Siding panels – spectacular design facade of the house. Thanks to modern technologies this finishing material can imitate almost any surface - stone, wood, brick. The popularity of such decorative panels due to its low cost, as well as excellent quality characteristics. You can install the siding yourself. This does not require any special skills. Just use the instructions below for installing siding with your own hands for dummies.
The sequence of work when installing siding is almost always the same. Here are the main stages of arranging the facade of a house using this technology:
- Installation of decorative panels always begins with the installation of a starting profile. Later it will be completely hidden by the first plate. If the starting profile is not fixed level, then subsequent panels will lie unevenly on the wall, so you need to constantly monitor the correct installation.
- Each siding plate is equipped with a special lock, with which it is fixed to the previous one. There is perforation at the top of the panel. It is through these holes that the plate is fastened.
- After the wall is completely assembled, the work must be completed by installing the finishing strip.
When installing siding, you should take into account possible linear expansion and contraction of the material due to temperature changes. To prevent the panels from bursting when weather conditions change, it is necessary to create temperature gaps. Siding should not be inserted tightly into vertical and corner strips. The head of the screw/nail that secures the plate should not press it tightly against the frame. The panel should be fastened in the middle of the perforation hole, which will ensure its mobility when temperatures change.
There are no specific rules at what temperature to install siding. It is advisable that the temperature outside is at least minus 10 degrees. But the size of the temperature gaps depends on the time of year in which the installation is carried out. In summer, the side gap should be about 10 mm; in winter, it should be increased to 12 mm.
Rules for installing vinyl siding yourself
Installation of any siding begins with the assembly of the frame. It can be vertical or horizontal. Most often, a vertical frame is suitable for panels such as shiplap or blockhouse.
Arrangement of a vertical frame
First, a vertical line is drawn at the corner of the house using a building level and prepared plumb lines. Holes are drilled along the line at equal distances on both sides for attaching hangers or mounting brackets into which the metal profile is installed. Next, the same guide is attached to the opposite corner of the wall and a construction cord is stretched between them. Adhering to the given level, the remaining guides are attached in increments of no more than 40-50 cm.
It is necessary to additionally install frames made of profiles around windows and doors. In these places, near-window strips or casing will be attached. Additionally, reinforcement of the frame will be required in those places where it is planned to install lighting lamps or a split-system motor unit in the future.
Panel assembly
Once the frame is completed, you can begin the sheathing process. Panels from different manufacturers have various designs additional elements and fixing locks. But instructions for connecting them are usually included with the vinyl siding. However, there are general principles panel fastening:
- corner profiles are attached strictly vertically;
- fix the siding panels starting from the middle to the edges;
- When attaching the plates, the self-tapping screws or self-tapping screws are not tightened to the very end.
Helpful advice! To get a gap between the screw and the siding plate, screw it until it stops and then unscrew it one turn.
Assembly begins with the installation of starting and corner strips. Ordinary vinyl panels are subsequently inserted into them. Since corner strips are quite flexible, they can be used to create both obtuse and sharp corners. To obtain an obtuse angle, the bar is pressed down a little, and for an acute angle, it is compressed.
A special H-connector is provided for joining row panels. It is necessary when the length of the plate is not enough to completely cover the wall. You can do without using this element. Then the plates are screwed together with an overlap.
Rules for installing metal siding: instructions
The principle of covering a facade with metal siding is the same as with vinyl siding. For installation you will need:
- internal and external corners;
- starting rail;
- connection profile;
- finishing rail;
- platbands.
Installation of metal siding begins from the corner of the building. The first row of panels is attached to the starting rail with a bottom lock. The following rows are secured with the lock of the previous row. This is how the entire wall is gradually covered. The top row is fixed with a finishing strip.
Helpful advice! If during installation it is necessary to lengthen the corner strips, then top part should be mounted on the bottom with an overlap of 2-2.5 cm.
Installation instructions for basement siding
To install basement siding, you will also need to install sheathing. It is performed by creating the same frame as for the walls. If there is no concrete or tile covering around the house, then the lower ends do not reach the ground by about 7-10 cm. Additionally, before you begin installing the basement siding, you need to check how level the foundation is. To do this, measure the height of the base along the entire perimeter. If the height is the same everywhere, then a starting profile can be used for cladding. But if there are significant differences, then you will have to trim the very first panel.
Usually the sides of the plinth panels are stepped, so the protruding parts near the corners will have to be cut off. A straight edge must be inserted into the corner profile. It is also necessary to match the size of the panels and their number from the long wall in advance. The final plate should not be less than 20 cm. The final touch can be considered the fastening of the J-profile around the entire perimeter of the base. It is necessary to protect against moisture.
Photo instructions for installing siding
There are already quite a few, including on this site. The material is practical, relatively inexpensive, absolutely accessible. After the purchase, the following question immediately arises: should I entrust the sheathing to an invited craftsman, or should I do it myself? The first option is preferable if there is excess money. If there is none, you will have to install the siding yourself. Video instructions (and more than one) will help any novice builder master this process.
Preparation
Before you begin directly installing the siding, you must whole line preparatory work. This will take some time, but will ensure comfortable work and eliminate errors. What activities should be included in the preparatory phase?
- Workplace design. The space around the house along the perimeter should be cleared; it is advisable to install a workbench for marking and cutting material.
- A prerequisite is that the house must already shrink, the resulting cracks must be hidden under facade plaster, the video instructions below show this process.
- If an old building is being clad, it is necessary to dismantle the existing casing, problem areas(mold, rot) are treated with an antiseptic, painted or removed. Seams and chips can be treated with sealant.
