I’m considering puttting cedar shingles over clapboards. The original (20 years ago) installation put unprimed clapboard over Tyvek with resulting water and paint peeling issues over the years. Some clapboards have experienced harsh weathering both from southern exposure and inadequate venting. Questions: red or white cedar? What treatment (if any) for minimum maintenance? Any particularly tricky problems with shingles over clapboards?
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I see 2 problems- how to deal with the window and door casings, and whether or not the original claps, windows, and doors were properly flashed.
Personally, I'd just rip the claps off, inspect the sheathing and flashing, run new tar paper,and shingle over a nice smooth wall.
I agree, most times it is easier to rip the old claps off and tarpaper than to deal with the trim issues
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Clapboard and shingle exposure faces are different, so by the time you finish your last course of shingles, the exposed face will be maybe 1.5" from your sheathing. This will create problems at your trim, such as around windows and doors, rakes and corners, and any external lighting or receptacles. You might even have issues where the shingle nails are inadequate due to spanning the space of the clap.
Bottom line, it would be better for the house to strip the claps, address any deteriation and flashing issues, add a rain slicker, then install your shingles. This gives you a clean surface that will produce much better results.
For shingling walls, R&R red cedar shingles with about 5" exposure is standard in this coastal area of the northeast. Undercourse (starter) of white cedar seconds helps offset some of the coast.
When figuring area for cedar coverage, the box gives areas covered for a list of given exposures, ranging from about 14 to 7 inches. Make sure you do the math to adequately calculate the amount required, as the red cedar R&R's are quite expensive and the additional cost of underestimating can really add up.
I use 1.75" stainless ringshanks shot from a siding gun, and they aren't cheap either. But then, what is these days.
Consider preprimed shingles from the manufacturer if you're going to stain/paint. They are dipped, so coverage is about 90%, and well worth the added expense.
Good luck.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
Just curious as to why you would want to do that instead of taking off the old siding and starting fresh.
I've never seen or heard anyone do that before but people put vinyl siding over the old claps every day.
How would you even nail it properly? What happens when the nail lands under the course and it's hollow behind the nail and not flat?
In addition, I would be concerned about the effects of the unprimed (cedar?) siding over tyvek. I stripped a large part of a wall last year to install a new slider, and there was unprimed cedar over tyvek. The tyvek was OK in places and disintegrating in others. If you do install cedar shingles, do so over 30# felt.