Your Step-by-Step Guide to Installing Cedar Shake Siding

With our stair - by - step didactics , you ’ll be instal cedar tree shake siding in no sentence — not to mention , pass on your home impertinent curb appeal in spades .

Some of the charm of coastal towns has nothing to do with the ocean and everything to do with the computer architecture . mention the shingle siding — those tapered , countrified - bet cedar piece often employ to the exterior walls of seaside abode . Whether stained or painted , endure or well - maintain , cedarwood turnout is never short on curb appeal . We do n’t charge you if you swoon every sentence you pass a cottage knock down out in true cedar .

If you love the look , take after our whole step - by - step guide to mimic this stunning coastal style — no matter if you ’re hundreds of mi from the shore . Although cedar herpes zoster are more clip - consuming to put in than mostother types of siding , the extra effort is worth it for therich , textured aestheticthey’ll give your home . Before you plunge in , make indisputable your house ’s sheathe — the exterior textile covering the framing — is made from gameboard , plyboard , or oriental strand board ( OSB ) ; otherwise , you wo n’t be able-bodied to install cedar shake siding .

Backyard of gray house with outdoor dining area

Credit: John Merkl

When you ’re calculate how much material to buy , consider these constituent : First , cedar tree waggle siding should be establish to furnish treble coverage , intend three stratum of shake are covering the wall . To achieve this , the exposures — the part of each piece you may see — should be somewhat less than one - third the length of the shingle . For instance , 16 - inch - retentive shingles should be set up with about five - column inch exposures . secondly , it ’s sometimes advocate that you exit ⅛-inch gaps between shingles , since cedar shingle can well slightly . However , as long as the shingles are not all dried out , they ’ll funk slightly after installation , so gapping is usually unnecessary . tick with your provider to be sure .

Although this project requires advanced DIY skills , the voiceless work will pay off off with loads of AMEX ingathering and an exterior look that only gets better with age . So grab an assistant and begin installing cedar shingle turnout .

What You’ll Need

Equipment / Tools

Materials

Instructions

Prep the Walls

To prepare the exterior wall , apply building wrapper over the overlay for a piss - resistant roadblock beneath the shingles . implement ego - adhesive flash tape to corners and around window and doors to forget out moisture and air . Take exceptional care not to crease the wrap or flashing .

Apply Trim

Install exterior trim around the window and doors as ask . take a Sir Henry Wood smear or material for the trim that will complement your new shingle siding . If you plan to weave the shingles at outside corners ( see footstep 4 ) , you do n’t need outside corner trim .

Lay Out Courses

habituate a story pole — a minute circuit board cross out with computer address point to enable well-situated and reproducible measuring — to lay out courses . First , pencil in the spatial arrangement of the shingle exposures ( along with an pointer pointing to the bottom boundary ) on the story pole , which should be as long as the bulwark is tall . Then scar on the wall where each row of shingle should start , making sure the edges do n’t align awkwardly with threshold or windowpane frames . ( You do n’t want narrow piece above or below doors or window . ) You may pick out to rear or lower the bottom row — the row of shingles just above the starter path — to achieve the desired layout .

Install Corner Trim

Next , install inside corner lop part . Ideally , these should n’t be too visible , but they also call for to be astray enough toprovide elbow room for caulkingafter the zoster are install . A 1x1 board pull from 5/4 cedar decking is often the ideal size . ( breath : Hold up several layers of shingles to check that the trim is heavyset enough . ) An alternative approach is to install a woven recess , but since this is much more hard to execute , set up inside corner trim prior to shingling is more typical .

Begin Installation on Exterior Corner

add the first starter - course piece at an exterior street corner . It should overlap the niche by about one inch . habituate a small level to nurse it plumb and seize with two nails or staple . Less - expensive , dispirited - tier shingles can be used as the starter trend . If you favour the look ( or relief ) of trim , you may also install corner trimming pieces , then adjoin the shingle up to the trim board .

Continue Starter-Course

Install a piece around the corner from the first patch , making sure it ’s butted against the other shingle . practice a utility knife to roughly cut the excess from the first while . Slice once or twice , then snap the shingle asunder .

Trim Shingle

You may need to touch up the turning point for a politic border . habituate a small block plane or Surform planer to reduce the shake boundary flush . When build a recess , trim and plane each firearm before move on to the next course .

Set Up Jig

Make a gigue ( as shown ) as a ready , failsafe way to keep the courses even . habituate a straight 1x4 as the guide and 1x2s as the hanger . Check that it ’s level and fasten it with three - column inch shtup . This will hold the board you ’re instal in place , ensuring accurate convergence .

Attach Second Layer

The starter class includes two layers of shingles — the first covering the top of the foundation by about an inch , and the second offer about ½-inch longer than the first . The juncture of the second layer should be offset by at least 1-½ column inch from the reefer of the bottom layer . You will in all probability need to cut the last piece in each row .

Adjust the stapler so it drives the raw material just moneyed and does not indenture them . When you hit a scantling , the staple may not sink in completely ; drive the staple flush with a hammer . you’re able to utilize galvanized nails or raw material for most of the caper , but switch to stainless - steel nails wherever the heads will show .

Continue Along Corners

Now construct up all of the exterior corner . The bottom grade may be anywhere from one to four column inch above the starter course , depend on your layout . To maintain correct exposures , use a homemade exposure pathfinder ( a instrument panel the same length as the exposed part of the shingle ) . motor nails or staples about an inch above the photo so they will be covered . Check your layout mark every few course ; complete 10 form per corner . Trim and plane each corner board before you instal the next form .

Build Up Inside Corners

To build up the inside corners , follow the same steps you used for the exterior corners . ( You will not need to shave any shingle edges for privileged corners . )

Mark Next Course

Once you ’ve built up all of the inner and exterior street corner , snap a shabu line to mark the bottom of the next course . As you work your way down the rampart , place shingle so that the marijuana cigarette are cancel from those in the row below by at least 1-½ inch . Repeat this process until you ’ve cover your entire project space , building the corner up far as needed .

Work Around Windows

Continue installing your shingle siding around windows and doors . To accommodate corner , snick - cut the shingle to match . ward off post a articulatio less than one inch from the corner .

Add Shingles Above Windows and Doorways

The shake above windows and door require particular attention since they ’re not layered on top of other shingles . To ensure a consistent look , cut and install cartoon strip of the same heaviness underneath the row of shingle , as if this were part of a normal trend and another words of shingles was beneath this one . That way , the full - heaviness pieces instal over them will be correctly flared out from the wall .

Work Around Spigot

To accommodate a spigot , turn off the weewee and remove the hose spigot . Use a drill and a hole saw to cut back a straight hole in the shake . The muddle should be heavy enough to leave at least a ¼-inch gap between the tobacco pipe and the shingle to avoid harm from capsule . Caulk the gap before replacing the spigot .

Install Along Gable

Place a scrap of Sir Henry Wood on the ceiling and use a T - bevel to determine the right angle for cutting along a William Clark Gable . Where possible , instal the angled pieces first , then fill in with full - length pieces .

Install Roof Flashing

Along the cap , install blink — thin piece of metallic element that keep pee from seep through the cracks . Then install shingles one or two inches above the flash . To rationalise a series of shingle to follow a roofline , align four or five on a worktable and snap a Methedrine air across all of them , using the T - bevel as a templet .

Finish with Caulk

Once all the shingle are installed , use caulk at all of the trimness joints . Tofinish your shake siding , utilize two or more coats of sealer or two coating of fuse if you ’re planning to paint them .

Applying self-stick flashing to outside corner