Hi,
I just moved from my all stone house to a cedar sided house. Several of the clapboards are cracked and cupped. Can I replace just these, and whats the best way to do it? What’s the best stuff to recoat the siding with? Why aren’t all houses all stone?
Thanks!
Replies
From a DIYer -- I've replaced lots of clapboards and finally worked out a system. The trick is to get one out without trashing the one just above. I begin by gently prying the bad board up and down and doing the same (gently) to the one just above. The point of prying the board above is to locate its fasteners (on my house obscured by putty and paint.) Then, using a pin punch I drive the nails holding the board above the bad board all the way through. This frees the bad clapboard. After you remove its nails (any old way) it will just drop down into your hand.
Do you live in NM? Or do you just like watermelon?
There is a tool made just for this type of work. Guys who work on slate roofs use one all the time.
Once you locate the nails, you slide this tool under the siding, and hook it over the nail. You then strike this tool, so that is cuts the nail off at the sheathing.
Has the same affect as pushing the nails through, but leaves no holes.
Unless you're the lead dog, the view just never changes.
The tool that YesMa'am refers to is like this http://www.counciltool.com/bars.html. I got mine at my local tool shop. Council tool calls it a Shingle Ripper; I refer to it as a Nail Thief. I use a Dremel to grind the inside of the two hooks to a sharp edge to cut the nail shanks cleanly rather than dragging them out.
Malco makes another useful tool designed for cutting nails on fibercement siding that has been blind nailed http://www.malcotools.com/products/siding/snc.htm . The blade is relatively thin to slip between siding laps. The jaw steel and mechanical advantage of mechanism are strong enough to cut .162 diameter nails without much effort.
you'll often have to cut the face nails holding damaged piece of siding as well as those of driven through the course above.
Mike Guertin
Believe it or not, the handy-dandy 'nail thief' (as Mike calls it) can be had at the big box stores these days. Used to be hard to find.
You can get by without it for clapboards though. More essential for shingles.
One way: Gently pry up board you want to leave in place near nail. Grab nail shank underneath with needle-nose pliers. Tap clapboard with hammer to force nail head to pop up, then pull nail.