Figure 4-4.-Nailing the siding.
the fresh cut ends of the siding in a water-repellent
preservative before boards are roiled in place. After the
siding is in place, it is helpful to use a small
finger-actuated oil can to apply the water-repellent
preservative to the ends and butt joints.
Drop siding is installed in much the same way as lap
siding except for spacing and nailing. Drop, Dolly
Varden, and similar sidings have a constant exposure
distance. The face width is normally 5 1/4 inches for
1- by 6-inch siding and 7 1/4 inches for 1- by 8-inch
siding. Normally, one or two nails should be used at each
stud, depending on the width (fig. 4-4). The length of
the nail depends on the type of sheathing used, but
penetration into the stud or through the wood backing
should beat least 1 1/2 inches.
Application
There are two ways to apply nonwood siding:
horizontally and vertically. Note that these are
manufactured items. Make sure you follow the
recommended installation procedures.
HORIZONTALLY.— Horizontally applied
matched paneling in narrow widths should be
blind-nailed at the tongue with a corrosion-resistant
finishing nail (fig. 4-4). For widths greater than 6 inches,
an additional nail should be used as shown.
Other materials, such as plywood, hardboard, or
medium-density fiberboard, are used horizontally in
widths up to 12 inches. They should be applied in the
same manner as lap or drop siding, depending on the
pattern. Prepackaged siding should be applied
according to the manufacturer’s directions.
VERTICALLY.— Vertically applied siding and
sidings with interlapping joints should be nailed in the
same manner as those applied horizontally. However,
they should be nailed to blocking used between studs or
to wood or plywood sheathing. Blocking should be
spaced from 16 to 24 inches OC. With plywood or
nominal 1-inch board sheathing, nails should be spaced
on 16-inch centers only.
When the various combinations of boards and
battens are used, they should also be nailed to blocking
spaced from 16 to 24 inches OC between studs, or closer
for wood sheathing. The first boards or battens should
be fastened with nails at each blocking to provide at least
1 1/2 inches of penetration. For wide underboards, two
nails spaced about 2 inches apart maybe used rather than
the single row along the center (fig. 4-2). Nails of the
top board or batten should always miss the underboards
and should not be nailed through them (fig. 4-2). In such
applications, double nails should be spaced closely to
prevent splitting if the board shrinks. It is also a good
practice to use sheathing paper, such as 15-pound
asphalt felt, under vertical siding.
Exterior-grade plywood, paper-overlaid plywood,
and similar sheet materials used for siding are usually
applied vertically. The nails should be driven over the
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