding properly and flash correctly. Do not rely on caulk.If I have an area such as eave walls or the starter course along the ground, I will sometimes run 15#felt as my starter paper to provide better waterproofing, if I think there may be standing/melting snow that will persist over a long period of time. Another trick is to decrease the shingle exposure to 4" for the first 2 feet of siding, then increase to your standard exposure. This provides more wood coverage and helps keep water out.Back priming is not necessary as long as you use a good penetrating oil finish and brush it in so it is deeply absorbed by the wood.
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With all the opinions out on building wraps & cedar I was hoping to get some kind of final word.
Its my understanding that Tyvek is preferrable to Typar because Tyvek is a breathable material and Typar is simply a material with a lot of tiny holes punched through it. Whats the latest on 15# felt? Is it OK? Years ago people stopped using it because they thought it trapped moisture against sheathing and caused rot.
At this point I see that there are basically 3 scenarios out there.
1. Tyvek with back-primed cedar siding applied directly over.
2. Tyvek with cedar breather, for shingles.
3. 15# felt or Tyvek with furring strips and then siding. This obviously is the best solution, but labor intensive & costly.
Can I apply back-primed cedar directly over felt-paper without adverse water problems?
Can anyone describe what the most preferrable method and materials would be if NO furring strips were used on a siding job?
All this is planned with good internal vapor control. I'm in the Northeast Cold Climate.