Decorate a wooden house with siding on the outside. Finishing siding on a wooden house - do-it-yourself insulation

Many new materials are used today in the construction or renovation process. They have improved properties and characteristics. In this case, the finishing process becomes simpler, and the quality of the final result is higher.

Siding is in great demand today. This finish is considered durable, reliable and easy to install. Expert advice will help you figure out how to cover a wooden house with siding yourself. By following the established instructions, you can complete the work efficiently and quickly.

Peculiarities

Learning how to siding wooden house, it is necessary to delve into the features of the presented material. It has a number of advantages. That's why siding is so in demand today. The presented material has a relatively low cost, which makes it possible to use it for large facades.

A wooden house built many years ago will become stylish and modern if modern materials are used in its decoration. Siding is ideal for this. It is also used for new buildings. Wood is a capricious material. It requires additional protection from adverse weather conditions. Properly installed siding will cope with this task.

In this case, the finishing will not weigh down the structure. This is especially important for older houses. Siding for the exterior of a house is a strong, durable material. This facade looks stylish. You can choose almost any shade for finishing.

Varieties

Most often, covering a wooden house with siding, with or without insulation, is done using two main types. There is vinyl and metal material. They differ in a number of characteristics.

Vinyl siding looks more attractive than sheet metal. It fits well into the overall design style of the facade and the garden plot. The presented material can imitate other types of materials, for example, wood, stone, etc.

Metal sheets are used more often for finishing technical buildings. This is noisier material. Raindrops will drum loudly on the surface. The appearance of metal siding is inferior in aesthetics to vinyl panels. However, plastic will be less durable. Metal siding is heavier and more durable. Its cost is higher. Mostly houses, cottages and cottages are covered with vinyl siding.

Material calculation

Professionals say that it is quite possible to install siding yourself. Step-by-step instructions will help you cope with this task. First of all, the master must purchase the materials necessary for installation. To do this you need to make the correct calculation.

First, the external and internal angles are calculated. If the building is one-story, whole elements are used for cladding. For each corner their height is 3 m. If they are larger, you need to add up the length of all corners. The sum is divided by 3.

Do-it-yourself homework also requires taking into account the angles. At the junction with the wall, internal corners are used. If the cornice is not sheathed with this material, a finishing strip is used. The starting bar has a length that is equal to the length of the house. The door space is taken away from it. If the building has extensions that have a height difference, a J-profile is used. Window trims are used for appropriate openings. This material must be taken in reserve. A drain plate will be installed on the base.

Purchase

Before purchasing materials, it is necessary to calculate the siding for the cladding. To do this, you can use a simple formula: M = PS - POD/PP*1.10, where

It is also necessary to purchase self-tapping screws with a rubberized head. The cost of domestically produced vinyl siding is about 150-170 rubles/m². Present on the finishing materials market wide choice foreign materials. Siding made in the USA costs about 250-270 rubles/m², in Canada - 750-850 rubles/m².

The materials differ in quality. You should not purchase thin siding. Even a strong gust of wind can damage it. High-quality material will last much longer.

Step by step instructions

Do-it-yourself siding on a wooden house is done in several stages. The instructions for carrying out this process must be reviewed before starting work. First, markings are made for the profiles. This procedure is performed for all walls.

They retreat 5 cm from the foundation and drive nails into the ground here. A nylon thread is stretched between them. It must run parallel outer surface walls This marking will help you properly secure each siding profile. At the same time, they take into account where the windows and doors of the building are located.

When the marking is completed, the profile strips are placed. Without them, installation, both with and without insulation, cannot be carried out. There should be a gap between the siding and the wood surface with waterproofing. This ensures high-quality ventilation of the facade. Fungus will not form, the wood will not rot. After installing the profile, the siding panels are installed.

Surface preparation

Before covering a wooden house with siding, it is necessary to properly prepare the base surface. The durability of the material will depend on this. If there was cladding on the walls, it must be completely removed. Also, the surface should be free of dirt, dust and various foreign materials.

After cleaning wooden base must be primed with a special antiseptic composition. It quickly penetrates deep into the fibers, preventing the further appearance of fungus and other microorganisms. If there are traces of mold development on the wood, they are carefully rubbed off with sandpaper. If the fungus remains on the material, it will successfully develop under the cladding.

After treatment, the wood is covered with a layer of waterproofing. It is mounted directly on the surface of the base. Various materials are used for this.

Lathing

The siding profile can be made of metal or wood. Both options are acceptable for wooden walls. The metal must be well processed and galvanized. There should be no defects or traces of rust on it. Wooden slats should be treated with an antiseptic. Planks measuring 60x40 mm are suitable.

According to the markings on the facade of the house, straight lines are drawn along the entire perimeter. From the base to the roof, measure the distance and find the minimum value. A contour for mounting the starting bar is marked along it. In this case, a building level is used. Otherwise the panels will be skewed.

A guide profile is mounted at the corners. It should fit snugly against the wall. The distance between the vertical slats should be about 35 cm. They should not be connected. This will ensure good ventilation. The air must move from bottom to top without encountering obstacles on its way.

Insulation

If the house will not be used in winter period, a wooden house is covered with siding without insulation. However, experts recommend installing appropriate materials on the façade. This will be useful even for a summer cottage. The building will be in use longer.

Glass wool or its mineral analogue is used as insulation. This material has high environmental characteristics and fire safety. Mineral wool prevents the appearance of fungus and rot on the façade. In some cases, foam or similar materials are used. However, mineral wool would be preferable. The density of the material must be at least 35 kg/m³. For tall buildings this figure should be higher.

The insulation layer is covered with a vapor barrier. When condensation forms due to temperature differences, moisture will not settle on the surface of wooden walls. The membrane is attached to the sheathing with a construction stapler. A counter-lattice is mounted on top.

Installation of guides

The siding is fastened to the appropriate guide strips. First, the starting bar is installed on the base of the building. A drainage system is also installed. The top edge of the guides should follow the pre-designated line.

After this, you need to secure the corner strips. They are secured using galvanized self-tapping screws. Other types of hardware are not suitable for wooden facades. The self-tapping screw is rigidly attached in the upper first hole. Subsequent fasteners are made with a gap. They are screwed into the middle of the hole. This will allow the structure to expand with temperature fluctuations.

J-profile is installed around doors and windows. The planks can overlap. You can cut the edges at an angle of 45º. Then they will fit together smoothly. To install H-configuration profiles, a building level is used. A finishing strip must be installed under the roof at the end of the sheathing.

Material requirements

Siding for the exterior of a house must meet certain requirements. It is also important to carry out all work in accordance with established standards. Before installation, it is forbidden to lay out the panels in the sun. The material expands when heated. When it gets colder, the panels may become deformed.

For the same reason, a gap of 5 mm is left between the connecting elements and the ends. If installation is carried out in cold weather, this figure should be 10 mm. When heated, the material joins tightly. To avoid deformation, this feature must be taken into account.

The panels to be joined should overlap 2 cm. When the temperature outside the window drops below zero, no gaps will appear between the panels. Otherwise, thermal insulation and protection of the facade from adverse weather influences will be insufficient.

