Chapter E9 – Installs Exterior Wall Coverings
Many materials and products can be selected for exterior wall finishes. Factors to consider when choosing a type of siding are:
- Climate
- Cost
- Maintenance
- Appearance
- Availability
Topic 1 – Installs Exterior Wall Coverings
Key Competencies
The NOA for Carpenter (2013) identifies the required competencies (skills) for the task of installing exterior wall coverings. These are:
- Select and use tools and equipment such as air compressors, nailers, metal brakes and metal siding tools according to task
- Select wall coverings such as vinyl, wood and composite products according to specifications
- Apply wall coverings for aesthetics and weather protection, according to manufacturers’ specifications using methods such as staggered joints, storey pole, laser level and string lines
- Prepare joints such as butt, scarf, mitre and lap according to wall covering being installed (NOA p. 61)
Wood Siding Terminology
- Water table (drip cap) – moulding with a sloped upper surface and groove along the bottom to divert rainwater. Installed above doors and windows
- Furring strip (starting strip) – narrow strip applied to the base of the wall to maintain a uniform profile
- Outside corners (mitred, metal, vertical corner boards) –
- Interior corners
- Head lap – distance or portion of the siding covered by the piece above it
Horizontal
Wood bevel siding is installed horizontally with a minimum 25mm overlap. Each row having equal exposure.
To determine the exposure, one must know the total wall height (wall height + foundation lap) and number of rows.
Formula
Total Wall Height ÷ Proposed Exposure = # of rows (always round up)
With the number of rows we can calculate the exposure.
Total Wall Height ÷ # of rows = Exposure
Vertical
The four basic types of vertical siding are:
- Board and batten – wall covering composed of narrow strips placed over top of wider boards
- Board-on-board – board and batten using equal sized pieces
- Channel – siding with interlocking rabbeted edges
- V-joint – Interlocking tongue and groove siding blind nailed throught the tongue
Wood Shingles and Shakes can also be used as exterior wall coverings.
For application information, review:
- Carpentry, study the chapters on “Wood Siding Types and Sizes” (Chapter 63) “Applying Vertical and Horizontal Wood Siding (Chapter 64) “Wood Shingle and Shake Siding” (Chapter 65)
- Canadian Wood-Frame House Construction, “Wall Sheathing and Exterior Finishes”
- National Building Code of Canada, review section 9.27 on “Cladding”
Instruction Sheet on Brightspace:
- EXFN 200 – IS 2.2 – Apply Exterior Wood Siding, p. 45-52
Review Questions
- A minimum clearance of _____ mm must be maintained between wood siding and the ground level.
- The distance between a roof surface and wood siding should not be less than _____ mm.
- The minimum amount of lap allowed for bevel siding is _____ mm.
- What are four basic types of wooden vertical siding?
- Bevel siding whic