How to Mount Exterior Siding on Your Home

One of the biggest things that you can do to improve your home and add a whole new look is to install siding. If you are going to put up siding, vinyl is usually your best bet. Vinyl siding is not only easy to care for, but it is easy to install and comes in just about any color or design that you could want. There are some other options out there though. Your local Home Depot or Lowe's can show you the different types of siding that are on the market and the benefits of each type and style. You will need to select your siding prior to buying your hardware. There are different nails and moisture fabrics that need to be used with the different types of siding.

Once you have selected your siding, you can now get your home ready. The first thing that you need to do is remove the existing exterior design. If the exterior is part of your home's structure, you can usually just add the siding over top of it. This can help with your insulation as well. One additional option that you have, which is very useful for brick homes, is to add plywood over the top of your home. You can use hardware that will grab the brick and allow you to easily mount your new siding. Now that your home's exterior is ready, you can add the moisture barrier.

This is one other topic that you want to bring up at the hardware store. You can use tar paper, felt, or some composite barriers that are on the market. The real difference, aside from the price, is that some protect better than others. If you are in a dry area that does not get a lot of moisture, you can go with a cheaper fabric. For those that live in high humidity and rain areas, you may have to get the most state of the art composites to properly protect your home. After you have decided on the moisture barrier that you will use, you can use either a slap stapler or staple gun with ¼" to 3/8" staples. You do not want these staples to protrude through your plywood. When you set up your barrier paper, make sure there is very little to no overlap and there has to be no gaps at all. This barrier will keep all the moisture and water that can seep into your siding from causing mold or rot to your home's wood.

You will now be ready to attach your siding to your home. Before you tack up the siding, you want to piece it together. By holding it in place, you can ensure that all the pieces fit together and are of the right length. This can also help to speed the installation. After you cut the pieces to the desired length, you can stack them in the order they will be nailed on. You can then just grab the top plank and tack it on. One of the last bits of prep work that need to be done is to install the "weep". The weep is a small addition along the bottom edge of your siding that creates a gap between the siding and the wall. This will allow any water to drain out from behind your siding. Any trapped moisture can cause mold and more damage to your home.

Now that all the prep work has been completed, all that is left is to tack up the actual siding. Most vinyl sidings are better to install from the bottom up. This will allow you to easily cover the nails and hardware from the lower layer without having to bend the siding up. This also makes it easier and faster to install your siding. Once you have worked your way to the top, there is usually a capping plank that you can put on that hides the nails. This is a specially folded or molded layer that can attach and give a smooth finish to your siding.

That is all there is to giving your home a great new look that won't fade or chip like paint. Vinyl siding is also much easier to clean since you will only need to spray it off with a garden hose instead of scrubbing on it for hours. With the ease of maintenance and the super easy installation, it is no wonder why everyone is switching to vinyl.