How to Install House Wrap Correctly

House wrap is the invisible guard between your walls and the weather. It sits under your siding, shingles, or brick and catches water that finds its way past the outer layer—a reality that happens to every house eventually. The job looks simple: unroll it, staple it, tape the seams. But the difference between a wrap that actually protects and one that fails comes down to overlap direction, fastener placement, and how you handle the rough edges. Get it right the first time and your walls stay dry for decades. Rush it and you're creating a water trap that will rot framing you can't see.

1. Inspect and measure before you start. Walk the house and inspect the sheathing for gaps, loose boards, or protruding nails. Pound down anything flush or slightly recessed. Measure the height of each wall or section—you'll work horizontally in rows starting at the bottom. Have a helper on hand; house wrap is awkward solo. Begin at a corner and decide whether to start at the sill or run the first course over it slightly so water running down the outside of the wrap drains away from the foundation.
2. Position the first course level. Start at the bottom of a wall section and unroll house wrap horizontally. Let it hang straight down and overlap the sill or foundation by 2 to 3 inches—this lets water shed away from the base. Have your helper hold the roll level and straight. Don't stretch it; it should lie naturally on the sheathing without ripples or sag. Use a level or snap a chalk line if the sheathing is uneven and you need a visual reference.
3. Secure the base course firmly. Starting at one corner, drive staples through the house wrap into the sheathing every 6 to 8 inches along the bottom edge, working toward the far end. Keep the wrap straight and smooth as you go. Once the bottom is secure, staple the top edge of the course the same way. Then run a line of staples down the middle of the roll to prevent billowing. Use 1.5-inch staples and a pneumatic stapler; hand stapling is slow and inconsistent.
4. Layer courses with six-inch overlap. Unroll the next course of wrap above the first, overlapping it by at least 6 inches—more if the wall is tall or exposed to weather. The overlap shingles downward, so water running down the face of the wrap drains over the course below, never underneath. Staple this second course the same way: bottom edge, top edge, then the middle. Check that the overlap is even before fastening the top edge. Repeat this process for the full height of the wall.
5. Seal every window and door. For windows, doors, and rough openings, pull the wrap taut and make an X-cut from corner to corner using a utility knife. Pull the flaps back and staple them to the sheathing around the perimeter of the opening. Trim excess wrap 2 inches beyond the frame. Seal every staple hole, seam, and corner with house-wrap tape, pressing it firmly so no edge curls. Tape around the perimeter of every opening—this is where most water leaks begin.
6. Tape every seam and staple hole. After the entire wall is wrapped, go over every horizontal seam where two courses overlap and every vertical seam at corners or roll breaks. Apply house-wrap tape to both sides of vertical seams if possible. Press the tape firmly into place, smoothing out bubbles with your palm. Tape every staple hole along the top edge of each course—water finds staples like water finds a leak. Don't skip this step; it's what separates a properly wrapped house from one that will fail.
7. Secure corners and seal the top. At inside and outside corners, wrap the house wrap fully around the corner, overlapping at least 6 inches on the perpendicular wall. Trim and fold the excess neatly. At the top, tuck the wrap under the soffit or fascia by 1 to 2 inches if possible, or fold it over the top plate and secure it with staples. Some builders fold the wrap outward over the trim for a cleaner detail; others tuck it behind. Either way, seal the top edge with tape so no water can work in from above.
8. Walk the house and touch up. Walk the house and look for loose wrap, gaps, missing tape, or torn seams. Press down any curling edges and add tape to spots you missed. Pay special attention to seams, corners, and openings—those are the weak points. If you find a tear, cut a patch of house wrap 2 inches larger than the damage on all sides, staple it over the tear, and tape the edges. It takes an hour to inspect properly; it takes months to dry out a wall if you don't.