ZIP wall and Zip roof sheathing systems
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Hi everyone,
I’m looking to get some feedback (pros/cons) of using the Zip wall and roof sheathing systems. Anyone out there have any experiences with it? It seems to be gaining in popularity and wondering if it’s all it’s cracked up to be.
Thanks!
Replies
Just used it on a project here in CT. 10:12 pitch with about 24' rafters
All in, not sure there's any significant time savings compared to your standard 15# felt, lot of seams to tape. Also know that roof sheathing nails do not all penetrate to the same depth. This leaves depressions where the nails penetrate too far, probably not significant if shingled quickly, but that's not happening in our case, so water sitting in nail head depressions not helping the OSB base of the Zip system.
Then there's the issue of keeping the correct tension with the tape dispenser, had some issues with that.
The Zip wall sheets haven't been taped weeks after installation and edges that were butted tight together are swelling and buckling. Not a comment on the Zip system as much as need to tape promptly.
Even all taped up the roof had some leaks, some not that small.
Doesn't seem any less slippery to walk on than plain roof sheathing, and in my personal opinion, slipperier than 15# felt.
I'm not sold on the concept personally.
Let's not confuse the issue with facts!
How much more is the zip roof sheathing compared to a sheet of osb and felt?The concept seems okay, but the idea of taping every seam to insure a water tight installations seems hard. FKA Blue (eyeddevil)
I looked into this a little bit.
The panels were comparable in cost/sf as osb and tyvek but the tape worked out to $7 a sheet if I remember correctly. So you basically doubled your sheathing cost. I couldn't see much advantage in time savings.
My local lumberyard sells zip wall for $10.37 a sheet and zip roof for $14.37 a sheet. One roll of tape is going for $27 and one roll covers approx. seven sheets. So that's about $3.85 a sheet. The tape for roof valleys goes for $42 a roll.
It seems like the wind always picks up when it comes time to tyvek. So the tape has an advantage there.
I can't find my notes but that tape number seems low. Tyvek is around $4 a sheet.
Makes me think I should ask for pricing again. I thought the uniqueness of the look would be some good advertising in the neighborhoods.So a roll is 85'?
There is nothing worse than tyvek in the wind.
Wall and roof tape is 3"x 90'Roof tape is 6"x 90' for valleysEdited 12/6/2007 10:09 pm ET by kltzycrpntr
Edited 12/6/2007 10:10 pm ET by kltzycrpntr
I have never used it.
You need to paper the roof anyway for a valid shingle warranty and how do you handle windows etc. if there is no paper to overlap the flashings?
Makes no sense to me.
gdcarpenter, I have laid shingles over two roofs with the Zip system. It was nice not having to deal with the #15 paper. As far as using the tape gun, it can be a pain to use at first, you just need to rub the tape in if it has bubbles. While I agree that the roof should be taped promptly, your swelling problem probably wasn't due to not taping it immediately. You need to leave a 1/8 gap on all four sides as per installation instructions. It can be slippery if there is saw dust on it. jayzog, you DO NOT have to put down tar paper to keep a valid shingle warranty. Just put down ice and water on the eaves and valleys. And for the windows, tape the flanges with the zip tape, same as you would with tyvek tape.Check out their site and read up on it
http://huberwood.com/main.aspx?pagename=zipsystemrooffaqs&faqCategoryId=103