TO WRAP OR NOT?

[shinnlinger]

Dave,

Pick up a roll of the Zip tape next time for your tractor seat.  It is really impressive stuff.

Dave

[ljmathias]

Do either of this tractor seat repair suggestions last very long?  Moving around on a tractor (like I do) would seem to "peel" it up pretty fast and stick it to my shorts- no? ???

Thanks, guys.

Lj

[shinnlinger]

I can't attest to Ziptape's performance in mending  tractor seats, but I can say it ain't no duct tape.....

[meddins]

Earlier in this thread DBailly mentions the old 1x planking that houses used to be sheathed with.

The older houses I've worked on have diagonal 1x SYP sheathing. Even on houses built in the 1910's the sheathing I've seen is always solid and still doing it's job. I'm sure it also stiffens the frame up quite a bit.

One guy I talked to said they would run the boards long past the top of the wall plate and come back to cut them off. Makes sense if you can spare the wood I guess.

Anyone on the forum used this method of sheathing a house lately? Seems like you would want to have your boards pretty well seasoned before putting them up to minimize shrinkage.

M.E.

[Dave Shepard]

Most roof sheathing I've seen was probably put up green. It's usually waney, low quality stuff. After all, the roofing would have been hand split shakes, not felt and asphalt shingles.


I put a big square of Grace on the seat of the Lull at work. The corners are folded down around the side and it hasn't peeled up. It's probably been a year and a half, and the machine always stays out in the weather.

[shinnlinger]

Medins, 

I  sheathed diagonally with hemlock boards on my chicken coop.  I just put them up green and the boards shrink, but it is not a big deal if you are going to wrap and then side the house.  You can often use the off cut to start the next run.

On my coop, since I knew I was never going to side it, I went with a 25 or 30 degree angle.  Stronger and easier IMO to do this than do "let in" braces.

Dave

[meddins]

Dave I checked out your photos. Nice coop! What are the dimensions for the board and batten siding on your Vanagon barn? I like the widths you used.

M.E.

[shinnlinger]

I usually run 1x10 board and 1x4 battens.  Narrower bats can curl up.

[DBailly]

OK. I'll admit that "Crap" may have been too strong of a word. Perhaps I should have explained it this way. It is my observation that in the past when OSB was subjected to prolonged moisture it seems to fail faster than other products. As for the Zip System I can only say I am familiar only with the construction and application. I do not know the specs on it. But, it seems that the OSB is protected from any direct moisture exposure, by its outer coating. Thus making it resistant to moisture. As for Advantech I will say I do prefer it over 3/4 Ply for a sub-floor, but there again it is not exposed to prolonged moisture. In other words, would the glues and protective coatings fail if one was to use Advantech as a sheathing, being that it would now be subjected to the "breathing" of the building? I hope my comments didn't offend anyone. These are just my observations.

[Jim_Rogers]

To wrap or not to wrap was the question.

And there is no easy answer, and I can understand the confusion, because there is no easy answer as there are so many products that do work.

Recently I read a book about moisture control. It was, or is, a collection of articles written by the writers who write for JLC magazine (Journal of Lite Construction).

And one of the many points made over and over again was; what's right for one house in one area of the country, may not be what's right for another house in another area of the country.

There are vapor barriers, moisture barriers, and house wraps types of all kinds and types of materials. And how they are used can vary greatly.

In the south you want to keep the hot humid air out of the air conditioned inside of your house.

In the north you want to keep the cold winter air out of the heated space inside of your house.

Both of these things need to be done correctly as to not allow the moisture to condense in an area where it will cause the house to rot or create mold.

I don't want to say you should wrap or you shouldn't wrap, or what type to use, as I don't have enough experience to say what is best and why.

But I would suggest you educate yourself as to what is right for your building in your area of the country.

Good luck with your project and keep trying to do what is best for you.

Jim Rogers

[rs1626]

Thanks Jim I wrapped with tyvek  now I have another question    spray in foam or fiberglass batt insulation?

[jimparamedic]

I think its called new wool basicly its blown in insul. that is sprayed on with a dit of water and starch so it sets up. pretty cool stuff. Little waste and low chemical content

[PlicketyCat]

Moisture/Vapor Barrier stops humidity (vaporized moisture) from passing through your wall from the warm side and condensing in your wall as it approaches the cold side.  What side is warm and what side is cold depends on your location. (Up in AK, it's definitely the inside).

House wraps and tar paper are Weather Barriers, they help shed bulk water that hits and runs down the exterior walls. They work in conjunction with the siding. It's important that they "breathe" from the backside to let any bulk water or moisture/vapor in the wall migrate back out.

As for insulation -- I prefer the spray foam over fiberglass blown or batt) because it has higher r-value per inch... but I live where it's really bleeding cold. 6" of fiberglass batt insulation wouldn't cut it as "super-insulated" at -40 or below, but would work fine somewhere warmer.  But fiberglass batt is cheap and readily available, easy to install if you're not sensitive to it. Most spray foam, at least the good ones, are a bit spendy and really should be professionally installed to get the best results. 

In the middle is high-density blown cellulose -- best R for the buck. A little more expensive than fiberglass (blown or batt), but insulates better per inch. A lot less expensive than spray urethane foam, but not quite as good R per inch -- but you can rent the blower and do it yourself reasonably well, unlike the foam. 

There are other batts available that have comparable R and cost to fiberglass if you are sensitive -- rock wool, real wool, and recycled denim (off the top of my head).