- Next, we must remember that no surface can be perfectly flat. There will inevitably be depressions, protrusions, and general deviations from the vertical and horizontal. All these flaws will have to be eliminated. Somewhere cut a piece of reinforcement, somewhere a piece of a nail.
- The next stage of installing siding with your own hands is stuffing the sheathing. It can be of two types: wooden bars or metal profiles. The distance between the supporting elements is 350-400 mm.
- Insulation is placed in the spaces between them ( basalt wool, extruded or expanded polystyrene foam).
Only after this can we say that preparatory work finished, and the siding itself can be installed. However, we remember that there are at least three types of this finishing material on sale (vinyl, metal and base). Each of them has some features and installation secrets. It's time to clearly see what they are.
Video instructions - do-it-yourself metal siding installation
This video shows how an ordinary white brick you can “dress” it in a cute outfit. Installation demonstrated wooden sheathing, the process of insulation, laying metal siding.
In this video, metal profiles are attached to a wooden base.
Finally, this video contains specific instructions on how to properly attach metal structures, how to install metal siding yourself, how to go around windows, etc.
Some practical advice. The installation pitch is 350-400 mm. The panels should move slightly freely on the screws.
Video instructions - DIY vinyl siding installation
Very detailed instructions by plating vinyl siding.
The lath fastening, sealing, geometry of hardware, the DIY installation process, permissible gaps, type of components, and around corners are clearly shown.
This video demonstrates how vinyl siding can be used to turn a nondescript house into a "candy house."
If something is not clear after viewing, here is a short algorithm for installing siding.
- First, technical elements are installed: starting strip, butt H-planks, J-profiles for window decoration, corner elements. In this case, the starting strip must be 5 mm higher than the lower edge of the corner profile.
- Fastening elements - galvanized nails or self-tapping screws.
- The “corners” first move freely on the upper hardware.
- All screws are not tightened until they stop by 1 turn to compensate for thermal expansion.
- After connecting the siding panels into a lock, you simply press them to the base and secure them.
From a huge variety of finishing wall materials siding is distinguished by the simplicity of its operations in terms of its installation on facades. Regardless of the raw materials from which this material is made, installing siding with your own hands is a real process because it is universal. That is, whether it is vinyl siding, metal, wood or fiber cement mortar, it is mounted on the sheathing. So the most important thing is to install it correctly on the wall. frame structure.
There are several options, a regular hacksaw, a circular saw, hand scissors and a sharp knife.
If you are using circular saw, make sure the disc has fine teeth. If you are cutting vinyl siding, the saw needs to be set in the opposite direction; any other type of siding can only be cut in the forward direction. Using scissors, you can cut out elements of any shape and size. It is best to carry out cutting with safety glasses and start cutting from the fastening part upwards.
Frame for siding
The frame can be assembled either from wooden blocks or from a metal profile, which is used to install plasterboard sheets. Today, some siding manufacturers offer ready-made frame elements that are sold complete with cladding.
The question of which frame is better: wooden or metal is asked by many novice home craftsmen.
Installation of sheathing
Before installing the sheathing to the wall, you need to prepare it.
Wall insulation
For a facade that is covered with siding, it is best to use slab thermal insulation material. This is mineral wool or polystyrene foam. The main thing is to accurately select the insulation thickness. For middle zone For Russia, a thermal insulation layer thickness of 50-60 mm is suitable. Mineral wool and polystyrene foam boards are on sale.
If a house is insulated and covered with siding in the northern region, then the thermal insulation layer must be at least 100 mm. And here there is a difficulty, because the antennae of direct suspensions have a mounting length of 80 mm. That is, the insulation is thicker. In this case, proceed as follows:
- wooden blocks with a cross section of 50x50 mm are installed vertically on the walls along the marked lines, which are not aligned vertically;
- and then direct hangers are installed on them and attached to them with wood screws.
There is a simpler and better option - a short block of the same cross-section is installed under each suspension, which is pre-attached to the wall. And already there is a suspension for it. This is how the distance from the cladding to the wall surface increases, where an insulating layer with a thickness of even 130 mm will fit.
As for installing the insulation, through cuts are made in each slab with a knife so that the antennae of the hangers can squeeze through them. Therefore, it is very important to accurately determine the locations of the cuts.
Attention! Do large holes It is not possible for direct hangers. This will reduce both the strength and thermal characteristics of the insulation.
The slabs themselves must be laid tightly to each other so that gaps do not form between them. If any cracks still remain, they must be filled with foam sealant. This is foam in a can, but not mounting foam. It does not expand in volume in air.
Continuation of frame assembly
A profile is mounted in one corner of the facade. It is leveled vertically using a level and attached to the suspension antennae with special self-tapping screws, which craftsmen call bugs or seeds. Now four or five strong threads are tied to the profile, which are pulled to the opposite corner of the house. Here, each thread is aligned horizontally, having previously been attached to a self-tapping screw screwed into the wall. That is, the threads should form a plane that is even both vertically and horizontally.
First, a corner profile is installed along them, attaching it to the hangers, then the rest are intermediate. Be sure to install profiles around the perimeter of window and door openings.
Siding assembly
Do-it-yourself siding installation continues. We move on to the last stage - cladding. Despite the apparent simplicity of the process, there are several important nuances that affect the quality of the final result. Therefore, we need to pay special attention to them.
Installing Starter Guide Bars
This cladding element must be installed perfectly horizontally. Therefore, a self-tapping screw is temporarily screwed onto the corner rail, at a distance of 5 mm from its lower edge. A strong thread is tied to it, which is pulled to the opposite corner of the building. Place it horizontally and at this level, on the corner profile, also screw in a self-tapping screw, to which the free end of the thread is tied.
Attention!If all the facade walls of the house are covered with siding, then all the self-tapping screws screwed into the corner elements of the sheathing are tied with one thread around the perimeter.
