How Often Should I Nail My Smartside Siding

While LP® SmartSide® Trim & Siding is easier to install, builders may feel pressured to skip a 2nd look at installation guidelines in society to get a project complete on time or makeup for labor shortages. However, whether you're a new or longtime LP SmartSide Trim & Siding user, taking the time to be attentive to proper installation volition ensure y'all are upholding your product warranty and avoiding potential issues down the route.

To help prevent improper installation, Isaac Ojeda, Structure Service Associate at LP Edifice Solutions, has outlined the most common installation mistakes.

Using the incorrect nails.
Improper spacing.
Improper flashing. and caulking
Not staying electric current on new installation rules.

Using the incorrect nails: The effects of using the wrong nail can take a lasting, negative impact. "For LP SmartSide siding products, use a hot-dipped galvanized smash. This type of nail has a thick protective coating that tin stand up up to a nail gun without chipping off the coating," says Ojeda. He goes on, "On the opposite, with electroplated nails, the protective coating is thinner and may chip off more than easily. This can pb to rust streaks running down the siding."

Improper spacing: Make certain to follow proper spacing requirements. Improper spacing can cause siding to buckle, a common wood siding installation error. LP lap siding products require a minimum three/sixteen" spacing at all butt joints and where siding butts upwardly to trim. "For some LP SmartSide Panel Siding products an alignment groove is provided to aid in the proper spacing of those panels," says Ojeda.

Builders can also oftentimes forget that different siding types require different installation methods. "When contractors switch from cobweb cement to engineered wood, there is often a learning curve," says Ojeda. "For instance, LP SmartSide products grow during the acclimation process, so we require a gap to allow for expansion, while fiber cement products shrink, requiring no gap."

"We've also seen gap problems with joint molding installation. We're finding installers will go out the required 3/16" gap, merely not have the thickness of the web into account. This results in the joint molding beingness pushed out as our siding acclimates. For proper installation, add together the thickness of the molding web to the gap and allow a internet 3/sixteen" space for expansion," says Ojeda.

*This articlelists step-by-step instructions for avoiding buckled butt joints.

Improper flashing and caulking: Lath and batten installations with panels and batten strips demand proper flashing for long-lasting immovability. For example, when installing on a two-story construction, you'd stack an LP SmartSide Panel on pinnacle of the lower one, creating a horizontal seam. The batten strip is and then placed over the panel to requite you the board and batten look. A mutual mistake is installing the batten strip over the horizontal seam and z-flashing. "LP SmartSide guidelines require you to cease the batten strip at the horizontal seam and flash over the height edge of the panel and batten strip. You can and then keep the batten strip in a higher place that seam," says Ojeda. "In addition to the z-flashing, installers should provide a iii/8" gap between the panel and batten strip and the z-flashing. To ensure proper drainage practice not caulk the 3/8" gap at the seam."

Not staying electric current on new installation rules: Every bit manufacturers evolve, so do their installation guidelines. For instance, LP recently updated the application instructions on its strand substrate lap siding. Previously, LP recommended installers to prime number and paint all exposed cut edges, prior to caulking or using articulation molding. "With this update, y'all can now caulk or install the joint molding without having to also prime and paint the exposed cut edges. Y'all are nevertheless required to seal any exposed cut edges where sealant is non applied, such as at roofline clearances, etc." says Ojeda.