Panel installation

After installing the guides, the siding is fastened. The first row must be attached to the starting bar until it clicks. The panel is secured at the top using galvanized self-tapping screws. They are screwed into the center of the oval hole. The pitch of the hardware is 40 cm. Each subsequent row is installed according to the same principle. Gradually the rows rise to the roof.

The panel must not be fixed rigidly. Temperature, as already mentioned, significantly affects the dimensions; it can change by 1% in cold and warm periods. The screw is not screwed in all the way. Otherwise the panels will bend.

Allows you to protect a wooden facade for a period of 30-40 years. This is a practical, durable material.

Covering a wooden house with siding with your own hands can be done well only if the craftsman follows the above instructions. However, there are still a number of recommendations that professional repairmen give. They strongly recommend making a preliminary calculation of materials. In this case, procurement costs will be lower.

After the panels are installed on the prepared guides, the joints must be properly processed. For this purpose, special decorative corners and strips are purchased. They close the joints, preventing moisture from getting between them and into the finish. They will also improve appearance facade, will hide installation errors.

It is simply necessary to provide high-quality ventilation inside the facade. Otherwise, fungus will form inside. This microorganism is capable of destroying not only wooden walls, but also brick and concrete walls. Also, such a neighborhood is unsafe for human health. Fungal spores cause allergies various diseases respiratory system. By fulfilling all the requirements of builders for the installation of siding, you can create a strong, durable coating that will meet all sanitary and hygienic standards.

Having examined the features of covering a wooden house with siding with your own hands, everyone will be able to do this job well.

Despite the fact that there are different opinions regarding finishing a house with siding, this task is within the power of any person. To ensure that the final result does not disappoint you, you need to strictly follow the requirements of the technology and take into account every little detail. For those who are unfamiliar with the nuances and stages of finishing, it will be useful to read the following article.

Siding selection

For every person who has decided to do the exterior decoration of a house with their own hands, the problem of choice is very relevant. suitable material, which will not require attention for a long time and will not cause any special worries in caring for it. But making a choice is not so easy. To do this, it will not hurt to first get an idea of ​​the types of this material offered on the market, as well as their features.

Vinyl siding

To make this type of siding polyvinyl chloride is used, in addition to which the composition contains various additives that prevent fading and warping of the surface.

In reality, vinyl siding for home decoration looks like a regular strip, in which one edge serves to attach screws and nails, and the other has the function of a latch to secure the next panel.

The option of finishing a house using vinyl siding is attractive for many reasons, one of the important ones being low acquisition costs, since PVC siding is quite inexpensive.

He also has other advantages, which everyone who plans to purchase this finishing material for their home should know about:

No less pleasant is the fact that this material does not require special care. This is largely due to its structure, since dirt and dust do not get inside the panel, and removing them is quite simple, for which it is enough to use ordinary water.

  • Quite low resistance to mechanical stress;
  • Inability to maintain the original color and shade for a long time, provided that low-quality material was used.

So, if you are interested in having minimal costs time and money to decorate the facade of your house, then you should pay attention to vinyl siding. However, you can enjoy all its advantages only if you choose it wisely. Therefore, before making a final decision, you should make sure that it has warranty documents and quality certificates from the manufacturer.

What distinguishes houses that are finished with metal siding is the presence of a respectable, aesthetic and expensive appearance. However, they still have one thing important difference compared to vinyl analogues. This means more high cost metal. Among the available options for this siding, the most popular are those made of aluminum and galvanized steel.

Among the advantages that aluminum products have is their infinitely long service life, and the reason for this is their immunity to corrosion.

As for products made of galvanized steel, they cannot be considered as “eternal”. These panels can please their owner for several decades only if they are the following conditions are met:

  • Painting of products must be done at the production stage. Processing under other conditions using a spray or brush will not achieve the same results. Only if this requirement is met can the siding be provided with the ability to retain its color and protective layer.
  • Owners should be very careful about galvanized steel siding panels. They should do everything possible to minimize scratches. If rather deep damage appears on its surface, this will create favorable conditions for the development of corrosion processes, and then it will no longer be possible to count on the fact that this siding will last long.

Frame assembly: step-by-step instructions

Before you begin installing the frame with your own hands, you must prepare a number of tools and materials:

When everything necessary for installation is ready, you can be sure that all conditions have been met to ensure a quality installation. Now you can start assembling the frame of the future facade with your own hands.

First you need to calculate the distance from the wall of the house at which you need to place the outer edge of the facade. To do everything right, you should take into account the surface topography. Otherwise, a situation may arise that, having calculated a certain distance from the wall, it later turns out that in its middle there is a protrusion that does not allow making a flat plane. For this reason, it is recommended to choose a place for marking points along the edges of the top of the wall, at the very bottom of the canopy.

You need to take a chop cord, connect two points with it, and then, using a plumb line, you need draw a similar line on the ground. The lines created in this way will become guidelines for you, which you need to take into account during the installation of a vertical profile or beam.

In cases where it is planned to use a frame made of steel profile CD, then a 3-centimeter guide profile UD must be secured to the ground and the canopy. You will subsequently have to insert the ends of the CD profile into it. If there is no concrete blind area next to the walls on the ground, and there is no possibility to fix the UD, during installation of the frame in the lower part of the facade, you will have to start from the line and level readings.

Parallel to the wall of the house it is necessary draw straight vertical lines, which should be located every half meter. After this, you need to select the two outermost ones and apply points with the same step. After this, using upholstery thread, you need to connect the dots on other lines, the result should be a structure resembling a mesh.

In places where the lines intersect with each other, you need to create holes, and then, using quick installation, nail U-shaped pieces to them, which can also be replaced with metal corners for timber.

Keep in mind that most often dowels with a diameter of 6 mm are used as fasteners. In cases where the base of the external wall is made of old brick or block, it is recommended to use fasteners with a diameter of 8 mm. In this case, you will be sure that the dowels are securely fastened to the wall.

Next, you need to cut the profile to the required length, for which you will have to use scissors or a grinder. The resulting fragment must be placed in a guide profile for siding, and then fixed with self-tapping screws to the U-pieces so that there are no vertical deviations.

To do this work accurately, you can check the level readings or, before starting work, install two outer profiles and stretch the thread between them. When you start attaching the remaining profiles, you can focus on it.

At this point, the work on installing the frame is completed, in principle, after this you can proceed to installing the facade panels. However, according to the technology of finishing a house with siding, the walls must first be insulated.

Wall insulation

Most often, owners choose to serve as an insulator expanded polystyrene or mineral wool. However, which of these options will be most preferable?

If you seek advice from specialists on the best way to sheathe a house, then it is better to use mineral wool, since thanks to this material the walls retain the ability to “breathe”, and based on this we can conclude that they will last for the period determined manufacturer. However, if you do not set yourself the goal of living with “eternal” walls and are ready to make certain sacrifices, then you can consider the option of expanded polystyrene.

The technology for installing these sheets with your own hands provides for them sticker on the wall surface, after which they are additionally fixed using a special installation with a very wide cap.

The adhesive can also be used to install cotton wool. However, this is not necessary; to ensure the necessary reliability, “umbrellas” alone will be enough. Thus, at the stage of insulation, selection of material and installation technology, one must proceed from the following parameters:

  • Financial opportunities;
  • Availability of free time;
  • Level of training and weather conditions.

