Do I Need Foam Under Vinyl Siding

Below are some of the design details along with the benefits.

Do i need foam under vinyl siding.

Certainteed vinyl siding with the correct rigid foam board backer makes this house look great. By filling the voids behind the siding s stepped profile the insulation makes the complete material stiffer and more resistant to warping and movement than conventional vinyl siding. Insulated vinyl siding is standard vinyl siding with a backing of solid rigid foam insulation. The nails have a plastic cap that keeps them from damaging the foam.

How to install rigid foam under siding. Vinyl siding can be installed directly over wall sheathing wood siding or stucco. This will help your house wrap perform better and if you re already siding your house you may as well include it as installing it later will require a complete re siding. Some manufacturers of vinyl siding do not recommend the use of drop in backers with certain vinyl siding configurations.

As an alternative installation of specific types of drop in contoured foam underlayments for various styles of vinyl siding are available. Some people use roofing nails but if a strong gust of wind gets under the siding it may not hold. Installing foam board insulation under vinyl siding today more than ever before homes are being built with foam board insulation installed on the outside of the sheathing and under the siding. With budgets tighter than ever now contractors and do it youselfers are tearing off the original siding and installing a thin foam board underneath claiming it will improve the energy efficiency of the property.

But insulated vinyl siding has one unique feature. Contoured insulation that is permanently adhered to vinyl siding. This detail is used with both new construction and also with renovation work. If they use a backer board at all contractors will often call it and sell it as insulation board.

By doing so however you miss out on the opportunity to add add energy savings to the project. Also during this siding process you may also consider asking your contractor to add foam insulation between the vinyl and the house wrap for increased r value. Similar to blown in insulation insulated vinyl siding provides r value for improved energy efficiency. Fit the rigid foam insulation snugly and seal all seams with the specialized tape.

To secure the foam use two inch cap nails. But herein lies the problem. Many houses built today have a double wall type of insulation with fiberglass batts fastened between the studs on the inside and rigid foam board over. Vinyl siding must never be applied directly to studs without sheathing.