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Does the hook nail left behind the siding hurt the housewrap?

Each hook leaves one nail behind the panel. Here is what the housewrap and siding makers actually say about nails through the wrap.

Section drawing: panel siding over housewrap and sub sheeting, siding nails through the wrap into the stud, and the EZpanl hook nail driven in flush behind the sheet

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Short answer

The hook nail goes through the housewrap the same way every siding nail does. Each EZpanl hook hangs on one 8d sinker nail. Once the sheet is fastened, the hook taps up off that nail and a block of wood drives the nail in behind the siding. DuPont lists cladding fasteners as an accepted way to attach Tyvek, so the wrap is expected to carry nails through it. The hook adds one nail per hook, and the sheet covers it.

Tyvek is built for siding nails

Siding nails go through the housewrap on every job, and DuPont plans for it. Its Single-Family User’s Bulletin lists cladding fasteners as an accepted way to attach Tyvek and refers to them as “the permanent fasteners.” A flush nail left behind the siding is the same situation.

One more nail among dozens

Take LP SmartSide panel siding as an example. Its instructions call for nails at 6 in. max around the perimeter and 12 in. max in the field. A 4x8 sheet on 16 in. studs takes about 50 nails, and every one of them passes through the housewrap. Each hook adds one. Your own panel’s schedule governs; see how to read a panel nailing schedule.

The sheet covers it

The hook nail ends up behind the installed panel, like every other fastener on the wall. LP describes the housewrap as “a second line of defense to incidental moisture behind the siding.” The siding is the first.

What we do not claim

We do not say housewrap seals itself around a nail, and DuPont’s documents do not say it either. DuPont recommends cap fasteners for attaching the wrap itself because they reduce water and air leakage at fastening points. The hook nail is not a substitute for those. For where the hook nail goes in the first place, see where the hook’s own nail goes.

Related guides

Sources reviewed 2026-10-05: DuPont, Single-Family User’s Bulletin for Installation of DuPont Building Envelope Solutions Products, 43-D100855-enNA-0921 (September 2021), Fastening section; LP Building Solutions, LP SmartSide Strand Substrate Panel Siding Application Instructions (38, 76 and 190 Series), Secondary Water-Resistive Barrier and Figure 3. Your housewrap and siding manufacturers’ current printed instructions govern. DuPont and Tyvek are trademarks of DuPont de Nemours, Inc. EZpanl is not affiliated with DuPont or LP. Safety & liability.