If you still choose the most common materials for finishing your house with siding, then it is advisable for mineral wool use adhesive solution in combination with umbrellas. You should not have any problems with this, given that this work itself is quite simple: after fragments of material of the required size have been prepared, they are covered with a layer of glue and then fixed to the wall. After waiting for the glue to dry, we take the tool and “shoot” the slabs.

Installation of panels: step-by-step instructions

Having completed all the steps described above, you can proceed directly to finishing the house with siding. According to the instructions, in order to correctly install the panels yourself, you must adhere to the following scheme:

  • We take the guide profile and fix it to the wall along the perimeter;
  • Next, the panels are inserted into the profile, after which we begin assembling the siding, adhering to the vertical installation pattern.

Thus, it becomes clear that the last stage is the least difficult. However, here too there are some nuances, which you need to know about. When screwing in the screws, you need to make sure that they do not go in all the way. Then, when it gets especially hot in the summer, the material will have free space to expand. If you neglect this recommendation, this may subsequently lead to cracking of the panel.

Conclusion

To finish a house with siding, there is no need to purchase special equipment or gain additional skills in working with this material. You can achieve the desired result if you strictly follow the installation technology and have the necessary tools and materials at your disposal. Special attention You should pay attention to the most precise adherence to the stages that make up the siding installation process, since any little thing can affect the result, and, as a result, the service life of the panels.

Siding is a building material that allows you to quickly, with little labor and money, give a private home an attractive appearance. Siding is most often used to renovate old, but still quite good buildings, see fig. Installation of siding is technologically very simple, does not require careful preparation of the underlying surface, complex working skills and special tool.

At the same time, the cost of cladding work by a hired team is 50-60% of the cost of the material, which for an average-sized house will be at least 12,000 rubles. savings in case of independent execution. The work process itself for a person who knows how to make something, but who is taking on siding for the first time, takes 5-12 working days.

In addition, finishing a house with siding in itself significantly insulates it. And it can (and is recommended) be combined with cladding work. At the same time, it is significantly simplified and cheaper without compromising efficiency. When installing siding yourself with simultaneous insulation, the total cost of work drops by at least half, fuel consumption for heating in winter is reduced by 25-35% in mid-latitudes, and electricity consumption for air conditioning in summer is reduced by 15-20%. Raise your last year's expenses for these budget items, estimate the savings in money - you probably won't have to give more compelling arguments in favor of upgrading your home with siding yourself.

Where did he come from?

Siding in translation means...those. Yes, yes, those same seasoned wooden boards, cut to size and planed to a profile, laid over the sheathed surface or frame in a herringbone pattern. Initially, overlapping planking was used in shipbuilding; Pleasure fofana boats made using this technology can still be found in some places.

It was either the Vikings or our Pomors who came up with the idea of ​​sheathing, but now you can’t tell. Both required strong, lightweight, durable vessels that did not require frequent repairs, suitable for navigation among ice. In the powers whose fleets sailed to low latitudes, sheathing of ships did not take root, and was then completely forgotten - it is extremely prone to fouling.

The northern peoples soon, for the sake of saving wood, which was scarce beyond the Arctic Circle, and for greater strength and durability of buildings, began to sheathe houses with planks. This made it possible to build faster in new places, so plank buildings were especially popular among Russian pioneers. The Anglo-Saxons met them in Canada and Alaska, which was then a Russian possession. In general, there were many of our compatriots living in America; on the map south to San Francisco and east to Detroit there are names like Russian Fort, Russian Point, etc.

Practical and highly engineered Americans fell in love with siding, and clapboard private houses became widespread there, although the cowboys from the Wild West themselves hardly suspected that the buildings in their settlements were built using Russian technology. These days, siding is made from modern construction materials; the parts are connected with snap locks. This freed the siding from the only drawback of its ancestor - the obligatory caulking of the seams, which had to be replaced annually.

Why this article?

Each batch of siding panels (boards) and shaped fastening elements for them - add-ons - must be accompanied by detailed instructions for assembling the coating. Sellers, as a rule, give a free copy upon purchase, and there is plenty of material on this topic on the Internet.

But the instructions cannot provide for everything; there are always nuances, neglect of which can complicate the work and deteriorate its quality, although siding, in general, is very tolerant of minor deviations from installation technology. On the other hand, these minor deviations can, depending on specific conditions, be allowed deliberately for the sake of simplifying and reducing the cost of work. It is these subtleties that we will discuss further.

How is siding applied?

There are a lot of materials for assembling siding with your own hands, but somehow the standard cladding scheme recommended by leading manufacturers is lost in them, see fig. right:

  • Superimposed on the wall.
  • The first one (distance strips) is installed under the insulation.
  • Insulation is applied in two layers.
  • A second sheathing is mounted on top of it.
  • Siding is being installed.

Let’s say right away that almost no one ever does this, it’s too complicated and expensive. Why is it recommended? Based on the worst case scenario - insulation with mineral wool. To prevent the outside from immediately getting wet, falling asleep and no longer insulating anything, ventilation gaps are needed on both sides of the insulation layer, and its layers must be applied with the slabs moving.

Insulation under siding is most often made of polystyrene foam. Moreover, since it is sufficiently protected from bad weather and the sun by the sheathing itself and is not loaded with plaster, you can use not the expensive EPS, but the cheapest packaging one. The design of the simplified cladding discussed below involves insulation with it.

Video: about siding using the example of an old house

Preparation for sheathing

Complex and/or time-consuming work is not required to prepare for siding. An external inspection of the building and several measurements are enough, which will take no more than half a day. At the same time, you may have to “squeeze” the sagging of masonry mortar with a heel, drive in protruding nails and eliminate other small protrusions over 6 mm in height.

Inspection

During the inspection of the house, first of all, using a long, even lath and a cord/tape measure, the general unevenness of planes and lines is determined: walls, plinth pedestal, corners, eaves piers, roof overhangs, pediment bottoms, window openings. It should not exceed 12 mm over the entire plane/line or 6 mm locally.

That is, if, for example, the wall turns out to be not a rectangle, but a rhombus or trapezoid, then the difference in its diagonals should not exceed 12 mm. And the same difference in diagonals for window/door openings should be no more than 6 mm. The general hump or depression of the wall or the deflection of the pediment/cornice/basement should also be no more than 12 mm, etc. Installation of siding is allowed on buildings that are slightly tilted, but generally retain their rectangularity.

Next, check with a level and plumb line the perpendicularity/horizontalness of the lines and angles relative to the base and the ground surface. The overall slope of the building due to subsidence should not be more than 25 mm on any side. As a rule, such a tilt reveals itself at the previous stage of the audit as unacceptable deflections/subsidence. If so, you don’t have to think about siding for now - the building is at least pre-emergency, it needs major renovation. The installed cladding will soon begin to warp and swell.

Choice of lathing

The lathing for siding can be made of one- and two-level metal from CD profiles (see figure) or special and one-two-level wooden, from slats from 40x40 to 50x80 mm. IN the latter case the sheathing wood must be impregnated with insecticides and fungicides. Both lathings can be either linear or lattice; single-level lattice - mortise. Rectangular sheathing strips are placed on the wall with the narrow side.

