How to Install Vinyl Siding on the Garage or House
Vinyl siding provides easy-care protection for your home’s exterior walls. It comes in a variety of colors and styles and is suitable for home renovation projects as well as new construction. Garage vinyl siding is no different than house vinyl siding installation. Because vinyl siding is so easy to handle, a do-it-yourselfer with basic carpentry skills can perform the installation. The vinyl pieces are lightweight, but unwieldy, so it’s smart to have someone help you with the installation. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Carpenter’s level
- Chalk line
- 1/2-inch plywood
- Circular saw
- Nails
- Hammer
- Roofing nails
- Starter strip
- Tin snips
- Utility knife
- Silicone caulking
- Caulk gun
Instructions
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1
Locate the lowest contiguous point on all the walls of the house and the garage to give the vinyl siding installation a feeling of continuity on all the walls. Create a line along this point and level it with the assistance of a carpenter’s level. Snap a chalk line to mark it.
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2
Cut 1/2-inch plywood into 3 1/2-inch strips, using a circular saw. Nail these strips above the line you marked in Step 1. Nail starter strip to these plywood strips. The starter strip tips out the bottom of the vinyl siding so it looks like all the siding above it. The starter strip also has fasteners that hold the bottom in place.
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3
Hold the inside and outside corners in place. Use the level to ensure they are straight up and down, or plumb. Nail them in place through the pre-drilled holes with roofing nails, leaving about 1/16 to 1/8 of each nail head exposed to allow the vinyl corners to expand and contract as the seasons change. Space the nails 8 to 10 inches apart.
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4
Cut vinyl J-channel, which looks like the letter “J” when you look at its end, to fit around the windows, using tin snips. Check it for plumb and level with the level. Overlap edges so water flows down and away from the house’s sheathing. Nail it in place with roofing nails placed through the pre-drilled holes and spaced approximately 8 to 10 inches apart. Cut J-channel to fit around doors and attach it in a similar manner.
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5
Slide the bottom of a piece of vinyl siding onto the starter strip. Hold the vinyl piece upright as you slide the left end into the nearest corner piece. Nail the vinyl by placing nails into the pre-drilled holes. Leave the nail heads loose, as you did in Step 3.
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6
Slip the next horizontal piece onto the starter strip. Overlap the second piece with the first approximately 1 inch. As you work with the vinyl, determine which overlap is less conspicuous. The direction doesn’t matter, just be consistent. Nail the second horizontal piece in place.
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7
Continue the first row until you get to the opposite end. Measure and cut the piece of vinyl, using tin snips or a utility knife. Slide the right end into the corner piece.
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8
Move to the second row. Slide the bottom of the vinyl pieces into the channel on the piece below. Nail the vinyl sections into place. Stagger lengths of vinyl so you avoid having vertical seams.
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9
Continue hanging vinyl until you come to a door or window. Measure and cut the vinyl and slide the section into the J-channel instead of corner pieces.
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10
Hang all the vinyl until you get to the top row. Measure the width needed and cut the vinyl, if necessary. Nail directly into the top of the vinyl or add a row of J-channel along the top of the house or garage.
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11
Run a bead of silicone caulking along any seams that might allow water to penetrate behind the vinyl. This includes areas such as light fixtures and outdoor faucets.
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Tips & Warnings
It is necessary to have and use scafolding to reach the high parts, be sure all scafolding is level and set firmly on the ground. Scfolding and special tools can be rented.
It is best to install vinyl siding on a warm day, usually above 50 degrees f. Alweays wear hearing and eye protection.
