What is TYVEK?

Everybody has seen Tyvek house wrap on the sides of homes and commercial buildings during construction. What’s it for? Well, Tyvek blocks air movement and sheds water but allows moisture to travel through it. Houses build up quite a bit of moisture from cooking, breathing, washing, and bathing. And houses need to “breathe” (which means moisture needs to be able to exit the building so that it doesn’t cause wood rot or mold inside the walls.) It comes in rolls and gets applied to the outside of the structure between the plywood sheathing and the siding.

Tyvek is made of olefin, (which is very lite) and was patented by DuPont in 1956. Its use has been growing ever since. It’s very functional and easy to install.

So now, when you drive by new construction and see Tyvek house wrap, you’ll know what it’s all about!