The type of sheathing is selected based on the results of a building inspection:

  1. General unevenness up to 3 mm – any one-level; Linear is better, it is simpler and cheaper.
  2. The same, up to 6 mm - single-level wooden from 50x80 beams or two-level metal from C-profiles.
  3. The same, up to 12 mm - two-level wooden with alignment of the outer beams with plywood pads at the joints or special metal, with adjustment strips.

Next, you should choose the design of the sheathing: with horizontal or vertical logs. The first will go under vertical siding (see below), and the second will go under horizontal siding. If the sheathing is two-level, then we're talking about about the external joists on which the boards will be hung.

It must be said that vertical siding is not at all the same boards installed upright. Vertical siding boards – special kind products, they are more expensive than usual. Siding manufacturers recommend sheathing the walls of a building horizontally and the gables vertically, and lathing accordingly.

These recommendations are based on considerations of increased wind resistance of the sheathing. There is no place to go into the intricacies of the aerodynamics of buildings here; suffice it to say that the combined cladding is designed for an average annual wind speed of over 10 m/s. However, in the Russian Federation there are almost no places with such winds, only in some places on the outskirts the average annual wind speed exceeds 5 m/s. Therefore, our finishers often make horizontal cladding on vertical joists throughout the entire outer area of ​​the building. This simplifies and reduces the cost of work.

About thermal bridges

The reader may have a question: if the sheathing is metal, then what is the point of insulation? The metal frame will let the cold into the wall in addition to any foam.

It will not allow entry if spacers made of paronite or basalt cardboard are placed under the profiles in the places where they are attached to the wall or under the heels of the adjusting strips; By the way, they are very convenient for adjusting the evenness of the lags. But the self-tapping screw does not form a thermal bridge; it sits not directly in the wall, but in a plastic dowel.

About self-tapping screws

To attach the sheathing, you need 4-6 mm self-tapping screws, extending into the wall at least 60 mm. Phosphated (black) ones are better, they are cheaper and stronger, and they don’t rust under the skin. The fastening pitch is 350-500 mm, depending on the windiness of the place.

The sheathing parts are attached to the wooden sheathing with 3 mm self-tapping screws with a head-press washer with a diameter of 8 mm. To attach to a wooden sheathing you need “bugs” 22-24 mm long, and to a metal sheathing you need “fleas” 6-10 mm long. The fastening pitch and other subtleties - see below, in the installation section.

About the old casing

Old wood sheathing can be left under the siding as long as it is not warped or rotted. This will immediately give a fairly flat underlying surface. If the sheathing is uncovered, it’s okay; we consider the protruding edges of the boards to be flat. You just need to adjust the fastening pitch so that the screws fit on the edges of the old boards.

About horizontal horizontal

Horizontal siding is easily attached to a vertical sheathing by one person, and the accuracy of installing the joists is not of decisive importance here: you will have to have some kind of fastening groove on the joist, but it is not necessary to strictly maintain the spacing of the boards. To attach the same panels to horizontal joists, two people need to install them according to a template, and the boards will have to be fastened with an assistant. In addition, the horizontal sheathing under the horizontal cladding must be two-level - without ventilation, the walls will become damp under the cladding. But the “horizontal to horizontal” skin can withstand gusts of wind up to hurricane force. Therefore, if you live in a place where there is something like the Novorossiysk forest, it is better to mount it this way.

Siding selection

Material

Siding is made of plastic (PVC, polyisopropylene), metal (galvanized steel, aluminum) and natural wood. The latter is unstable in the open air, despite any impregnation, therefore it is used either for special requirements for design and prestige (bottom left in the figure at the beginning), or in the interior (same place, bottom center). Aluminum siding is very impressive, but expensive, requires special tools and highly qualified workers, so it is not considered further.

Vinyl siding is the cheapest and most common, top left in Fig. at the very beginning. Its surface can imitate not only the color, but also the texture of the sample material (wood, stone, etc.). Working with it is not much more difficult than with cardboard. PVC siding is durable enough for all regions of the country, except for the highlands and the Far North, where there are often strong winds and frosts. In these places, you need to take propylene from plastic, it is 10-15% more expensive.

However, in southern areas, and in the same mountains, plastic siding exhibits an unpleasant property: 3-7 years after installation, without losing strength, it takes on a somewhat sloppy appearance. The reason is microcracks formed under the influence of ultraviolet radiation and dust that accumulates in them. Washing doesn't do any good; It can be restored using special silicone compounds for renewing plastic car parts. But they are expensive, and the surface area of ​​a house is not that of a bumper or spoiler; replacing the trim turns out to be much cheaper.

Metal siding (top center in the picture at the beginning) is completely insensitive to UV. Its painting, controlled by computers, gives a non-repeating color. Metal siding “under a log” (block house) can be distinguished from real perfectly debarked logs only by scratching. Which, by the way, is very difficult - the paint is incredibly durable.

Metal siding costs about the same as plastic siding, but it has some disadvantages:

  • Requires high evenness of the sheathing: if a plastic board 2.4 m long can be bent in the middle to a break of 3-4 inches, then a metal board breaks already at a deflection of an inch. And the permissible installation deflection is no more than 1/3 of the breaking one, and even that should be avoided.
  • Not as durable as PVC and especially propylene. It gets crushed by a good blow from the fist or head of a slipping person.
  • Does not allow receiving small, e.g. wood, texture.
  • The labor intensity of work on it is much higher.

The last point requires some clarification. You cannot cut metal siding with a grinder; heat and vibration far away from the cut will damage the protective coating. Metal scissors distort the edges of the profile, which is not always possible to hide under the extensions, especially for a novice craftsman. And the extensions also need to be cut, but they are always in sight. All that remains is either a hacksaw for metal with fine teeth, but when sheathing you have to make hundreds of cuts. Or - a special guillotine machine with a set of profile knives, very expensive.

Both plastic and metal siding are available for cladding both walls and plinths. Basement siding is shorter (panels up to 1.165 m long versus 6 m), wider (440 mm) and thicker (20 mm). It is more expensive, but stronger, looks very impressive, perfectly imitating natural stone, therefore it is successfully used for cladding not only plinths, but also the entire outer surface buildings (top right in the figure at the beginning). Working methods and additions for basement siding are different than for regular siding, see below.

Based on the above, we can give the following recommendations for siding cladding of private houses:

  1. In the middle zone, approximately between the St. Petersburg-Ekaterinburg and Voronezh-Volgograd lines, and in the south of Siberia - any, based on available funds. The cheapest and easiest to work with is vinyl.
  2. In the Southern Federal District, in the Far East south of Khabarovsk-Komsomolsk-on-Amur and in Kamchatka north to the Parapolsky Dol - metal siding or frost-resistant (-60/+60) vinyl.
  3. IN northern regions– plastic propylene, frost-resistant PVC for strong local winds, or metal if the weather is mostly calm.

To point 2. There is a lot of UV in Primorye in clear weather; Vladivostok lies on the same latitude as Sochi. But in summer the weather is not always clear there - the monsoon blows and brings rain. Therefore, for 10 years or more you can get by with plastic.

