How to Replace Vinyl Siding With Cedar Shake
Cedar shake siding is a traditional building material that has been used for hundreds of years. Existing vinyl siding can be replaced with cedar shake in a few steps: First, the vinyl siding is removed. Second, the exterior of the house is inspected and prepared for shingling by being wrapped in felt. Finally, overlapping courses of cedar shingles are applied to the house. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Zip tool
- Pry bar
- Hammer
- 30 lb. felt
- Stapler
- 1 inch x 3 inch x 8 foot board
- Pencil
- Chalk line
- Level
- Cedar shakes
- Corrosion-resistant nails
- Utility knife
- Planer
Instructions
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Removing Vinyl Siding and Preparing for Shakes
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1
Separate the joints between vinyl siding panels using the zip tool, a handy item that looks sort of like a bottle opener. It is inserted into the seams between the siding panels and moved along the seam to pull the panels free from one another.
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2
Remove the vinyl siding with a pry bar. Bend the siding out of the J-channels, pop off the nails and pry off the J-channels and under-sill trim. Finally, go over all the walls and remove the nails that held the vinyl siding in place.
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3
Inspect the exterior walls and remove any obstructions, or pound them flush with the surface.
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4
Fasten 30-lb. felt to the walls, using your stapler to hold the felt in place. Flashing can also be used on the inside corners to keep the felt in place and to prevent tearing.
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5
Create a story pole. Use the 1 inch x 3 inch x 8 foot board and a pencil to mark where the shingles will start and where each course of shingle will fall. The end of the first course of shingles should fall 2 inches below the seam, where the structure of the house meets the foundation. Each subsequent shingle course should lie so that about 40% of the underlying shingle is exposed.
The story pole will serve as your reference as you mark each course of shingles.
Installing Cedar Shake
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6
Hold your story pole up against the corner of the house and make a mark where the first shingle course will fall. Use your level and chalk line to snap a reference line. This line indicates where the base, or butt line, of the first course of shingles will fall.
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Fasten the shingles using corrosion-resistant nails. Stainless steel, aluminum or hot-dipped, zinc-coated nails work well with cedar shingles. Fasten each shingle with two nails. The nails should be driven 2 inches above the butt line of the shingle course above and 3/4 inch from each edge of the shingle.
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8
Fasten 2 layers of shingles, with the top layer positioned about 1 inch lower than the bottom layer, on the lowest course of shingles. Stagger the joints between the layers of shingles. This double-course of shingles will provide additional moisture protection on the vulnerable lower region of the house where the structure meets the foundation.
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Leave a gap of about 1/8 of an inch between each shingle to allow the shingles to expand.
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10
Stagger the gaps between shingles as you work your way up. Staggering the joints will make the siding more water resistant.
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11
Lace the corners: Trim the corner shingle and use the planer to bring the edge of the shingle flush with the side of the house. Trim the adjacent corner shingle so that its edge is flush with the face of the corresponding corner shingle. Alternate this pattern as you work your way up so that the joint between the corner shingles is staggered, or laced, to provide greater water resistance.
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Tips & Warnings
Prefabricated corner pieces can be installed in place of lacing the corner shingles. These corner pieces are installed prior to fastening the shingles, and the shingles are brought up to the edge of the corner piece.
A penetrating oil-based stain will provide greater water resistance and protection from ultra-violet (UV) rays from sunlight.
References
- Photo Credit Ryan McVay/Lifesize/Getty Images
