How to Patch Wood Siding
Irrespective of whether it is really cracked, rotted, or the sufferer of a woodpecker’s monthly bill, a harmed strip of wooden siding is an open up invitation for water to leak in and wreak havoc on a property. So when a piece demands fixing, it really is a job that deserves a big red flag on the “To do” listing.
Changing a broken clapboard just isn’t that tricky, but as This Old Household general contractor Tom Silva reveals, it’s a delicate approach that can take tolerance and precision. “If you happen to be not thorough, it is straightforward to crack the encompassing clapboards,” he claims, “and then you’ll end up installing significantly extra new siding than you meant.”
Power equipment are out for this position: too much vibration. Siding maintenance is finest done with hand tools—with a person exception. “Overlook the tape measure,” Tom says. As a substitute, you can dimension the replacement applying the aged clapboard as a template, a uncomplicated strategy that almost guarantees a restricted suit on the very first test.
Measures for Restoring Wooden Siding
Stage 1: Slash
- Employing a utility knife, rating the full duration of the broken clapboard from conclusion to close, about midway up from its bottom, or butt, edge.
- Really don’t slice all the way by the board, or you may possibly cut the builder’s felt beneath.
Step 2: Pry
- To break free the lessen fifty percent of the damaged piece, start at one particular finish and gently faucet a modest pry bar underneath the butt edge, up coming to a nail.
- Pull the bar toward you, really do not force it, so you really don’t mar or crack the neighboring clapboards.
Stage 3: Snap
- Do the job the pry bar together the butt edge till the reduce 50 % breaks off, ideally in 1 duration. (It may well take far more than one particular pass.) If this piece continues to be intact, preserve it as a template for sizing the substitution.
- Go away the upper piece in spot for now.
- Thump the exposed sheathing to see if it is seem. If not, cut out and patch any delicate spots right before continuing.
Deciding on Nails and Siding
Matching Up
The clapboard you use for a patch should blend in seamlessly with your existing siding. This is how to make guaranteed you have a patch that is a perfect match ahead of you start off.
- Sizing: Measure the butt-edge thickness and the widths of the exposed faces of a several programs on the wall. Add an inch to the facial area width to account for the overlap of the piece over. (These measurements will be a little bit lesser than the “nominal” dimensions that lumberyards and property centers use. A nominal 1?2×6 is essentially 7?16 by 51?2 inches.) If you happen to be not guaranteed what sizing you need, talk to the store to translate your measurements.
- Texture: A rustic, tough-faced clapboard will seem out of spot in a subject of clean siding, or vice versa. The good thing is, most boards are easy on 1 aspect and rough on the other.
- Quality: Tom pays added for distinct (knot-absolutely free), vertical-grain (quartersawn) siding due to the fact it truly is easier to paint and is more stable than less costly, flat-sawn boards. It is really also much easier to preserve for the reason that paint sticks to it extended, and the finish joints stay sealed. But if C-VG does not match the rest of the siding, then go with a grade that does.
The Nail You Have to have
When there are lots of kinds of clapboard to select from, only one variety of nail will do: a stainless steel ring-shank nail for siding. Stainless steel does not rust or stain the paint or go away black streaks on the wooden, and the rings on the shank act like barbs, gripping the sides of the gap to stop the nail from popping out.
For the best promise versus pop-out, use 7d or 8d (21?4 or 21?2 inches lengthy) nails and generate them into the studs. You can get absent with hammering 5d (13?4-inch) nails just into the sheathing as extensive as it truly is 5?8-inch (or thicker) and produced of plywood, OSB, or solid wood.
To locate out how thick your sheathing is, take away a piece of siding and poke a drill bit into a vertical seam in between two sheathing pieces. Since these seams often land at a stud, measuring how considerably the bit goes in will tell you the sheathing’s thickness.
The place to Find It
Caulk:
Dap Merchandise Inc.,
Baltimore, MD
800-543-3840
dap.com