Now you need to attach the corner profile of the siding to the corner of the house and mark their edges on the frame according to the level of the tensioned thread. Marks are made with a pencil or marker.
Next, you need to retreat 6 mm horizontally from the edge of the corner profile, install the starting strip below the thread, but with its upper edge exactly along it, and fasten it to the sheathing elements. Then the remaining thread guides are installed. The main thing is to leave a gap of 1 cm between adjacent planks, which is compensatory. That is, it allows you to expand plastic products under the influence of rising temperature, without touching each other.
There is another option, in which the gap between the corner profile and the starting strip is formed by cutting off the nail (mounting) shelves. In which holes are made for fastening. They are simply cut to the width of the starting profile, and the latter is installed closer to the corner elements, but with a gap equal to the width of the mounting shelf.
Installation of corner profile
There are no difficulties here, you just need to pay attention to two important points:
- The lower edge of the corner strip should be 5-6 mm below the starting profile.
- The top edge should not reach the soffits or other cornice cladding by 3-4 mm.
And so the corner profile is applied to the corner of the building and fastened with self-tapping screws to the sheathing of two walls. The main thing is to align the corner exactly vertically.
The standard length of the corner strips is 3 m. If the height of the wall is higher than this parameter, then you will have to install two or three elements. They are installed overlapping relative to each other with an offset of 2.5-3.0 cm. The top one is laid on top of the bottom one. In this case, the mounting flanges of the upper element are cut to a length of 3 cm. Be sure to leave a compensation gap of 8-10 mm between the mounting flanges of the two planks.
If the house structure has internal façade corners, then special corner profiles are used for them. Their installation is carried out in exactly the same way as external corners.
How to get around windows and doors - breaking off doorways
There shouldn't be any difficulties with openings. To decorate them, they use either special platbands, which many siding manufacturers offer today, or starting profiles. Their length is 3 m, so that with one element you can close both the window and door opening. That is, there is no need to connect anything to each other.
The side elements are aligned vertically, the top and bottom horizontally. The main thing is that the top plank should overlap the side ones so that precipitation does not flood under the cladding.
If windows and doors are not located in the same plane of the wall, that is, they are recessed into the facade, then a special corner element is used to frame them. That's what it's called - window. To do this, a finishing profile is installed around the perimeter of the window close to the frames. The tenon of the corner element will be inserted into its groove. And the corner itself is attached with self-tapping screws to the metal frame profiles that were installed around the perimeter of the opening.
Let us add that the width of the corner shelves on the market is represented by several dimensional parameters. This is done to make it convenient to select an element depending on the seating depth of the window or door.
Siding installation step by step instructions
Installing siding with your own hands is the simplest process of all those described above. You need to start from the corner of the house. The panel is inserted with the side edge into the corner element, and the bottom into the starting strip. Don't be lazy to check it for horizontalness.
Fastening is done with self-tapping screws along the sheathing elements. The length of the siding varies in the range of 2.5-4 m, so one panel may not cover the length of the wall. Therefore, they are joined together with a special profile. It is called the H-profile. Its design has two grooves on different sides, into which two adjacent siding panels fit. The H-profile itself is attached to the frame in the same way as the corner one. By the way, its installation is carried out before the installation of siding panels begins.
In this way, all rows are assembled to the last. In this case, every third row must be checked for horizontalness.
Now, regarding the installation of the last row. Firstly, a finishing J-profile is installed near the roof overhang cladding with an indentation of 3 mm. Secondly, the distance from it to the edge of the penultimate siding panel is measured. It’s good if this distance is equal to the width of the siding. That is, the panel fit exactly, covering free space walls. If the size is smaller than the width of the panel, then it is transferred to the siding, the upper part with the mounting shelf is cut to this value.
So-called hooks are made along the upper trimmed edge. Essentially, these are cuts across the length of the panel, 2-3 cm long and 2-3 cm wide. The pitch of the hooks is 20 cm. The cut strips are bent outward. Their purpose is to fit into the groove of the finishing strip and push it apart to create a tight connection.
Installation of the pediment
We follow the installation analogy wall panels, consider margins from the edge of 9 mm in warm weather and 6 mm in cold weather. installation is carried out around the perimeter, all fasteners are installed in the center of the holes. We attach the last upper element at the top of the hole. For cladding, we will use an internal profile or a starter profile.
Take them into account and strictly adhere to them.
- It is best to lay siding from left to right, from bottom to top.
- The self-tapping screws are screwed in strictly in the middle of the mounting groove perpendicular to the sheathing elements.
- Do not tighten the fasteners too much. It is necessary to leave a small gap in case of thermal expansion of the material.
- If nails are used as fasteners rather than self-tapping screws, then you need to purchase galvanized fasteners.
- Fiber cement siding is attached to the frame with clamps.
- If it is finished with siding wooden frame, then you need to give time (at least six months) for the house to shrink.
Video - instructions for installing siding yourself
Conclusion on the topic
So, do-it-yourself siding installation ( step-by-step instruction thoroughly disassembled) – this is not the most complex process in the category facade finishing. The main task is to correctly assemble the frame structure and strictly adhere to the nuances that were discussed above. If you follow the proposed instructions, you can be confident in the high quality of the final result.
If you want to quickly, beautifully and inexpensively decorate the facade of your house, you will most likely decide to use siding. These are far from those frankly plastic thin boards with an unpleasant shine. Modern siding imitates different textures of traditional finishing materials: stone, brick, wood. All surfaces look quite authentic. If it is a torn stone, then the color and surface are very similar. The brick panels even have uneven coloring that is natural for this material, cracks and chips are pressed in and traced. The texture of the wood is also conveyed quite accurately. Not in all materials, but in many. It is produced today using at least five different materials and lots of technology. Another important advantage of this material is that installing siding with your own hands is not a super-complicated task, accessible to anyone who is able to hold a hammer.
