How to install vinyl siding
The best place to learn how-to-install-vinyl-siding besides my own book is definately the vinyl siding institute.
The web URL is: www.vinylsiding.org
Once you're on that site, go into "publications", where you can download a free installation book. It's quite thorough.
Of course, if you want a killer version of installing vinyl siding, you may want to consider my full reference, how-to guide, "Sweat Equity," It's got everything you need if you want to know how-to-install-vinyl-siding.
You definately need my book if you're building a house, but if you're just doing a siding project and you can't afford my book, go to vinylsiding.org. There's enough information there to help beginners get the job done, and it's all free.
I have worked with a few types of vinyl siding and I like most of them. My favorite is "Heartland Siding". Man, that stuff is durable, it looks great and keeps its color, and it's a dream to work with. I think it's called "HeartTech" Siding now. I have no affiliation to the company that makes this stuff, I just really like the siding products.
I will go over a few of the aspects of vinyl installation anyway.
Vinyl Siding is a lot cheaper than you probably think it is. When an older home is resided with vinyl the difference is usually dramatic. Naturally, you would think that something that makes such a difference would be costly. Not only that, but us do-it-yourselfers don't have to pay for labor, so it's really inexpensive.
Anyone can learn how-to-install-vinyl-siding and there definately should be more people learning how, especially when you find out how much you can save by doing it yourself.
As in most things we deal with in home construction, vinyl siding costs less than one-third the total installation price. All the rest comes from contracted labor.
I just recently had some friends who asked for bids to install vinyl siding on their 2,000 sq. ft. home. I knew that the vinyl and accessories would cost maybe $2,000 maximum. The bid they received was for $7200. The contractor could have the whole project finished in about three days. It would look fantastic, and he would pocket $5,000 for three days work.
People don't really complain about the high cost of siding installers for two reasons. First, the job they do almost always looks so excellent, and second, they don't know how much of a profit margin they just paid out.
Vinyl Siding is going to look excellent no matter who installs it. It's an excellent product. If the novice installer will follow certain guidelines, the job will look great. Here are a few of the guidelines of how-to-install-vinyl-siding from the Vinyl Siding Institute.
1. Installed panels must move freely from side to side.
2. When installing a siding panel, push up from the bottom until the lock is fully engaged with the piece below it. Without stretching the panel, reach up and nail it into place.
3. Fasten nails or other fasteners in the center of the nailing slot.
4. Do not force the panels up or down when fastening into position.
5. Do not drive the head of the nail tightly against the siding nail hem. Allow 1/32” (about the thickness of a dime) clearance between the fastener head and the siding panel. Drive nails straight and level to prevent distortion and buckling of the panel.
6. Leave a minimum of 1/4" clearance at all openings and stops to allow for normal expansion and contraction. When installing in temperatures below 40 degrees, increase minimum clearance to 3/8”.
7. Do not caulk the panels where they meet the receiver of inside corners, outside corners, or J-trim. Do not caulk the overlap joints.
8. Do not face-nail or staple through siding. Vinyl siding expands and contracts with outside temperature changes. Face-nailing can result in ripples in the siding.
9. In residing, furring or removal of uneven original siding may be necessary.
10. In new construction, avoid the use of green lumber as the underlayment. Keep in mind that siding can only be as straight and stable as what lies under it.
These are the basics of how-to-install-vinyl-siding.
The best place to start on siding is not the siding at all, but rather, the flashing ,the eaves, soffits, windows, and door trims.
The flashing around windows and doors will need to be done first. Think of it this way: Rain will need to make a sweeping motion from the roof, down the walls, and on to the ground without any retention or chances of getting in.
Flashing windows is as easy as cutting out strips of metal that are about six inches wide and the length or width of the window. It's important to start at the bottom of the window. Nail the strip in place, then overlap that piece with the side pieces.
Last, put the top piece on overlapping the side pieces so the water runs down, not into the wall. It's all about overlapping.
You will need to put up J-trim all around the windows and doors. J-channel comes in long strips and it cuts really easy with tin snips. The J-trim is what the vinyl tucks into so the jagged edges aren't visible. Look at the pic below of my kitchen window. You can see where the white J-trim covers up the edges of the vinyl. Learning to cover unfinished-looking roughwork is part of learning how-to-install-vinyl-siding.
Ugly house eh? That's why vinyl siding is such a cool thing. It covers up all the ugliness. Learning how-to-install-vinyl-siding helps us turn that ugly duckling house into a beautiful swan almost overnight.
After the J-channel trim is screwed or nailed in place, you can move on and do the eaves and soffits. There are two kinds of channel trim that's mainly used for eaves. F-channel for open eaves and J-channel for cased eaves.
When I talk about open and closed eaves I'm referring to the truss ends hanging over the wall. If you have enclosed those 2X4 ends with sheathing, then you can use J-channel to hold the soffit panels in place. If the eaves are open, then you will have to sheath the front of the 2X4 truss ends with a strip of wood, then use F-channel to hold the soffit panels in place.
Learning how-to-install-vinyl-siding can be a lot easier if you follow the Vinyl siding guide and learn what to expect before you even get started.
The soffit material is usually metal not vinyl. The soffit panels all slide in place and connect together between the channel trims. On the fascia, which is the eave face, you will need to put on a utility strip toward the very top of the eave just below the roof metal or shingles. The fascia is usually the right size for eaves, but you can trim it if you need to.
You will need to rent or buy a snap-lock tool to punch snap lock lugs into the fascia about 1/2-inch from the top. The fascia will lock into place when you push it up into the utility strip. Some installers call this dog-earring the panels. That's all part of learning how-to-install-vinyl-siding.
Next we will put on all the corner pieces. There are outside corners and inside corners. These are vinyl and you need to make sure to leave expansion room. Remember, vinyl expands and contracts with temperature changes. You don't want to restrict that movement by driving nails in too tight. The corners need to expand also. The corners will sort of hang on the walls. The most basic thing to remember about how-to-install-vinyl-siding is that it moves with heat and cold.
Next, you will need special vinyl fittings for all external outlets and spigots. Also, you'll need outside lighting fixture fittings, and a dryer vent fitting.
Now, we can start on the actual how-to-install-vinyl-siding part. You'll need to measure the wall from the top to the bottom. Do this on all corners of the house and find the point that's the lowest. This is where you will start your chalkline and make an even line all the way around the house.
Your starter strip will be nailed all the way around the house just below the chalkline. Leave 1/4 inch gap between the starter strips.
Now just latch the vinyl panels onto the starter strip and pull up until they pop in place and then nail them on. Don't drive the nails in too deep. Keep going until you reach the top.
At the very top of the wall, put a utility strip to hold the last vinyl panel.
The top piece will be like the fascia panel. You will probably need to cut it to the right size. After that, you will punch snap-lock lugs about 1/4-inch from the top. The last vinyl panel will need to be attached at the bottom and then pulled up and tucked up into the utility strip until it pops into place.
That's it for learning how-to-install-vinyl-siding.
Continue reading here: Getting contractor contracts for being your own general contractor
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