About combined cladding

Covering the entire house with basement siding will cost a pretty penny - it is two or three times more expensive than usual. On the other hand, many private houses are built with pilasters. To trace all these corners - an excessive amount of ordinary siding will be wasted. In this case, it would be best to allocate 10-12% for cladding. more money, and sheathe the house using a combined method: the planes are with ordinary boards, and the pilasters are with plinth panels; they are precisely adapted to work in small areas. The result can be even more elegant than with a continuous plinth paneling (bottom right in the picture at the beginning), but is not much more expensive than conventional paneling.

About the panel profile

As for the profile of the panels, which determines the appearance of the cladding, it can be any of your choice, see fig.

In terms of operational parameters, all profiles are approximately equivalent. You just need to meet three conditions:

  • Within one surface (wall, pediment), the cladding should be carried out with only one profile. Place panels next to each other different types You can't do it for the sake of beauty.
  • Use only accessories that are complete with panels, purchased together with them from the same batch.
  • Adjacent surfaces, the ends of the panels of which are included in one extension (corner walls, etc.), should also be sheathed with the same profile.

Video: seller’s opinion on choosing siding

Material calculation

Step 1

Now you need to calculate the required amount of material. First, determine the size of the sheathed area. There are no problems with walls, windows and doors. The pediment is another matter. Proprietary methods recommend calculating its area using Heron’s formula, but it requires three measurements, one having to be taken from a ladder, and two by climbing the roof with a tape measure. And if the house has an attic, a roof with kinks, and even an unequal one (for the sake of a larger living space, people resort to such tricks), then the error of an experienced craftsman may exceed the permissible one, or a good share of the material will have to be “wasted” in advance.

In fact, it is better to take measurements with a long cord and a plumb line, see fig. The areas of a triangle and a trapezoid are calculated using simple school formulas, and the required lengths can be easily accurately measured below by dropping the cord and plumb line. You can make precise marks on the cords by climbing the stairs just once. A mark on the pediment is needed in case you have to re-measure. It is applied with chalk.

Then the number of sheathing panels is calculated. The area of ​​one panel is calculated by subtracting the width of the fastening strip and the lock tooth from its width. For the case shown in Fig. on the right, it will be 229 mm, and the area of ​​one board 4.8 m long is 1.1 sq. m. For scraps, experienced craftsmen reserve an area of ​​3-5% (siding in this regard is very economical); for beginners it is better to take it at 5-7%.

The next stage is calculating the quantity and nomenclature of additional items. There is no single methodology for all occasions, because... all houses are different. Therefore, a beginner must definitely draw a diagram of the cladding of all surfaces and, working with it, select the additions. At the same time, you can more accurately calculate the required number of panels.

Note: Siding panels are available in lengths from 1.2 to 6 m. It is advisable to sheathe a long wall so that it covers a whole number of boards along the length. IN as a last resort– 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, etc. boards Based on this, a sheathing scheme is built.

Step 2

The next step is to calculate the nomenclature and number of additional elements. There are many dozens of their varieties on sale, but the vast majority of them are required for buildings of complex architectural forms. For ordinary houses, you can almost always get by with the following, see figure:

  1. cladding panels (boards);
  2. CD profile or timber for sheathing;
  3. platband (about them, see below, about windows);
  4. complex angles, external and internal, there are simple angles, but it is almost never possible to get by with them;
  5. soffit - a panel with ventilation holes for covering eaves;
  6. starting profile;
  7. finishing profile, very often replaced by a J-profile, see point 10;
  8. H-molding is a profile for connecting cladding panels if two or more panels need to be laid along the length of the wall.
  9. wall ebb (aquilon);
  10. J-profile, also known as J-channel, is a universal clamping element.

The trim strip is replaced with J-profile if the last highest trim panel has to be cut 1/4 or so of the width. In this case, the J-profile holds it better than the standard finish. If the topmost board comes out whole or cut off by about half, then a standard finishing strip is needed. These recommendations are valid for the most popular double siding, shiplap and herringbone.

For single siding, the finish is replaced with a J-profile if the last board is cut more than halfway. For triple and multiple widths, you should follow this scheme:

  • If longitudinal cut falls on the low (closest to the wall) part of the tooth, leaving the standard finish.
  • If you have to cut closer to the top of the tooth, replace it with a J-profile.

Errors and negligence

The following is unacceptable when calculating extras:

  1. Replace the starting profile with a J-bar. It does not fix, but only holds the panel. And since the whole number of boards in width along the height of the walls is rarely laid, the standard finishing strip is not always installed. And it turns out that the casing is not latched at the top and bottom; This one is blown away by a wind of 7-12 m/s.
  2. Replace the H-molding with two J-profiles, with their backs facing each other. Water, dust, and dirt will definitely penetrate into the gap between them.
  3. Save on aquilon if the house is built overhanging the base, as in Fig. higher. After covering, the standard teardropper stops working.

Note: It is also unacceptable for sanitary reasons to replace the starting profile with a J-bar - it then becomes a trough in which water stagnates.

About joining boards

With a whole number of boards along the length of the wall, they are joined with H-moldings (on the left in the figure), and with a half-integer, they are joined apart (there on the right). The latter method is in some cases more aesthetically pleasing, but overall much worse. Firstly, the wind resistance of the skin decreases, and secondly, moisture inevitably penetrates through the cracks under the skin. And from there she has nowhere to go except into the wall.

Let's start covering: technology and flaws

Working with siding is technologically very simple, but requires mandatory adherence to three rules, see figure:

  • do not overtighten the locks and fasteners, leave a gap of about 1 mm;
  • fasten the boards by driving hardware in the middle of the mounting windows, and not at the edge;
  • Do not push the sheathing elements into the extensions closely, leave a gap of 5-7 mm.

These conditions are dictated by the thermal expansion of the panels, which is up to 12 mm along the length of the board and up to 1 mm along its width. Without compliance with them, the sheathing will inevitably swell or break the fasteners with extensions.

Note: the maximum step for fastening panels is 1.2 m, and for extensions – 0.6 m. But one piece of any length must have at least 3 fastening points, along the edges and in the middle. There is no need to carefully maintain the step, as long as the fasteners fit in the middle of the joist.

The actual laying of the panels is carried out in the following sequence:

  1. We remove gutters, window and door frames;
  2. we make the sheathing, the outermost logs should be exactly at the corners;
  3. Use a hose level to mark the line for installing the starting profile; it should be no less than 12 mm from the uppermost corner of the base;
  4. install external corners;
  5. put the aquilon;
  6. set the starting profile;
  7. insert the board into the grooves of the corners with the lock facing down and push it into the start until it clicks;
  8. check the play vertically and sideways;
  9. we attach the board to the joists at the mounting edge;
  10. We place the remaining boards in the same way from bottom to top, snapping each one into the previous one and fastening it to the joists;
  11. insert the last board into the penultimate one WITHOUT FIXING, mark its desired height and cut it to the width;
  12. reapply the last board WITHOUT FIXING, outline its edge along the joists;
  13. we install the finishing or J-profile, moving its back upward from the marks by 6 mm;
  14. slightly bending, insert the edges of the last board into the corners, its cut edge into the finish or J-profile, and push up until the lock snaps into place.