Types of siding for cladding a house
Let's start with the fact that it is produced from different materials: based on polymers, wood, metal and their combinations. Here are the main types that are used for external cladding houses:
- Polymer:
- vinyl;
- acrylic;
- Metal siding:
- aluminum;
- galvanized iron;
- Fiber cement;
- WPC is a wood-polymer composite.
Polymeric
The first polymer siding we had was vinyl siding - made from polyvinyl chloride, which is abbreviated as PVC. Today it also exists and has the lowest prices, and in appearance it is already significantly different from the first samples. It has become much more attractive, there is not only a smooth one - with an imitation of the surface of wood - it is also called “log siding”. This is if it is semicircular in cross-section. There is one that follows the profile of the timber. So you can cover the house with timber siding. Some of the profiles and colors can be seen in the photo gallery.
This house is finished with log siding (acrylic or vinyl - unknown) This is vinyl siding imitating a log - different colors From a distance it looks like a log, but up close, of course, it's not very good PVC siding - imitation of a log This is vinyl siding, which is called "herringbone" for its characteristic profile. Its surface can imitate wood, and its color can be almost any. It's just that some are hard to find. It's just a smooth color - a small part of the palette.
The second polymer siding is acrylic. It costs about 50% more than vinyl, but this is justified: it has best characteristics, many people like the look better. What are its advantages? It is more plastic, thanks to which it can withstand heavy loads and crack less in the cold (vinyl when sub-zero temperatures becomes brittle). The operating temperature range of acrylic is from -50°C to +50°C, acrylic can be heated to +85°C without loss operational properties. And one more thing: acrylic fades less, although it all depends on the quality of the pigment. All these features are reflected in the warranty period: manufacturers provide a 25-year guarantee for imported vinyl siding (5-7 for ours), and 50 years for acrylic siding (about 10 for ours). Externally, acrylic is almost no different from vinyl, so there is no point in publishing similar drawings.
This is all we were talking about traditional siding, which is produced in the form of long strips (the thickness of the polymer wall, by the way, is from 0.8 to 1.2 mm). But there is also a base version, which has the form of sheets with uneven edges (for better joining). It is also called facade panels. It very reliably imitates stone or brickwork, as well as some types of wooden coverings - wood chips, for example. See some samples of basement siding in the photo gallery.
The simple geometry of the house emphasizes the “naturalness” of the finish. Cladding the entire house with basement siding - quick way exterior finishing Clinker tiles with jointing - if you want, you can do something like this Shades - from light, almost white, to dark
This type of siding is more expensive, but stronger - the wall thickness is 2-3 mm, depending on the manufacturer. Some reinforce the slabs to give greater rigidity: to make the finish more durable. The guarantee is from 25 to 50 years, the temperature range depends on the material, because these facade slabs are also made of vinyl or acrylic. In any case, they add more titanium, which makes it more flexible and therefore does not break even in cold weather. It is titanium that largely influences the price: the more it is, the more durable the polymer becomes.
When finishing, it is important to remember that polymers have different size. Therefore, when installing the siding, it is imperative to leave gaps that compensate for these changes.
You can read about the installation of basement siding in the article ““.
Metal siding
This type of finishing material is made from thin metal- galvanized steel or thin aluminum. Aluminum is more durable, but also much more expensive. When producing metal siding, a whole “pie” of protective and finishing layers is rolled onto a sheet of steel 0.4-0.5 mm thick to protect against rust, the main one of which is zinc. The last one is paint or polymer coating. Metal siding with a polymer coating is more expensive, but it also has a longer service life and fades less.
It is clear that metal is more durable than plastic, but only if protective covering not broken. Therefore, when cutting siding on a metal base, you cannot use a grinder: the cutting area gets very hot, and they burn out. protective films. Subsequently, this is where corrosion begins. For the same reason, during installation it is attached to galvanized screws: they are guaranteed not to scratch the coating.
One of the features is that metal siding has significant weight, so it must be taken into account when calculating the foundation. If you wanted to sheathe an old house metal siding, this is only possible if the foundation has a safety margin. If not, you will have to strengthen it. More important nuance: since metal conducts heat well, the house needs to be well insulated (installed only with insulation).
Fiber cement siding
This finishing material is made from a mixture of sand and cement, to which fiber fiber is added for reinforcement. Siding or slabs are formed from this composition. The technology was invented in Japan, which is why this siding is also called “Japanese”.
The advantages of this material include its non-flammability or low flammability if the front side is painted. This material does not react to temperature changes, is not afraid of ultraviolet radiation (the material itself, not the coating), and does not change its properties when frozen. But since they consist of cement, they absorb water, and they also have a significant weight. Therefore, if you are going to cover the outside of the house with fiber cement siding, its weight must also be taken into account when calculating the foundation. When designing a wall pie, care must be taken to ensure that the façade is ventilated: there must be an air gap between the cladding and the wall of the house.
This house is clad in fiber cement panels. Brick is one of my favorite patterns: installing siding is much faster, and the results are excellent.
Another feature of this material is that the colors that you see in the photo above are the result of dyeing. It is applied after the slabs are formed. The paint penetrates quite deeply and manufacturers guarantee paint durability for 10 years. But then you will have to update it: take a brush or roller and paint.
WPC siding - wood-polymer composite
Wood siding or WPC is made from wood flour mixed with polymer. Not only does it look like wood, but it also smells like wood. The tactile sensations are very similar. Unlike fiber cement, WPC is colored to its full depth: pigment is added to the mass before molding begins. There is thermal expansion - about 3 mm per meter, the color of the posts, the strength is high - decking is made from the same material - terrace board, so people have been trampling on it for years. By the way, you can also sheathe a house with it.
