Installation Guide

of wood used for the siding.
Avoid fasteners that may result
in stains.
Do not use staples
or electro-plated nails. These
fasteners often result in
black iron stains which can
be permanent.
Copper nails are not suitable for
Western Red Cedar as cedar’s
natural extractives will react with
the copper, causing the nails to
corrode and resulting in stains on
the siding.
While budgets are always a
consideration, high-quality nails for
solid wood siding are a wise
investment. The discoloration,
streaking or staining that can
occur with inappropriate nails
ruins the appearance of the
project and can be very difficult to
remove.
Nail Shanks
Many nails have smooth shanks
and will loosen as the siding
expands and contracts under the
extremes of seasonal changes in
temperature and humidity. Ring or
spiral-threaded nail shanks will
increase the holding power. Both
types of shanks are readily
available.
Nail Points
The most commonly used nail
points include:
Blunt — reduces splitting.
Diamond — most commonly
used.
Needle — should be avoided
as needle points tend to cause
splitting.
8
Nails and Nailing
Correct nails and nailing practices
are essential in the proper applica-
tion of wood siding. In general, sid-
ing and box nails are used for face
nailing and casing nails are used for
blind nailing. Nail locations are
included with the individual patterns
in Figure C.
Recommended Nails
Nails must be corrosion-
resistant and preferably rust proof.
Avoid using staples.
1. Stainless steel. The best
choice.
2. High tensile strength alu-
minum. An economical choice.
This nail is corrosion resistant and
will not discolor or cause deterio-
ration of the wood siding.
However, aluminum nails will
react with galvanized metal caus-
ing corrosion. Do not use alu-
minum nails on galvanized flash-
ing (nor galvanized nails on
aluminum flashing).
3. Hot-dipped galvanized. This
nail is the least expensive, but
may result in discoloration if pre-
cautions are not taken.
(a) Make certain the nails are of
top quality, as the degree of pro-
tective coating varies with the
hot-dip galvanization process.
(b) In some instances, the use
of hot-dipped galvanized nails
along with clear finishes on
Western Red Cedar has resulted
in stains around the nails. While
this occurrence seems to be lim-
ited to the northeastern and north
central regions of the country, the
combination of hot-dipped
galvanized nails with clear
finishes on Western Red
Cedar is not recommended.
(c) Plastic hammer-head covers
can be used when driving hot-
dipped galvanized nails. This will
reduce the potential for chipping
and the subsequent potential for
corrosion.
4. Other fasteners. Other types
of corrosion-resistant fasteners
may perform satisfactorily. Before
selecting an alternative fastener,
check with the fastener manu-
facturer to determine whether or
not it is suitable with the species
sheathing wrap and siding is
achieved by applying vertical furring
strips over the wrap.
Should water find a way behind
the siding, the vented space allows
moisture to dissipate naturally,
reducing premature finish failures
and directing water downward and
outward, away from moisture sensi-
tive materials. Corrugated sheathing
wraps and three-dimensional
drainage fabrics also have been
developed to provide drainage, even
when siding is installed directly
against the material.
When sheathing material or
sheathing wrap surfaces become
wet, allow surfaces to dry before the
wood siding is nailed into position.
Many patterns may be installed
horizontally or vertically. Pattern ori-
entation should restrict the entrance
of moisture and weather. Some pat-
terns, such as board-and-batten,
may be installed only in a vertical
fashion. Others, such as bungalow,
bevel and drop, may be installed
only horizontally.
Where two pieces of siding
meet—particularly in vertical appli-
cations—miter cut the ends at 45
degree angles to create an overlap-
ping joint. Make sure the joints meet
on studs, blocking or furring strips
for secure nailing.
Use caulk where siding abuts
openings or trim. Latex-silicone
blends, polyurethane and polysulfide
caulks should give satisfactory per-
formance. Caulks made of 100%
silicone are not recommended.
Theoretically, any pattern which
can be installed in either direction,
such as channel or tongued-and-
grooved, can also be installed diag-
onally. However, diagonal installation
tends to channel water directly into
door jambs, window casings or
other joinery details on a structure.
If siding is to be installed
diagonally, the project must be de-
signed from the outset to accom-
modate the direction of run-off.
When wood siding is installed
over metal studs, concrete or
masonry, provide 2x nailers of suffi-
cient spacing and size to meet the
nailing requirements. This procedure
is sometimes used when wood sid-
ing is installed over foam sheathing.
(Refer to Nail Penetration and
Spacing.)
Figure D: NAIL TYPES
BOX CASING SIDING
RING SPIRAL
BLUNT DIAMOND
HEADS
SHANKS
POINTS