Note: if windows and doors will also be framed with siding, then first of all they need to be sorted out, leveling the slopes and frames exactly to rectangularity. But it’s best to do without this, see below.

About the “soft start”

Sometimes, for the sake of aesthetics, starting profiles are first placed at the beginning of the cladding, and the mounting surfaces of the corners are trimmed along them, as shown in Fig. bottom right. But such a technique, generally speaking, does not justify itself. The edges of the corners are almost invisible both at the top and bottom of the wall, and their unsupported tips soon begin to warp and are now conspicuous.

About insulation

Insulation under the siding is elementary simple: after installing the dowels for the gutter brackets (see below), but before installing the sheathing, we apply a vapor barrier to the wall, and after assembling the sheathing, we place foam plastic boards between its joists. There must be a ventilation gap of 10-15 mm between the underside of the sheathing and the foam plastic.

There is only one drawback here: some overuse of hardware-fungi (or umbrellas) with which the foam is attached to the wall. One fungus will no longer be able to hold 4 adjacent corners of the insulation, as with continuous sheathing with durable EPS, so for each foam board you will need 5 fungi arranged in an envelope. But both in terms of money and labor costs, such an overexpenditure is a mere pittance compared to the general reduction in cost/simplification of sheathing and insulation work.

Video: siding technology

Peculiarities

The technique described above is suitable for covering a blank wall, but these are found as an exception, and pediments are always not rectangles. When covering a real facade, you have to work around its structural elements, which we will now look into.

Gutters

When dismantling the gutters, their brackets are also removed. The holes for them are widened for propylene dowels, into which the old (or new) brackets will then go, and the dowels are driven into them before installing the sheathing. Next we proceed like this:

  • On the previous board and corner before the next dowel, mark the coordinates of the hole.
  • In the next board after installing it, we drill it according to the coordinates, 12-15 mm wider than the diameter of the bracket, not the dowel! If, say, the bracket pin is 10 mm, then the hole should be 22-25 mm in diameter.
  • Once the sheathing is complete, we drive the brackets into the dowels.
  • We caulk the gap between the bracket and the casing with foam rubber, neoprene (a strip of household toilet sponge), etc. soft porous material.
  • We cut the caulk so that it protrudes above the caulking by 1-2 mm.
  • We apply a 1-2 mm layer of silicone sealant to the pin, caulk and sheathing, 20-25 mm apart.

Such insulation will reliably protect the casing from moisture getting under it along the bracket pin. At the same time, frozen silicone is quite elastic, and in a thin layer it stretches like rubber and will not interfere with thermal deformation of the panels.

Windows-doors

To frame window openings, special siding parts are produced: slope profiles, platbands, window aquilons, etc. But the very diversity of their assortment suggests that the siding is designed for covering large areas and it is difficult to frame openings with it.

In general, there are two schemes for framing windows with siding: overlay and butt, see fig. The first method better protects against moisture penetration under the skin, but the second is more aesthetically pleasing. In any case, the windows and doors will have to be trimmed and repaired before covering.

But the most best way– in general, do not climb into windows with siding. To do this, a continuous sheathing is made around each opening (on the left in the next figure) and framed with a J-profile, as shown there on the right. The opening is simply surrounded by siding, and then decorated using window and door technologies. This method also has the advantage that the windows/doors can then be finished slowly one by one, and not all at once “take more - throw further”.

Pediments

There are two features in gable cladding. Firstly, they complete the pediment with J-profiles, because the usual finishing strip does not hold the panel in an inclined position, and special cornice roads are almost never on sale.

Secondly, when covering the pediment both horizontally and vertically, you need to cut the ends of the boards exactly at an angle. This is done by cutting the panel, as shown in Fig. on the right: the board is inserted into the molding, the cut is marked, the board is removed, cut, inserted again into the groove of the profile or the lock of the previous one and pushed into the J-profile. It is most convenient for a beginner to sheathe a pediment divided vertically in half (or into 3 parts, if there is a window) with H-molding.

Note: It is possible to sheathe the pediment at the same time as the wall only if they are laid out at the same time from brick. If the pediment differs in any way from the wall, the sheathing between them must be divided by horizontally laid H-molding. If the pediment also has a ledge inward, then the wall must be completed with a finish, and the pediment must be started with an aquilon and a start, like a wall.

Cornices

For high-quality design of cornices, you may need, firstly, a special cornice molding, on the left in Fig. Then the piers are decorated on top with a J-profile and a special cornice strip with a groove for soffits, in the center in Fig. Finally, the frames for the soffits are decorated inside with the same J-profiles, and the soffits at the corner joints are separated by H-moldings. In general, the story with cornices turns out to be the same as with windows: covering them with siding is justified when performed by a team of trained professionals who hand over the covering on a turn-key basis “like candy.” But for yourself, it’s better to then slowly decorate it to your taste; siding on the gable wouldn’t hurt.

About metal siding

You need to work doubly carefully with metal siding; it can bend irreversibly under its own weight if you hold the board flat by the edge. Secondly, the additions for metal siding are different from those for plastic, see Fig., but for a blockhouse they have their own special ones. Cutting metal siding has already been discussed, and the assembly diagram for it is generally the same as for plastic siding, see next. rice. right.

For a beginner who is planning to “metalize” a house, it is better to do it with a blockhouse. Its smooth profile (in the middle in the figure) provides sufficiently high rigidity in both bending and torsion, so installing metal siding under a log is not much more difficult than plastic. The only significant difficulty that remains is cutting.

Note: When installing a blockhouse, you should especially be wary of skewing and jamming of panels. If plastic can still be torn back from a lock that accidentally snaps into place without damaging it, metal cannot. Both the board and the board were missing.

Base covering

Basement siding is covered from the bottom up, just like other sidings. It has the following nuances:

  1. Basement and wall siding must be taken from the same manufacturer and paired with each other.
  2. Sheathing with basement siding is carried out only “horizontally across horizontally” and, first of all, before sheathing the walls.
  3. No insulation is done.
  4. The positions of the lags are marked from the top of the base; unevenness relative to the ground is compensated for by cementing, blind areas, etc.
  5. During the assembly process, the coating appears additional operation– trimming the panels for the entrance to the corner (see figure), so careful calculation of the coating is needed so that too much material is not wasted.
  6. The panels are connected to each other by two locks, bottom and side, so you need to install them very carefully until you develop the skill. The exception is the first row, which slides in the starting profile.

To pp. 1 and 2 require clarification. The fact is that the basement siding ends not with a finish or some special basement J-profile (by the way, all the additions under the basement are also special), but with a basement curb. This border will also be the starting profile for the wall cladding; aquilon is not needed. It is clear that “someone else’s” or your own, but not adjusted to this particular plinth, wall siding may not fit into the curb. And if the wall was sheathed earlier, then the upper border, even if it stands up to the removal of the plinth, will turn out to be a water collector, and there is no way to fit an aquilon on top of it.

