Putting up siding on your own can be a challenge. We'll guide you through installing this classic board and batten look.
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Time Multiple Days
ComplexityIntermediate
CostMore than $3000
Introduction
Putting up siding on your own can be a challenge. We'll guide you through installing this classic board and batten look.
Siding covers the outside of our homes, sheds, garages and every other building you see. From brick, wood, vinyl and steel, it’s all different types of siding. In every case, it’s the first layer of protection from the elements.
Installing siding yourself is no easy task. But once you have a basic understanding of the different parts and how they go together, it’s a matter of making accurate cuts and following the manufacturer’s recommendations for fastening. I’ll make it easy to install this classic board and batten look.
Engineered Siding for the Win!
I’m a big fan of engineered wood siding. The boards are always straight, lightweight and never warped. It’s durable and can be pre-finished with a special coating that comes with a 15-year or more fade resistant warranty.
It’s fashioned from saw dust and wood chips from the wood processing industry, essentially making a recycled building material from trash that would otherwise end up in the landfill. On top of that, it can be cut with regular saw blades. best of all, it’s easy to install.
Tools Required
- Basic carpentry tools
- Circular saw
- Compressor
- Jigsaw
- Miter saw
- Siding nailer
- Table saw
Materials Required
- 1” Z-flashing
- 1x2 Prefinished trim board
- 1x6 Prefinished trim board
- 1x8 Prefinished trim board
- 2” Ring shank siding nails
- 3/8” Z-flashing
- 5/4 Corner trim boards
- 5/4 x 4 Prefinished trim board
- Color matched caulk
- Color matched exterior touch up paint
- Prefinished shiplap siding panel
- Prefinished soffit panels
Project step-by-step (8)
Step 1
Install a Weather Resistant Barrier
When sheathing our Sustainable Retreat, we chose sheets of Oriented Strand Board (OSB) with an integrated water-resistant barrier (WRB) layer already adhered to the exterior face.
Once fastened, all we had to do to finish the installation was seal the seams with a special tape. For buildings without an integrated WRB, a layer of house wrap or felt paper should be applied as the WRB.
Step 2
Level the Skirt Trim
I fastened a length of 1×6 trim at the bottom of the building, making sure it was level all the way around. This skirt trim will give the bottom of the siding a finished look and provide a ledge for the tall siding panels to rest while nailing them on, which is much easier.
Fasten the skirt trim using two-inch ring shank siding nails. Then secure one-inch Z-flashing to the exterior above the trim to prevent standing water.
Step 3
Position the Shiplap Panels
The siding panels come with shiplap edges, so we started from one side and worked across the walls, making sure each panel overlaps the previous one.
After each panel was cut to length and width and the notches cut out to fit around windows, we sealed all of the cut ends with an exterior primer. We then raised the panel 1/4-inch above the skirt trim, made sure it was plumb and fastened it to the studs.
Since the windows are trimmed with 3-1/2-inch casing, we made the notches for the window about 1-1/2-inch larger. This allowed us plenty of wiggle room to position the panel AND avoid further buildup over the windows nail flange.
Note: On this project, our eight-foot-tall panels didn’t cover the entire wall, so we were left with a horizontal seam. If left with no flashing, it would collect water and rot the siding. So we installed 3/8-inch Z-flashing on top of the seams.
Step 4
Install The Corner Trim
Engineered siding companies manufacture a special trim piece to make covering outside corners of buildings much easier. The corner trim comes preassembled, leaving you to simply cut it to length and nail it on. I like to make sure the corner is nice and plumb in both directions before securing it.
Step 5
Pre-Build the Window Casing
Use 5/4 x 4 trim boards to trim the window exterior.
Start with the bottom piece of trim, cut 3/8-inch longer than the windows width. Then the sides should be cut to match the height of the window, plus the width of the trim, plus 3/8-inch. Cut the top to the bottom piece of trim plus two widths of the trim.
You could nail all these pieces up individually, but we decided to pre-build the window casing using pocket screws, then nail them on as one piece. This was faster and ensured the joints in the trim lined up perfectly.
Step 6
Install the Soffit Panels
The soffit is the underside of the roof overhang. There’s a special soffit panel cut and nailed to the underside of this overhang, but you can use leftover siding panels instead. It’s the same material, just without the shiplap edges.
Step 7
Hide Seams and Nails with Battens
Next, install the battens. Battens are decorative 1×2 trim pieces nailed on top of the siding panels to hide the seams and nails. Cut the battens to fit vertically between the drip cap, window trim and soffit.
Step 8
Finishing Details
Once the siding is on the building, it’s time to seal the sides of the windows to the trim with a color matched caulk, paint any exposed nail heads and touch up any other blemishes on the siding. You’re done!
