Cedar siding installation questions...long

[jay s. gertz]

Morning from the Southern Appalachians!

I couldn't find a rec.carpentry group, so I hope this is the right place
to
ask some questions about siding my house. I've checked some sites on
the
web and been to the library for general books on siding, so I have a
basic
understanding of what's involved.

Here are some of my questions: Would it be worth my while to buy
quartersawn cedar siding? It would cost about 1/3 more. We do not have
extremely cold winters down here, it may get down to zero or lower, but
only
for brief periods. Summers do get up in the 80's and 90's.

If you've got a small house would a narrower face be better than
broader?
Should I use 6" rather than 8" siding? Or is it just personal taste?

I plan to put siding over existing fake board and batten (T-111?) Will
I
need to worry about another vapor barrier? Would a layer of Tyvek be
appropriate?

Lastly, when I build up the window frames and door jambs...should I just
plane the surface flat and build up, take the framing off and start
anew, or
are there stock items specifically for that purpose.

Any input is appreciated, thanks!

jay
(jge...@bulldog.unca.edu)

[eric ryder]

Hi Jay,

This is the place.

What siding product are you using?

If clapboards (lap siding), the vertical-grain product will cup less, but
split more if the finish fails. at a 1/3 cost differential, personally I
would use the plainsawn. The 6" (with 4" to the weather) will make you
house look a little taller than the 8" (at 6" to the weather). It's easier
to "story" the narrower product to align with window tops & bottoms, if you
want that look. You might look at similar homes in your area & see what's
used there.

Tyvec (Typar, etc) is the preferred air infiltration barrier for the
exterior. Poly is a no-no. Your T1-11 has a low enough perm rating that
it's probably not necessary to use anything.

Consider wrapping door/window frames with a band moulding. If your casings
are flat (1x4?) a 1-1/2" wide moulding is about right. If you have 908
(western / brickmould) it might be thick enough to finish against. If not,
removing the 908 and applying some thin flat stock before reinstalling is
cost effective, but time consuming.

luck

jay s. gertz <jge...@bulldog.unca.edu> wrote in message
news:9jp1o7$e190$1...@craggy.unca.edu...

[Peter Shull]

Use a 4" exposure on a smaller home. And, remember to backprime the siding
before installing it.

[Mike Andersen]

I don't know, maybe you've been there, but the Western Red Cedar Lumber
Association has a lot of information regarding the proper installation,
maintenance, finishing, etc. of cedar siding. You can find them at
www.wrcla.org or specifically installation instructions at
http://www.wrcla.org/spec/index.html

Mike Andersen
Chaussee Siding Co., Inc.