Hi, Thanks for a great source of information. I soak up as much as time allows!!! I am building a small rustic cabin in the woods and am now ready to begin siding and trim work. I plan to us LP’s SmartSide 4×8 panel siding with the vertical cedar grain. For trim casing I plan to use 1×4 or 1×6 for edge, window and door casings. Windows and doors are already in place. My questions are…
Do I install the panel siding, then install the casing over top of the paneling to cover the cutouts around the windows and doors? Or does window and door casings go on first and then siding fitted and caulked around them?
Likewise on the edges, do I run the siding panel to the edge and then cover it with the 1x casing? Or does the edge casing go on first then the panel siding butted up and caulked against the casing?
Would it look strange to use real cedar for casing and the LP siding for the walls? The cabin will be painted so perhaps if the textures were close, then it may look fine. I don’t see that LP makes any sort of 1x casing to match their panel product.
Lastly, On the cabin’s gable ends, when using this sort of panel siding, does one normally run a horizontal trim board between the gable wall and the wall below it to cover the seam between the two panels?
Thanks so much for advising me.
Regards,
Scott
Edited 7/19/2007 9:31 am ET by sgoodno
Edited 7/19/2007 9:31 am ET by sgoodno
Edited 7/19/2007 9:32 am ET by sgoodno
Edited 7/19/2007 9:33 am ET by sgoodno
Replies
Greetings sgoodno,
This post, in response to your question, will bump the thread through the 'recent discussion' listing again which will increase it's viewing.
Perhaps it will catch someone's attention that can help you with advice.
Cheers
"In any weather, at any hour of the day or night, I have been anxious to improve the nick of time, and notch it on my stick too; to stand on the meeting of two eternities, the past and future, which is precisely the present moment; to toe that line."
-Thoreau
If you're using the siding over bare studs (no sheathing) then definitely it should go on first. In other situations you'll get mixed opinions. Most important is to do a good flashing job, regardless of the order of installation. (And often the flashing technique will dictate the order.)
Between horizontal seams in the siding the best approach is to install a Z-flashing between panels. If desired this can be covered with wood trim for appearance.
Not that strange to use real cedar trim, though composite trim would make for lower maintenance in a structure that you don't want to spend a lot of time maintaining.
Thanks Dan,
I have it sheathed and tyvek over the sheathing. I will use the z flashing on the upper and lower siding and cover it with a trim board as you recommended. I realized that LP does make trim boards to match their SmartSide Panels but never saw them at the big box stores. I will find and use them rather than real cedar.
As far as flashing on the windows, I installed Aluminum windows and used this rubber flashing tape, per the mfg. directions, to seal the nailing fins to the Tyvek. I assumed that this was the extent of the flashing I needed for the windows. At least this was the impression I got from reading some FHB articles on this sort of tape. Should I also install a metal flashing above the window as well?
See pic attached.
Thanks again,
Scott