Tree

Wooden siding is the same plank, and the techniques for working with it are the same, see figure:

  • Start – rectangular plank.
  • The inner corner is a square rail.
  • The outer corner is a cladding board sawn lengthwise, assembled overlay or flush.
  • Assembly - on nails, according to the diagram in Fig. on the right in the top row.
  • There is no way to hide the fasteners of wooden siding, so the upholstery is treated with liquid nails to match the wood after assembly. At the same time, the joints are sealed, which, provided they are pre-impregnated with a fungicide, negates the likelihood of bugs or mold appearing in the sheathed room. Outside - as nature wills.

To get an attractive, reliable and inexpensive finishing option, you should choose to install siding yourself on a wooden house. This material is produced different colors and textures, among which everyone can find their own option.

Selection of materials

Before covering a wooden house with siding, it is worth studying basic information about the types of material. The following brief description can be given:

  • plastic siding is the cheapest, most practical, but is afraid of mechanical stress;
  • metal - strong and durable, but needs protection from rust (does not apply to aluminum);
  • wooden - fits perfectly into the properties of a wooden house and will be the best option, but buyers may be put off by the price;
  • fiber cement - not so popular, not flammable, durable, but difficult to install and has a large mass.



Next, you need to select the sheathing material. It can be made of wood or light metal profile. Installing metal sheathing is easier on uneven ground. Such a frame will be strong and reliable.

But covering a wooden house with siding on a wooden frame yourself will cost less. You also don’t have to worry about protecting the wall and sheathing with the element at the points of their contact, since they are made of material with similar properties. When purchasing and selecting wood for sheathing, it is important to ensure that the wood is:

  • without delaminations;
  • without deformation;
  • without bluish spots or signs of rot.

Before starting work, the wooden sheathing is impregnated with fire retardants and antiseptics. The former increase resistance to fire, and the latter to mold and mildew.

Preparing the base

Before you cover a wooden house with siding yourself, you will need to carefully inspect the wall. You need to check its strength and absence of severe damage. Next, you need to remove the old finish, which may interfere with the installation of the new finishing material. The base is cleaned of dirt and dust.

Frame installation

Finishing a wooden house begins with the installation of guides. The vast majority of siding requires the sheathing to be mounted vertically. Its pitch is selected depending on the insulation. The clear distance between the guides should be a couple of centimeters less than the width of the mineral wool. For polystyrene, the distance is selected exactly to match the width.

To make wooden sheathing, bars measuring 40x40 mm or 50x80 mm are most often taken. If using the metal version, you will need a kit special profiles different sections.


The frame slats are installed in increments of 40 cm, incl. around openings. There should not be any slats at the very bottom

Nails or self-tapping screws are used to attach the frame to a wooden wall. The former must have an anti-corrosion coating made of zinc or aluminum.
Before fastening the sheathing with a construction stele, a vapor barrier is installed. To do this, you can use regular plastic film, but it is better to buy a special vapor barrier membrane. The choice of materials in a wooden house should be taken extremely responsibly. It is not recommended to use those that will block the movement of air through the walls. For this reason, membrane is better than film.

When finishing a wooden house with siding, the vapor barrier is attached with an overlap of 10 cm. Before starting work, it is recommended to read the manufacturer’s instructions. Next, the guides are attached at the required increments, starting installation from the corners. Levelness is checked using a building level.

Insulation is placed between the sheathing guides. It is better if it is mineral wool - due to its good air permeability. A layer of waterproofing and wind protection needs to be fixed on top of the wool. The best option modern vapor diffusion (not to be confused with vapor barrier) windproof membranes will become.

Securing the starting J-profile

Cladding a house with siding with your own hands at the next stage involves the following procedure:

  1. Finding the lowest point on the sheathing using a level. It is necessary to measure 50 cm upward from this point and mark this point (for example, with a loosely screwed screw).
  2. Sequential marking of lines with self-tapping screws along the perimeter of the building.
  3. Pull the cord at a distance of 50 cm from the bottom along the screws.
  4. Marking the location of corner profiles on slats. The profile is laid to the corner, its edges are marked.
  5. Fixing the first starting profile along a rope with a gap of 6 mm from the future border of the corner profile.
  6. Fastening the remaining starting strips with a gap between adjacent ones equal to 10-12 mm for thermal expansion.
  7. Checking the level of the starting bars.

The profile must be mounted perfectly straight. If there are deviations at this stage, the entire siding of the wooden house will be distorted.

Corner profiles

Before you attach the siding, you will need to install the corner strips. They can be for external and internal corners. The first ones are mounted in this order:

  1. Marking the location of the edges of the spotlights.
  2. Attaching the guide to the corner of the building. There should be a gap of 3 mm between the profile and the soffit (roof). The lower border of the profile is located 6 mm below the border of the starting profile. The bar is secured with self-tapping screws in the upper part.
  3. Check verticality using a building level or plumb line. Adjust the location if necessary. Fastening the bottom and middle with self-tapping screws. Fasteners do not need to be provided too often.

Installation of corner profile

If it is necessary to join the profile in height, the joining place is located at the same level in all corners of the building. The joining is done with an overlap. The part with holes for fastening the top panel is cut so that there is a gap of 9 mm between it and the same part of the bottom panel. Instead of a corner profile, when installing siding on a wooden house, you are allowed to use two starter ones.

Step-by-step instructions for installing profiles for internal corners look almost the same. But in this case, other strips are used.


Options for interior corner solutions

Opening frames

When securing the siding with your own hands with insulation, you may encounter difficulties at this stage of the work. The fastening in this case depends on how the opening is located relative to the plane of the outer wall: flush or recessed.


Waterproofing is required around windows

In case of flush openings, the façade should be finished in the following order:

  1. Performing waterproofing of openings.
  2. Fastening trims or J-type profiles. For each opening you need to use 4 platbands: 2 horizontal and 2 vertical.
  3. The profiles are connected to each other. A bridge cut is made on each side of the upper profile. They are bent down to divert precipitation into the lower profile. Areas of material on the vertical strips that prevent connection with the upper ones should be removed. The side and top profiles are connected so that the bridges are inside.
  4. The operations are repeated with the lower casing. But in this case the bridges are cut in the side elements.

Installing profiles around windows

To work with recessed openings, you need to follow the same recommendations as in the previous case. The differences lie in the use of profiles of different shapes.

Installing the first panel

Work should begin on the side of the building that is least noticeable. In this case, there is an opportunity to practice and get better. The first panel is first inserted into the corner profile and into the locking connection of the starting one, snapped into place. Between bottom between the lock and the first siding element, a gap of 6 mm is required to compensate for thermal expansion.


The next step is to fix the first cladding strip to the sheathing. Self-tapping screws are used for this. The siding has elongated holes for fasteners; the self-tapping screw must be placed in the middle of this hole. All fasteners are placed strictly perpendicular to the wall surface. The screws do not tighten too much; this is necessary to prevent deformation and damage due to thermal expansion.

Installation of remaining panels

Finishing with siding with insulation (or without it) is then performed in two ways:

  • overlap extension;
  • extension using H-profile.

With the first method, you will need to first shorten the panel locks and fastening frames so that the overlap length is 2.5 cm. Installation of the H-profile is carried out according to the same principle as the corner elements. It is necessary to remember about the gaps of 0.6 cm from the starting strip and 0.3 cm from the soffit.

