Well, the play-house I’ve been building for the kids is finally coming to completion (nothing like flurries in the forecast to motivate a body).
Over the past week, I’ve been throwing up the siding as fast as I can. I’ve probably got 75% done. However, I just now sat back and thought, and realised that I’ve been blind-nailing, and I probably should have face-nailed. The claps are pretty thin where they’re nailed, and I’m afraid they’ll lift.
Can I/ should I do anything to remedy this, or should I just leave it?
What I’ve got: pine clapboards, about 8″ overall, 6″ reveal. They’re back-primed with BIN, and installed over tarpaper and OSB. Since it’s a playhouse, it’s not a conditioned space.
Any advice appreciated!
Replies
After blind nailing it would not be wise to go back and face nail. Lumber swells and shrinks more in the cross-grain direction than it does in the with-grain direction, and if you have two fasteners on opposite edges of the board you have a setup to cause splits.
Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. But then should I just leave it and hope for the best?
Lots of claps are blind nailed. Not real fond of it myself, on wide boards, since the bottom edges can lift, but it seems to work out, mostly.
Corporation: n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. --Ambrose Bierce
Blind is fine for 6" exposure. Hey, its a playhouse, right? My guess is that you're not lookin' at 16' strips. Don't lose any sleep over this -- it'll be fine.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Tear them all off and start over! Why would you skimp on your kids?
Seriously, they should be fine. You may have a few flappers, but nothing to be worried about
If you do nothing, the worse thing that might happen is you'll see a lot of curling. I'd face nail to keep them flat, or not, depending on how much work you have to do on your other house.
How high up under the overlapping claps are the blind nails? If they are burried by a half inch or so, I would face nail too. Many folks will face nail so low on the clap that it's effectively blind nailed as well. When taking them off, I've seen lots of them with splits through the thin part from movement, but usually the splits don't stray out from under the lap.
Steve
Thanks all.
My mind is more at ease. I'll leave it for now, and spot face-nail as needed. The ones that are thick at the butt probably won't lift, and the ones that lift (if any) will likely be thin enough where the blind nails are that they will tolerate being nailed both high and low.