Secrets to Wood Siding Instillation
Wood Siding Instillation the Secret!
There are many types of wood siding and how to install them vary a little but there is several secrets I will reveal that will make all the difference.
Let's go over some of the types and see what they are: Log Siding (my favorite), lap siding, tong and grove siding, bat and board siding, and several different types of Ship lap. These can be made from many different types of woods but my favorite is Redwood which is a type of cedar and grows in northern California USA. Mahogany is another fine wood but both are very expensive if you can get them at all. The Redwood will last a long, long time but the only draw back is it is a darker colored wood.
So lets be practical the most common is Pine siding and Pondersoa is the most common pine. The next is usually cedar and the most common cedar is Western Redwood or Pencil Cedar both are a lower grade Cedar and now only second growth remains of these which makes them less effective as a quality siding.
These two cedars are a very soft wood and have a very low tanick acid content and when logging them in the woods both will have some rot already started usually in the butt log. When you buy them for siding they can be obtained in all the different styles of siding but take heed if you are buying them because of the tanick acid for longevity it washes out of these two species is just a couple of years. What you have left is soft wood, much softer than pine. But there are other problems with cedars that will up set the apple cart. The Tanick acid fights most paints and will leave a blotchy look some times with stains. Later in a year the paint will have a tendency to bubble or flake off as well.
That reminds me of a situation when I was working for the US Forest Service. We were out cruising trees when we came upon an old shack. At that time we were to report it to our resident archaeologist and not log there. What was so funny was that he reported that it had a cedar shake roof. The old timers never used cedar for shakes but used fire hardened Douglas Fir. They looked at Western Red Cedar as a cull tree not even fit for shingles. Another example, the barn where I grew up had Douglas Fir shakes that lasted over 80 years.
Myself I stick to fir or pine sidings and my favorite is Ponderosa Pine. It is more consistent and has a resinous wood which allows oil based stains and paints to adhere better and soak in making them last a long time. Althoe I do more that most siding installers when it comes to siding if it is planed smothe I will use an orbital sander to break the mill glaze which allows the stains and paints to soak in better. (I can get Timber Flex by Messmers to last up to 12 years in the Willamette Valley.)
When you buy your siding it will usually come kiln dried but ask what moisture contemt. Usually it is 18% or some times 17% moisture content. This is not enough to stop it from shrinking. I usually will sticker the siding so that it has openings on every layer and then put a plastic tent over it using 4 or 6 mil visquene. Then I place a heater with a fan to blow the heated air across the siding and out a small opening at the other end. It will take a week or two to get the siding down to 15% MC. This is very important for the siding to be stable.
Well the horror stories about wood siding.
When I first started doing carpenter work siding was one thing I really liked doing, only the first home I did all wrong. in about a year all the trim was being forced off the corners and windows and I did not realize why. Also it was warping and splitting severely.
What did I do wrong?
THE SECRET, SECRETS TO LOG SIDING INSTILLATION.
The old timers knew about these things and how to install it properly. Can you guise what I did wrong?
3 things, 3 secrets that did not used to be secrets but proper ways to siding instillation.
1: I cut the siding to exact lengths with tight fitting seems. It looked great.
2: I nailed it really good putting two nails top and bottom at each stud. (16" on center)
3: I did not paint all 6 sides before instillation.
All wood sidings must, MUST be painted or stained on the back side and ends before instillation. If you want to warp a board lay it on the ground. the bottom will be wet and the top will have a tendency to dry, this will always warp the board. If you want wood siding to warp after instillation paint just the outside and when moisture gets behind the siding, which it will, it will warp.
Splitting siding is really quite easy just nail it really good top and bottom then when seasonally the siding expands and contracts it will cause it to split. To stop this just nail in one location for lap siding you would nail it just above the lap at the thicker side and just above the top of the siding that it laps over. This will allow the wood to expand and shrink without stressing it, no splitting.
Cutting to length is not allowing for the siding to expand and shrink without pushing the trim off. To do this so that the expansion will not cause problems allow 1/4 inch for every 16 ft of siding and split the gap so there is 1/8 inch at ends then caulk gaps this will allow for the expansion and shrinking.
Well there you have it. the secrets are really not hard to figure out but 98% of the contractors in the USA still put wood siding on wrong.
Another simple thing to do is cut a piece of felt paper about 5" wide and a little taller than the siding and place it behind each splice with the bottom of the felt over the top of the siding below. This will allow the water to run to the outside and not behind the siding.
Also if you really want a good professional job put felt paper on the wall behind the log siding not Tyvek or the other modern house wraps.
Always use z metal flashing above window trims with the building paper lapping over the flashing so the water runs out.
Thanks for taking the time to learn some important things about wood siding.
There will also be many more E books coming about: log homes, how to pick a good log home, the safest home on the market, which homes are really energy efficient, why a log home can be as inexpensive as a standard constructed home, and many more great topics.
