3 Tips For Properly Installing Vinyl Siding
Posted on: 4 January 2017
If you are getting ready to install vinyl siding on your home on your own, here are three tips that will help you do it properly.
#1 Use A Wider Strip
When ordering vinyl siding, go with a wider strip instead of a thinner one. Many people make the mistake of thinking that they are going to see the entire strip, and thus go with smaller strips of vinyl. In actuality, when you install the vinyl strips on your home, you are going to overlap the strips on top of each other, so you are not going to see the entire strip. You are going to overlap each strip by about an inch or so, which is why going for a wider strip makes more sense.
Overlapping strips, especially the starter strip, will help better protect your home against natural elements, such as rain and snow.
#2 Make Sure You Level Each Strip
As you install the vinyl siding in your house, it is vitally important that you make sure that each and every strip, especially the base or starter strip, that you install is level. Installing the strips and ensuring that they are level, especially at the beginning, will help make the rest of the installation go more smoothly.
To help you level your siding, you may want to use a chalk line that you have leveled to help you keep your siding straight. You can snap the chalk line so that you have a visibly straight line to line up your siding with.
Checking the level of the siding as you work will also help ensure that the siding is properly installed.
#3 Leave Some Room For Expansion
Your vinyl siding will expand and contract throughout the year, based on external temperatures. When you hammer the nails through the siding and into the side of your house, you don't want to hammer them in too tightly. You want there to be a little bit of a gap between the head of the nails and the siding. The gap doesn't have to be big; just leave enough space so the siding has room to expand and contract throughout the year.
You also want to make sure, as you cut each piece of vinyl, that you leave some space on the end for expansion on the side. Having extra space on the side will help prevent your siding from buckling when it gets hot outside.
For more tips on siding installation, talk to a professional like those at Custom View Exteriors.
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