Among the disadvantages of this material: a fairly high price - from 850 to 2000 rubles per square meter, not a very large palette of colors, lack of additional elements and proven installation technology. The material is new, all the flaws come from this. But they are forgotten when the material is seen in person: it looks very attractive and is very similar to wood. The photo gallery contains photos from dachas and houses under construction, not advertising ones. So you can appreciate the real look.
Another angle. You can see how they are attached - to the sheathing with a perforated tape no less than 0.8 mm thick. As you can see, the walls of the WPC siding are thick. But the board was nailed on the wrong side - the owner liked the back side better. And on the front - three narrow boards are formed “like a lining”
Since the material is new, there are few reviews, but those that exist are positive. For example, this: “Two years have passed, the color holds, no cracks, no deformations.” Region - Moscow and Samara.
How to choose siding for cladding a house
Once you have decided on the type of siding that you will use to cover your house, you must not make a mistake with the manufacturer. You will need to carefully inspect the products and check the following points:
- Uniformity of color. If the color is smooth, there should be no changes or foreign inclusions either on the back or on the front.
- Uniform wall thickness. Examine several boards in profile. The thickness of the partitions should be the same. Nodules or holes, even on inside, is a sign of poor quality.
- Inspect the mounting holes. They should have smooth edges, without burrs.
- Smooth longitudinal edges of the locks, no deformation in any plane.
If everything is fine, you can buy.
DIY installation instructions
Despite the fact that siding is made from different materials, the principle of its installation is the same: on a flat surface. In some cases it may be a flat wall, but mostly it is on a lathing.
Procedure
Do-it-yourself siding installation begins with checking the condition of the walls. If the house is new, no special action is required. If it’s old, everything that could subsequently fall off is removed: poorly adhering tiles, pieces of plaster. If there is old trim that can be easily removed, it is advisable to dismantle it. Also filmed decorative elements- lamps, window and door cladding, etc., roof overhangs are dismantled. They will then be installed in place after the finishing work is completed.
After this, siding installation is carried out independently in the following sequence:
Actually, all the siding on the house is complete. Some points require clarification. About them - below with photos and video explanations and instructions.
Lathing
For any type, you can use 50*50 mm wooden blocks or a galvanized profile for external use. For heavier materials, such as fiber cement or WPC, you can use fasteners for facade systems. It is, of course, expensive, but it is convenient to work with.
If the siding sheathing is made of wood, the bars must be treated with bioprotective impregnations: so that fungi and mold do not multiply. The walls of wooden or frame house before finishing.
The pitch of the sheathing is indicated by the manufacturer, but often it is also determined by the geometry of the house: if there are a lot of broken lines, the sheathing will have to be done more often. It must be installed:
Depending on the installation method, vinyl, acrylic and metal siding can be horizontal or vertical. Depending on the direction of laying the finishing board, the sheathing is nailed in a perpendicular direction: if the boards are nailed vertically, the sheathing is nailed horizontally and vice versa.
As already mentioned, the standard for wooden sheathing under siding is 50*50 mm timber. But if installation with insulation is planned, the thickness of the block should be greater: it depends on the required thickness of the insulation. In this case, the block should be 2-3 cm wider than the insulation. This is a ventilation gap that will help maintain normal humidity in the house and in all layers of finishing.
Wood sheathing for siding does not raise any questions: almost everyone knows how to work with wood, but not everyone understands how to make sheathing from profiles. For clarifications and tips on how to attach the sheathing profile to the wall, see the video.
Do-it-yourself siding installation with insulation
Traditional insulation for siding is used: polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam (extruded or not), mineral wool. For wooden houses Mineral wool is most often used: for low cost she has good characteristics and does not interfere with the removal of excess moisture from the house, and this is important if you are planning to sheathe wooden house. When covering a brick house or a house made of foam blocks or building blocks with siding, you can also use polystyrene foam: the walls are not very “breathable” and the same insulation paired with them will work fine.
It is not advisable to cover a wooden house without sheathing with siding. Even if the walls are even. Condensation will form on the inner surface of the sheathing: steam passes through the wooden wall and settles on a cooler surface. The humidity in this gap will be high: there is no ventilation gap, evaporation is poor. Conditions are created for rapid destruction of wood.
Because in any case wooden surface the sheathing is stuffed. If the sheathing has insulation, it is installed and secured between its strips. They are laid very tightly, with force, so that there are no cracks near the sheathing strips - cold bridges. If there is more than one layer, it is laid so that the seams of the bottom row are covered by the top one, possibly in different directions (see the picture).
On top there is a windproof, vapor-permeable membrane. Pay attention to this material: it determines how long your insulation will “live.” Not a plastic film, but a membrane that does not trap water vapor inside (water vapor can escape from the insulation), while simultaneously protecting against moisture penetration from the outside (precipitation and condensation cannot get inside). On top of it is a counter-lattice, which will create a ventilated gap. Boards or panels are already attached to the counter-batten.
In this case, as you understand, the counter-lattice should be located perpendicular to the direction of laying the siding. Therefore, the first one is stamped in the same direction as the sading.
How siding is attached
Main problems with exterior decoration houses with siding are associated with a violation of installation technology. Therefore, it is necessary to treat this very carefully and strictly follow the recommendations. Manufacturers may have a different set of additional elements - profiles for joining planks and decorating openings - but the installation is the same:
There are requirements for the type and size of fasteners:
- The use of screws or nails is allowed.
