Where To Start First Course Of Wood Siding

Step 8 siding beside windows photo by david carmack.

Where to start first course of wood siding. Carefully slide the notched piece of siding into place. Nail a piece of plywood about 3 5 inches 89 mm thick along the top of the chalk line this will hold out the bottom of the first row of siding. Vinyl siding starter strips. Nail the clapboard to the studs.

The most common approach here is to install sill trim at the soffits rip down the top course of siding and crimp the siding so the sill trim holds it in place. This is where the new siding will begin. This chalk line should be level and a consistent distance from the eaves or the top and bottom of the windows. It is installed at the top of the first course covering the top edge and giving a starting point for the next course.

A transition strip or z strip is designed for this. Attach the starter strip to the plywood but don t nail it so tightly that it will restrict the strip s movement. Snap a level chalk line for the first starter strip at the base of the wall no less than 8 inches above ground level after determining the lowest corner of the house. If more than one clapboard is needed to span a wall snap a chalk line between the marks on the corner boards on top of the course being overlapped.

Install this transition strip along the top of the first course of siding then begin the second course in the same manner as the first. Join the clapboards with scarf joints as in step 3.