Cedar Shingle Nailing Schedule
Need to apply some 18″ cedar shingles (blue label perfections) to an existing sidewall. Never done this before, need some guidance as to nailing pattern (above the top of the underlying shingle? approximately how many fasteners per piece?), and fastener choice. The GC is supplying me with 1/4″ x 1 3/8″ staples and telling me that’s the way to do it, but it somehow seems wrong. Itty bitty 18 ga. staples with a microscopic “galvanized” coating seems to be an invitation to cedar on the ground in a few years.
Some of the existing wall is held on with over-driven ring shank gun nails, some with hand driven 4d(?) nails, some galvanized, some copper, depending on the area.
Also, different walls of the house have different exposures, from 7 1/2″ to over 10″. All with 18″ cedar. Is that sufficient coverage?
I figure the whole thing can’t be all that hard, it’s just following good carpentry practices, but I’d like to do it right and without it taking forever.
As an aside, it’s very interesting to go to a different region and see the differences in techniques and materials.
Replies
I build in the Pacific Northwest, where sidewall cedar shingles are very popular. I have used both 1/4 and 7/16 crown staples and have actually not noticed much of a difference, provided that the psi is tuned in and you're not over sinking them. I have used staples with the "galvanizing" you describe and have seen dark bleeding coming out within a year. I switched to stainless steel and will never go back, but I know a lot of guys are happy with the electro plates. I like to put my staples within an inch of the lap, and I only put two staples in. I have found that one in the center is an invitation for splitting. I never put a fastener in any area that is exposed, except for the top run, where I usually switch to trim nails. The laps that I use are usually 6-7 inches. This works well because the staples go through the tops of the course below, helping to secure them. If you space more than 9 inches, you'll only get the two staples in each shingle, rather than four.
Hmm... what else.. To keep my rows laser strait I snap a white chalk line and pin on a temporary ledge with 18g pins shot in between shingles. You don't even see the tiny hole when it's shot into the gap. Also, make sure to start each course by measuring down from a level mark, rather than measuring up from the last course.
That may be to much information... I'm not sure what your prior experience is. If you are planning on weaving the corners I can write some more about that, and I have some pictures of walls and columns I have shingled with these techniques if that helps. Have fun!
here's a link to a long discussion about cedar shingleshttp://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=102028.1
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
If you are at a 7" exposure a perfection is fine. A bigger exposure requires a royal 24". Here are two links to the cedar bureau. Follow it and you will do fine. http://www.cedarbureau.org/installation/wall_manual/pdfs/wallmanual.pdfhttp://www.cedarbureau.org/installation/wall-manual.htm
Exposure should be no more than half the shingle height less 1" (8" max. for 18" shingles)
SHINGLE SPECS
Fastener selection: Use hot-dip galvanized, stainless steel, or aluminum — not electrogalvanized — fasteners, especially in coastal areas. Stainless staples or nails eliminate the chances of streaking.
Staples (16 gauge with 7/16-inch to 1/2-inch crown) and nails (box type with blunt points) are both acceptable. The fastener must penetrate through the shingles, vent screen (if any), and all the way through the sheathing.
Fastener location: Place two fasteners per shingle about 1 inch above the overlying course line and 3/4 inch in from each edge. If the shingles are wider than 10 inches (Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau) or 8 inches (IRC), apply an additional pair of fasteners spaced 1 inch apart near the middle of the shingle. Orient the pair of fasteners so the 1-inch space between them is not within 1 1/2 inches of a shingle joint below.
Keyway spacing: When shingles are wet or green when applied to the wall, it's okay to butt the shingles edges together. Dry shingles must be spaced apart to prevent buckling when they absorb moisture and swell. As a rule of thumb, space shingles up to 6 inches wide with a 1/8-inch keyway, space shingles that are between 6 and 9 inches wide 3/16 inch apart, space shingles wider than 9 inches 1/4 inch apart.
Joint offset: Joints in successive shingle courses must be offset by a minimum of 1½” (IRC and CSSB). Keep in mind that if there are any defects in the top lap of a shingle, you should space joints 1½“ away from the defect.
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