- The fastener head must have a size of at least 8 mm (diameter 4 mm). For self-tapping screws, it should be round, not flat.
- The thickness of the rod is 3 mm.
When installing metal lading, it is recommended to use galvanized fasteners: it will not damage the zinc protective coating. For other types of self-tapping screws, it is better to use white, not black: they can withstand heavy loads (the head of black ones often breaks when twisted).
This is true for this material of any kind: vinyl, acrylic, and metal must be properly secured. Watch the video to see what violations during installation lead to.
Video installation instructions
The technology of covering with vinyl or acrylic siding is described in detail in this video. We are talking about how and in what order to install profiles, how to mount and join external and internal corners. The process of covering a window with siding is described in detail.
Installation of facade siding is not much different. Is it just because the sheathing is required “in a cage”. Otherwise, everything is the same: we install the screws in the center of the mounting holes, do not tighten them.
Eat small features in the joining of elements. There are stops on the back of the panels that prevent the panel from moving further. When installing siding under stone or brick, you must not miss this point: the stops may break under strong pressure. The features of installation are well described in the advertising and training video of the German manufacturer Docke (Dock or Deck).
To see how a large wooden house was covered with vinyl siding to look like stone, see the following video. This is no longer a commercial, but an experience: laying siding with your own hands was done for the first time. What happened and what the sensations are - look.
In this article I want to talk about how to install siding with your own hands. I’ll tell you why the house was sheathed with siding and not with another material. I will give examples possible errors during siding with your own hands and how to avoid them. As a result, this article can become for people planning to install siding installation instructions from the selection and calculation of siding panels to the final installation of siding.
Introduction
It has been 15 years since the construction of my house was completed. The house is built of timber, the inside walls of the house are covered with fiberboard, and the façade of the house is covered with clapboard. I live on the eastern coast of Kamchatka, where winter lasts at least 5 months.
During this time, the outer sides of the walls of the house in winter were exposed to frost, angry cold winds, as well as frequent snowstorms, and in the fall - frequent rains and fogs. All these atmospheric phenomena negatively affected the condition of the external cladding of the walls of the house.
The lining of the outer wall cladding dried out, warped, cracks formed at the joints, the rooms became noticeably colder and there was a clear feeling of dampness. The question arose about replacing the covering of the external walls and, first of all, the north-eastern pediment, which was the first to bear all the blows of the changeable Kamchatka weather.
I needed to solve two fundamental questions:
- What material should I choose (the same lining, or something else)?
- Place a new layer on old layer cladding, or remove the old one and re-cladding?
The answer to the first question was quickly found - the lining will not work. Why? Just having re-covered the house with clapboard, I will have to paint it again every year, and still in 10-15 years the house siding will have to be replaced. The house needs to be sheathed with such material that it will last longer. long term, unlike lining, did not require annual maintenance (painting) and this material was resistant to precipitation.
After looking through various options, I decided to choose vinyl siding. Installing vinyl siding with your own hands is quite simple; in addition, the siding itself is quite cheap, durable, and does not require any repairs or painting during its entire service life. Caring for siding is also simple - just remove dust and dirt stuck on top, you can even use a stream of water from a hose. Service life - up to 50 years. Temperature range - from -60 to +60°C.
Siding. Vinyl panels
I chose panels that were 6m long (to reduce waste since my maximum gable length is 5.8m). One such panel has an area of 1.37 square meters. m. The price of these panels in our construction stores played an important role in the choice - 180 rubles/m2 ($5.2).
The range of colors and shades of commercially available vinyl siding is very diverse. I chose the color “Sandstone” as it goes well with the gray slate and white cornices.
Note: the piers are indicated in Fig. 3
The answer to the second question (how to sheathe a house with siding) - I decided to attach a new layer on top of the old one. Why?
- First, I didn't have to do any extra work to remove the old siding, which saved me at least one day;
- Second: if you remove the old sheathing, then when sheathing the house with siding, most likely, when attaching the sheathing, you would have to align the attached slats so that the surface of their ends, to which the siding panels are attached, would be located in the same plane, and by nailing them onto the old sheathing, this is not necessary - since the walls already have a flat surface.
Siding calculation
After this, it was necessary to calculate the siding and decide on the number of purchased panels and finishing strips for them. To do this, I carefully measured the pediment and made it detailed drawing in scale 1:25. Minus the window openings of the house and veranda total area the pediment was 22 m2. Based on the drawing, I determined exactly where and what scraps from the six-meter panels would be installed, so I bought all the materials with a minimum reserve for waste. As a result, there was practically no waste left.
An example of calculating the area of a pediment:
I calculated the area of the pediment using Heron's formula (calculating the area of a triangle):
S=√ p(p-a)(p-b)(p-c),
where the semi-perimeter is calculated using the formula:
p=(a+b+c):2
Scheme for calculating the area of the pediment
Now let's write down the derived data, where
a - 8 m, b - 8m, c - 6 m
Calculation of the semi-perimeter of the pediment:
p= (8+8+6):2=11 m
Having calculated the semi-perimeter of the triangle (pediment), I calculated the area (S) of the pediment:
S= √ 11(11-8)(11-8)(11-6)
S= √495 = 22.25
The gable area is 22.25 sq.m.
Vinyl siding components
In addition to the panels, it was additionally required to purchase:
- starting strip - 12 pcs. 2.8 m each;
- external corner - 4 pcs. 2.8 m each;
- J-straps - 16 pcs. 2.8 m each;
- self-tapping screws - 600 pcs.
Note: The J-bar is sometimes called: “J-channel”, “J Channel”, “Edging rail”, “J-rail”, “J-profile”, and in stores sometimes “Finishing bar”, although this name refers to a completely different part... Further in the text we will call it “J-bar” in the future.
