Which vinyl guy, underlayment?

amyspaetzle262

19 years ago

Two bids from completely different vinyl contractors. Who's b.s'ing me?

First guy says you should shop vinyl by thickness. Thicker is better. He won't even consider anything less than .046. He also suggests using 3/8 stryofoam with perforated foil as an underlayment and then tyvek. That should help cut down on my cold, drafty walls.
Second guys says thicker vinyl is worse because the seams are more visible. It's the percentage of petroleum that is more important, not thickness. He doesn't believe in tyvek unless you're getting new windows at the same time and the tyvek can completely envelope the house. He does 1/2 inch or thicker sheets of styrofoam as an underlayment.I can't go that thick without bringing my windows out which I don't want to do.

Is one man's reasoning better than the other?

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Comments (3)

Michael
19 years ago
Crane Siding is the best on the market. If you can afford that product, use it.

Neither guy sounds like he's up to date on product knowledge. If you use the foambacked products you eliminate the build out.

Check the Crane site. You'll be impressed.

Michael

Here is a link that might be useful: crane
ctgph
19 years ago
Choosing between the two, however, I'd pick #1.

Tyvek: Sure new windows would be better, but you still have gaps in sheathing etc, which tyvek will improve regardless.

Thicker siding is better. You're talking .01" difference in thickness. That affects strength, but how much of a difference do you think that makes in visible gaps? Sounds bogus to me.

Not certain about the 'petroleum' comment, but it sounds fishy to me. Typically people talk about a higher virgin vinyl percentage being important... but I can't say for sure he's yanking your chain about petroleum.

Underlayment... thicker would be more insulating, but if you're going to have problems or not like the look of the trim, then it's not worth the extra insulation. I think 1" is in the R5 ballpack, depending on material.

I saw the crane website too, and I'd agree, it looks pretty good if it's affordable (I don't know $).
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newenglandbuilder
19 years ago
There are many vinyl manufacturers out there, the market is competitive as the product is popular. I'd agree that the thicker the vinyl, the better off you are, obviously as its ability to stand up to wind and wear pressures would be better.

Petroleum is a part of the manufacture of vinyl, I'd be interested in knowing where this guy gets his information about the chemistry of the vinyl manufacture process.

I also don't put too much stock in the 'virgin vinyl' argument. There are many quality construction products on the market made almost entirely of recycled materials with good results. People seem to make the assumption that 'virgin' materials are better just because they are new and recycled = used = bad. Not so.

Tyvek is an important part of a wall sheathing system as it helps to move condensation away from the wall and keeps exterior moisture out. Yes, its ideal to wrap the windows, but the Tyvek can be easily sealed around each window edge as well. Tyvek should go directly over the wall sheathing, prior to the foam board installation. Assuming that the old siding is being stripped.

1" is R-5, which ain't bad to add to a wall. There have been studies that have shown that foil backed styrofoam doesn't necessarily perform better than regular, if there's a price diff, I'd just go with regular rigid foam.