Installation Guide

The translucent design of KB Building Products BreatheEZ™ eliminates the guesswork for the house wrap installer while cutting, fitting, and fastening

1) Start with lowest course, 2-3 Feet from a corner. Wrap around corner and continue nailing or stapling as you move around the house. Fasteners must penetrate the stud or nail base material.

2) Secure BreatheEZ™ housewrap firmly in place by fastening it every 12″ to 18″ along the vertical studs using large-headed or plastic cap nails or 1″ crown staples. You may install it over wood-based sheathing, foam insulated sheathing, fiberboard sheathing, or exterior gypsum board.

3) Make an inverted Y cut in the housewrap at window rough opening. Then cut straight across the top and make diagonal cuts from the top corners to create a header flap.

4) Fold the three flaps in through the opening of the two sides and the sill fastening them inside with staples set about every 6 inches. Temporarily tape header flap up to expose nail base material. Install the sill flashing over the housewrap.

Please follow the window and door installation procedures. The nailing flange on most windows should go under the housewrap and attach directly to the substrate.

5) Install the sill flashing over the housewrap.

6) Apply sealant behind window flanges and install window.

  • Install jamb flashing over side window flanges.

  • Install head flashing over the top window flange and extend beyond jamb flashings.

  • Remove temporary tape from header flap and fold header flap back down over top flange.

  • Seal header flap with approved flashing tape.

Note: Windows must be installed in accordance with each manufacturer’s recommended guidelines and installation procedures.

Other Important Details

  • Install housewrap in “shingle-lap” fashion (with the higher piece lapped over the outside of the piece below).

  • All horizontal overlaps of housewrap should be at least 2 inches and vertical overlaps should be 6 inches.

  • At roof sections, be careful to lap the housewrap over the entire top of any step flashed areas against the wall

  • Around exterior doors, follow the same flashing procedures as indicated in steps 5 and 6 for windows. tape.

BreatheEZ™ Application with Existing Windows

If the window or door has already been installed, create a top flap so that the head flashing can be installed under the housewrap and over the flange. The head flashing is extended out 3-4 inches to each side, with the flap taped over it. On the remaining three sides, trim the housewrap close to the window flange and secure it to the flange with tape or caulk.

Things to Note

  • All insulation instructions and procedures contained within this document are recommended by KB Building Products and should be followed. Failure to follow these instructions and procedures may compromise the integrity of the housewrap and impact its performance.

  • All BreatheEZ™ housewrap is manufactured to meet the full intent of all applicable building codes and their governing bodies.

  • BreatheEZ™ housewrap is an air infiltration barrier and can provide a secondary line of defense against weather.

  • Wind driven rain can penetrate exterior sidings/cladding such as vinyl, wood, brick, aluminum, hardboard, cementitious, etc. Vinyl and aluminum siding is manufactured – Most brick facades also have weep holes built into the wall system that promotes water drainage

  • Contamination of BreatheEZ™ housewrap with various building site chemicals or various sugars and saps found in wood sidings (e.g. cedar) which increase it wet-ability (e.g. surfactants) will adversely affect the house wrap’s water-resistance and its contribution to the overall water-resistance of the wall system.

  • Any rips, tears, breaks, holes, etc. that happen during normal construction should be sealed and repaired. Other holes, gaps, or cracks created in the exterior wall around items such as faucets, dryer vents, electrical outlets, etc., should be sealed and repaired. Any of these occurrences that go un-repaired will also diminish the house wrap’s performance and contribution to the over-all water-resistance of the wall system.

  • Standard fasteners, such as nails and staples, used to apply BreatheEZ™ housewrap can reduce the house wrap’s water resistance characteristics. Kb Building Products recommends the use of plastic cap nails to improve the seal around the fastener and enhance the protection against water penetration at the fastener location.

  • KB Building Products recommends using House Wrap Tape to seal all over-laps, joints, and seams in the house wrap after it is applied to provide added protection against water penetration. When properly installed, this will help create a continuous seal and effectively protect against costly air infiltration.

  • Porous siding such as brick, wood, hardboard, and stucco have the ability to store water due to their hygroscopic nature. As a result, when using exterior claddings such as these, it is a wise construction practice to use the highly recognized and accepted “Rain Screen” method as part of an overall design strategy to control moisture movement and transport.

Warranty:

KB Building Products warrants that BreatheEZ™ Housewrap will be free of defects in material and workmanship. This warranty does not cover any defect or damage due to abuse, mishandling or improper installation of the housewrap and KB Building Products will not be liable for any replacement material and labor costs. If materials are found to be defective BreatheEZ™ Housewrap will be replaced at no charge by KB Building Products.