Preparing to install siding yourself
I decided to cover the house with siding myself, since such work costs us on average 50% of the cost of materials. But why pay “extra money” when you can do this work yourself.
Before we could begin covering the gable, we had to start installing secure scaffolding. It is unrealistic to work at a height of about 6 m while standing on a ladder. In addition, due to the lack of assistants, there was simply no one to hold the 6-meter end of the panel on the other side. In old stocks of building materials there were two 6-meter beams 150x50 mm and smaller beams with a section of 100x50 mm.
For the flooring, I bought 40 mm boards (with the expectation that I would later cut them into veins for a new fence). I coped with this task, which was previously unfamiliar to me, quite easily...
I started installing the siding myself from the bottom of the house. But... I won't get ahead of myself. I will describe all the work in order, step by step, what needs to be done and in what sequence, as required by the installation instructions.
Tools necessary for working with siding
Basically you need the most ordinary tool, which is familiar to any summer resident who has ever been involved in construction or carpentry work. Here is a list of what you need to have on hand:
- roulette;
- metal ruler;
- metal carpenter's square (at least 30 cm long);
- metal hacksaw with fine teeth;
- hammer;
- screwdriver (or regular screwdriver);
- awl;
- knife-cutter;
- metal scissors;
- twine and chalk;
- level (at least 60 cm long);
- pliers.
Preparing the wall surface for siding
Although not the most difficult, but very important stage, and also the key to a high-quality and successful installation of siding, is careful preparation of the base. First of all, you should remove everything climbing plants and tree branches in contact with the walls. Take off drainpipes, fastening lamps and other parts from those areas of the walls of the house where they may interfere with the installation of panels.
If covering a house with siding with your own hands will be done using the old existing clapboard siding, as I did, then you must first carefully inspect and evaluate the condition of the old siding (if any) and the wooden elements of the wall structure. Loose boards and panels must be nailed tightly.
Note: It is better to replace rotten boards, since the process that has begun under the cladding will most likely not stop. It would be a good idea to additionally treat areas of the walls that are problematic in this regard with an antiseptic.
Elements of the house that need to be dismantled before finishing the house with siding
1 - pier, 2 - trim, 3 - shutters, 4 - external corner, 5 - wind boards, 6 - plank (transition) between the foundation and walls of the house, 7 - external window sill.
You will have to remove all the trim, if any - shutters, protruding window sills, as well as drainage and decorative elements around windows and doors.
When the listed parts are removed, using a long rod, plumb line or level, you can easily check how smooth the walls of your house are.
Vinyl siding panels have a thickness of no more than 1.1-1.2 mm and are not capable of bearing any significant load. Therefore, when installing them on a curved surface, the slightest unevenness will appear on the outside sheathing.
Note: At this stage, it turned out that the window openings were made by me at one time, to put it mildly, not strictly according to the level. Or maybe the foundation has sunk.
In order to install the windows exactly in window openings, I had to remove the glass from the windows, trim the frames and window units to insert them evenly into the window openings.
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Window unit installation diagram
1 - wooden linings (slats), 2 - window frame, 3 - plumb line, 4 - level
When leveling the window blocks, I placed pre-prepared slats under one of the sides, the length of which was equal to the width of the window block. I checked the horizontal installation of window blocks using a level, and the vertical position using a plumb line.
Fragment of a wooden window frame
I also replaced the dowels in the joints of the window frame bars and reinforced them with metal corners.
Then window frames and blocks, primed and painted. After the paint had completely dried, I installed the glass and at the same time replaced the cracked glass.
You can get more detailed information about installing windows from the article and.
Installation of lathing and insulation of walls
For new buildings made of wood, sheathing is usually not required. Siding can be mounted on any wooden walls, as well as on walls covered with chipboard, fiberboard, plywood and other similar materials. However, the walls of old buildings most often have noticeable irregularities.
On such walls it is necessary to install sheathing made of boards or slats. Do-it-yourself lathing for siding is made from wooden slats section 50x80 mm. I attached the slats to the walls using nails 100 mm long.
Sheathing for siding made of wooden slats
For horizontally oriented siding panels, the sheathing battens must be nailed (50 mm sides) vertically at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other. They should also be installed around windows, doors and other openings or openings, at all corners, along the bottom and top edges of the panel installation area.
Note: simultaneously with the installation of the sheathing, the wall can be additionally covered with insulation. To do this, I filled the space between the slats with 50 mm thick foam boards. But not only foam plastic can be used to insulate walls; there are many other types of insulation, which everyone chooses at their own discretion.
More detailed information about insulating the walls of a house can be found in the article.
All instructions recommend installing siding with galvanized nails. Quote:“Nails must be made of aluminum or galvanized with a head with a diameter of 0.9-1 cm. The shank of the nail must have a diameter of 3 mm and a length sufficient to penetrate the base to a depth of at least 2 cm.”
After some thought, I decided that it would be more convenient to fasten the panels with self-tapping screws. You can screw in a screw with a screwdriver (or just a Phillips screwdriver) using a magnetic attachment with one hand, but to drive a nail you need both. This was the decisive factor in favor of self-tapping screws.
Setting the starting line
Scheme for installing a starting strip for siding of a private house
I started installing the siding by installing the starting strip:
- first I found the lowest point of the old casing;
- then, using chalk and a building level (you can use twine and chalk), I drew a marking line 40 mm above the level of the old sheathing;
- I installed the starting strip so that its upper edge was located along the marking line, and attached it to the house - this work of installing the starting strips was done along the entire perimeter of the house.
Note: Since we are talking about installing siding parts, we need to list the basic rules for its fastening (this applies to both panels and fittings).