If you have a question just E mail me at: telh101@aol.com
Have a great day,
Log Man Dan
There are many types of wood siding and how to install them vary a little but there is several secrets I will reveal that will make all the difference.
Let's go over some of the types and see what they are: Log Siding (my favorite), lap siding, tong and grove siding, bat and board siding, and several different types of Ship lap. These can be made from many different types of woods but my favorite is Redwood which is a type of cedar and grows in northern California USA. Mahogany is another fine wood but both are very expensive if you can get them at all. The Redwood will last a long, long time but the only draw back is it is a darker colored wood.
So lets be practical the most common is Pine siding and Pondersoa is the most common pine. The next is usually cedar and the most common cedar is Western Redwood or Pencil Cedar both are a lower grade Cedar and now only second growth remains of these which makes them less effective as a quality siding.
These two cedars are a very soft wood and have a very low tanick acid content and when logging them in the woods both will have some rot already started usually in the butt log. When you buy them for siding they can be obtained in all the different styles of siding but take heed if you are buying them because of the tanick acid for longevity it washes out of these two species is just a couple of years. What you have left is soft wood, much softer than pine. But there are other problems with cedars that will up set the apple cart. The Tanick acid fights most paints and will leave a blotchy look some times with stains. Later in a year the paint will have a tendency to bubble or flake off as well.
That reminds me of a situation when I was working for the US Forest Service. We were out cruising trees when we came upon an old shack. At that time we were to report it to our resident archaeologist and not log there. What was so funny was that he reported that it had a cedar shake roof. The old timers never used cedar for shakes but used fire hardened Douglas Fir. They looked at Western Red Cedar as a cull tree not even fit for shingles. Another example, the barn where I grew up had Douglas Fir shakes that lasted over 80 years.
Myself I stick to fir or pine sidings and my favorite is Ponderosa Pine. It is more consistent and has a resinous wood which allows oil based stains and paints to adhere better and soak in making them last a long time. Althoe I do more that most siding installers when it comes to siding if it is planed smothe I will use an orbital sander to break the mill glaze which allows the stains and paints to soak in better. (I can get Timber Flex by Messmers to last up to 12 years in the Willamette Valley.)
When you buy your siding it will usually come kiln dried but ask what moisture contemt. Usually it is 18% or some times 17% moisture content. This is not enough to stop it from shrinking. I usually will sticker the siding so that it has openings on every layer and then put a plastic tent over it using 4 or 6 mil visquene. Then I place a heater with a fan to blow the heated air across the siding and out a small opening at the other end. It will take a week or two to get the siding down to 15% MC. This is very important for the siding to be stable.
Well the horror stories about wood siding.
When I first started doing carpenter work siding was one thing I really liked doing, only the first home I did all wrong. in about a year all the trim was being forced off the corners and windows and I did not realize why. Also it was warping and splitting severely.
What did I do wrong?
THE SECRET, SECRETS TO LOG SIDING INSTILLATION.
The old timers knew about these things and how to install it properly. Can you guise what I did wrong?
3 things, 3 secrets that did not used to be secrets but proper ways to siding instillation.
1: I cut the siding to exact lengths with tight fitting seems. It looked great.
2: I nailed it really good putting two nails top and bottom at each stud. (16" on center)
3: I did not paint all 6 sides before instillation.
All wood sidings must, MUST be painted or stained on the back side and ends before instillation. If you want to warp a board lay it on the ground. the bottom will be wet and the top will have a tendency to dry, this will always warp the board. If you want wood siding to warp after instillation paint just the outside and when moisture gets behind the siding, which it will, it will warp.
Splitting siding is really quite easy just nail it really good top and bottom then when seasonally the siding expands and contracts it will cause it to split. To stop this just nail in one location for lap siding you would nail it just above the lap at the thicker side and just above the top of the siding that it laps over. This will allow the wood to expand and shrink without stressing it, no splitting.
Cutting to length is not allowing for the siding to expand and shrink without pushing the trim off. To do this so that the expansion will not cause problems allow 1/4 inch for every 16 ft of siding and split the gap so there is 1/8 inch at ends then caulk gaps this will allow for the expansion and shrinking.
Well there you have it. the secrets are really not hard to figure out but 98% of the contractors in the USA still put wood siding on wrong.
Another simple thing to do is cut a piece of felt paper about 5" wide and a little taller than the siding and place it behind each splice with the bottom of the felt over the top of the siding below. This will allow the water to run to the outside and not behind the siding.
Also if you really want a good professional job put felt paper on the wall behind the log siding not Tyvek or the other modern house wraps.
Always use z metal flashing above window trims with the building paper lapping over the flashing so the water runs out.
Thanks for taking the time to learn some important things about wood siding.
There will also be many more E books coming about: log homes, how to pick a good log home, the safest home on the market, which homes are really energy efficient, why a log home can be as inexpensive as a standard constructed home, and many more great topics.
If you have a question just E mail me at: telh101@aol.com
Have a great day,
Log Man Dan
posted by Log Man Dan | 9:13 PM
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