My house was built in the 60s and doesn't have normal plywood sheathing. It has that old sheet-rock-like sheathing (it's black, I think it is exterior gypsum). Basically the walls (right now) go, exterior gypsum > tar paper like stuff > foam board > vinyl siding.
I am not re-sheathing the house, so I am unsure if a house wrap is needed when re-siding. I'm hiring a company to do the siding and the owner said it wasn't necessary to install a house wrap, I was hoping to verify that with someone who knows siding.
Best Answer
Building wrap is used as an infiltration barrier. Before materials like Tyvek were widely available, tar paper was used as appears to be the case with your home.
Materials like Tyvek superseded tar paper because their lighter weight allows wider rolls and thus more efficient installation. But tar paper is fine. As with building wrap, proper installation is more important than differences among suitable materials.