- Vinyl siding is nailed down so as not to interfere with its possible thermal expansion and contraction. To do this, you should always leave a gap of 5-6 mm between the end edge of the siding panel and the J-straps, corners or other fittings. When installing panels in cold weather (up to -10 degrees), the thermal gap should be increased to 9-10 mm.
Installation (nailing) options for vinyl siding
- Do not attach the siding too tightly to the sheathing or wall! Do not drive the nails all the way in! Leave a gap of approximately 1-1.5 mm between the head of the nail (or screw) and the vinyl panel. This is necessary for free expansion and contraction and to prevent warping of the skin.
Options for gaps between the nail (or screw) head and the vinyl panel
- Nails (screws) must be driven into the middle of the oblong mounting hole, and not from the edge - this can subsequently lead to breakage of the panel. Nails are hammered in increments of 30-40 cm. After nailing all the nails, the panels should move freely in one direction or the other horizontally within the width of the mounting holes.
Attention! Nails should be driven in strictly at right angles! Even one bent nail, interfering with the free movement of the panel, can cause local “swelling” of the siding.
- The panel to be installed must first be connected to the bottom panel (or to the starting strip) and pushed upward until the “lock” clicks into place. After this, the panel can be nailed. At the same time, it should not be pulled or pressed too hard; it should hang on the attachment points without tension, maintaining its natural shape. Excessive tension may cause improper connection with other panels and parts. Both excessively tight fastening and loose panels should be avoided.
- When installing trim, shutters, electrical wiring and other parts, holes in the siding must be drilled 5 mm larger than the diameter of the fasteners used. This will allow the panels to expand or contract freely as temperatures fluctuate.
Installing external corners
The outer corner is a piece that covers the end edges of the siding panels at the corners of the house and allows you to match wall sheathing located in two mutually perpendicular planes.
External corner of siding panel on corner of house
I installed the outer corner so that at the top it was 6mm short of the cornice or J-bar, and at the bottom the end was 8mm below the level of the starter strip tabs.
Note: nails must be driven in the center of the existing fastening holes, leaving the part open to expansion and contraction with temperature fluctuations. The distance between adjacent nails is from 20 to 40 cm.
Corner piece for attaching siding
Sometimes you need to cover the upper or lower end of an external corner installed on the wall. The covers required for this can be made from pieces of J-planks with a length equal to twice the width of the outer corner.
Cover from a section of J-flap for the outer corner of the siding
I bent the blanks prepared in this way and nailed them to the wall, and then inserted the outer corners into them.
Installing J-Bars Around Window and Door Openings
J-bar installation diagram around window or door openings
To join wall cladding with siding panels to window and doorways, around the latter, I installed J-bars. The most difficult thing here is to correctly form the corner joints of the vertical and horizontal planks. You can do this as follows:
Joints of vertical and horizontal J-planks
First, in the bottom of the horizontal J-bar installed above the window opening, I cut an eyelet 2 cm long and bent it down. He did the same on the other side of this bar. Then I cut the front folded part of the J-bar at a 45° angle.
Connecting the corners of J-bar framing around a door or window opening
At the side J-bar of the frame, I made a rectangular cutout 2 cm deep in the bottom and connected the top and side bars. In the same way I connected all the other corners of the frame.
Installation of siding panels
I installed the siding panels in rows from bottom to top. First, I brought the bottom edge of the first panel behind the protrusion of the starting strip, and then nailed the top edge to the wall. The installation of the next row began only when the installation of the previous one was completely completed.
All panels must stand freely, between their end edges and vertical parts(external corners and J-planks) it is necessary to leave gaps of at least 5-6 mm.
Joining panels with molding
If the dimensions of the panels installed horizontally are smaller than the width of the house wall, then they have to be increased in length.
Docking H-molding (profile)
I did this using a special connecting H-molding (profile), which I installed in the right place on the wall strictly parallel to one of the nearest corners of the house or some other vertical structure on the wall.
Joining siding panels "overlapping"
Another method of joining panels when extending them along the length is also allowed - overlapping. In this case, each subsequent panel should overlap the previous one in length by 2.5-3 cm, and the joints should be spaced apart.
When installing short panels in narrow openings, such as between windows, I left the vertical J-bars not nailed on top so that when inserting the panel they could be bent slightly. I nailed these strips once the short panel was in place and secured.
On one side, the siding panels have a number of holes for fastening to the wall with nails and a protrusion of the locking part, which allows the panels to be connected to each other. With another - longitudinal edge, bent inward, this bend is the counterpart of the lock. The panels are mounted with an overlap - first, the locking part of the top panel is brought into engagement with the protrusion on the bottom, and then the top panel is attached to the base (sheathing) with nails or self-tapping screws.
Installation diagram of overlapping siding panels
Conclusion
I spent approximately 22,500 rubles - $650 - on finishing the house with siding (the amount is indicated without taking into account the cost of insulation).
Note: The surface area of the walls and gable covered with siding was 112 square meters. m.
The preparatory work - minor repairs to the old sheathing, installation of sheathing and insulation of the walls - took me about 4 days, installation of the siding panels - 3 days. In total, I spent 7 days completing the work of covering the house with siding and insulating the walls.
What happened? Let's look at the photo:
Photo of a house with old cladding
- became
Photo of a house with new vinyl siding as trim
Also, finishing with siding and installing an additional layer of insulation brought me another positive point:
- before finishing the house, per month average temperature in winter - 10 degrees I burned about 480 cubic meters. m of gas, then after finishing the walls of the house with siding and insulating them, gas consumption decreased to 380-390 cubic meters. m
- siding is also reliable protection walls of the house from exposure to precipitation, which helps to increase the service life of the wooden structure of the house.
Attention! This article shows prices as of 2009.