Every 2-3 rows it is worth checking the horizontal position of the siding using a building level. When passing through openings, a piece of trim falling into a window or door is simply cut off.

Completion of finishing

How to properly sheathe a building under a roof? You need to follow this algorithm:

  1. Measure the distance between the bottom of the finish strip lock and the penultimate siding panel. From this distance, subtract 1-2 mm per indent and obtain the required width last panel. The element is marked and cut off top part, in which a locking connection is provided.
  2. At the top of the last plank, hooks are made, which are located in increments of 20 cm. To do this, make cuts and bend them outward.
  3. The prepared strip is inserted into the penultimate panel and snapped into the finishing profile.


To sheathe the pediment, use profiles for internal corners or starting ones. The installation technology is similar to cladding the main part of the wall. In the same way, you need to trim the panels and remember the gaps of 6 and 9 mm. The last, uppermost section of the gable can be secured with a self-tapping screw directly through the panel material. This can only be done here; in other cases, drilling holes is not allowed.

To give a building a stylish, aesthetic appearance, finishing material such as siding is becoming popular. For its installation, you can, of course, use the services of professional builders. However, the price of services construction companies quite high. Therefore, if you have the right tools, you can install siding yourself. For the owner of a private house or cottage, this is especially true.

The easiest way to have a beautiful front lawn

You've certainly seen the perfect lawn in a movie, on an alley, or perhaps on your neighbor's lawn. Those who have ever tried to grow a green area on their site will no doubt say that it is a huge amount of work. The lawn requires careful planting, care, fertilization, and watering. However, only inexperienced gardeners think this way; professionals have long known about the innovative product - liquid lawn AquaGrazz.

Essential power tools

The process of finishing the facade of any task with siding will be facilitated by the presence of the following tools:

  • Hammer.
  • Hacksaw and metal scissors
  • Cordless drill (screwdriver).
  • Construction level (length – 2 m).
  • Marker or pencil for marking.
  • Roulette, at least 5 meters long.
  • Rope.
  • Construction corner.
  • Electric carry.
  • Punch.

Of course, it is not enough to have the necessary tool; you also need to be able to use it correctly. The step-by-step instructions below for covering the facade of a house with siding with your own hands will help you avoid most mistakes. However, before you begin facing work, you should understand what siding is and what materials it is made from.

Siding and its varieties

It is no secret that the quality of any finishing work, including installation of siding, will depend on the material used. Siding is a covering material made in the form of lamellas (plates) or slats. The plates are used for finishing walls and facades of the house, and lower floors basement siding is used. This type of facing material is made from raw materials such as:


  • Plastic. It is based on polymers made of acrylic and vinyl. The popularity of such material is difficult to overestimate. Despite the low price, it has a number of advantages. Such siding will not rot, because... it is resistant to moisture, it does not crack, it is resistant to fire. Plastic siding can be used both for finishing the house outside and inside. The disadvantage of this material is its low resistance to mechanical damage.
  • Metal siding. As a rule, galvanized iron or aluminum is used for manufacturing. This cladding material has maximum resistance to fire and deformation. The disadvantages of metal siding are its weight, and as a result, more labor-intensive installation. In addition, if its polymer coating is damaged, the siding will be susceptible to corrosion. Therefore, covering a log wooden house with metal siding requires special care. The condition of the metal coating should be checked regularly.


  • Wood siding. Homes with wood siding on the outside are quite rare. This type of cladding material is not as durable as metal and requires constant maintenance. Wood siding also has a very at a high price. However, all its shortcomings are offset by excellent thermal insulation, aesthetic appearance, soundproofness, and moisture resistance. Remember that open fire is extremely dangerous for wood siding.
  • Fiber cement siding. This material has all of the above advantages. It is absolutely resistant to fire, mold, and moisture. However, it also has a significant weight, so its installation will be difficult. For example, if plastic or metal siding is installed using a tongue-and-groove method, then fiber cement siding is installed only with an overlap and only with the use of special fasteners. Basement siding made from such material is in demand.

Finishing the facade and walls of a house with siding with your own hands is not difficult, but very painstaking work. When starting work, calculate the amount of material required. Do not forget that siding is used for the base in the form of slats, and for the walls and facade in the form of panels.


Preliminary calculations. Preparatory work

The approximate amount of siding required for finishing work on a house is determined based on the area of ​​the walls, facade and other elements outside the house. In other words, the area of ​​the walls and facade of the building is divided by the length of the siding panel. An accurate result can be obtained using a sketch of the building. Finishing long wall surfaces with siding will require joining joints; this will require an H-profile. Please note that joints made in different places, spoil the appearance of the house. A high-quality sketch of the decoration of the facade of the house allows you to calculate the installation of siding yourself with the least number of connections, while maintaining an acceptable cost.

Before installing siding yourself, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work to prepare the walls outside the house. To do this, you will need to remove dust and dirt, lime and remnants of other finishing materials, etc. from the surfaces to be sheathed. If plaster has been applied to the façade and walls of the house and has become of poor quality, it will need to be dismantled.


In addition, all external elements that interfere with the installation of siding will need to be removed from the walls, these include gutters, cornices, and window sills. For a wooden building, it would be a good idea to check the walls for the presence of fungus and mold.

If you plan to lay thermal insulation materials under the siding, you will need a vapor barrier film. It is used to protect insulation from condensation.

First stage. Frame

Installation of siding is carried out on a pre-prepared frame with your own hands. Metal or wooden materials are used for its manufacture. It is worth noting that metal sheathing has the advantage of durability and strength. In addition, the metal frame is better fixed on uneven surfaces. It is much more difficult to play around with machine defects using a wooden frame.

The profile is attached to the wall using hangers, and the distance between them should not exceed half a meter. This installation method allows you to set the profiles using a building level, despite the unevenness and imperfections of the walls.

If finances are limited or installation of metal sheathing is impractical, use a wooden frame.


For such sheathing, it is prohibited to use material that is flaking, deformed, or has traces of mold or rot. This is especially true for a wooden log house.

The frame is mounted on smooth, prepared walls. Siding panels are mounted horizontally on the facade of the house or its walls. Accordingly, sheathing bars or metal profiles are installed vertically. The guides are attached to the wall of a wooden house using nails or self-tapping screws. If the base is made of concrete, monolith or brick, you should use a hammer drill and dowels. Each rail or profile is set according to its level.

If, along with the cladding work, external thermal insulation of the walls is also planned, the lathing for siding is installed after all work with the insulating material. In this case, two frames will be installed: for siding and for thermal insulation. It is important that the sheathing slats are parallel to each other.

Method of working with siding

Regardless of the material from which the building is constructed, after preliminary work, do-it-yourself siding installation is carried out in the same sequence.


Work on finishing a brick, monolithic, timber, or any house begins with installing the starting panel and fixing it with nails or self-tapping screws. The next step is to install the H-rail, if provided, and install the corner fasteners. Window blocks and doorways are designed using profile J.

Starter profiles and guides must be installed flawlessly, and the step-by-step instructions serve as a guide for novice finishers. The first steps look like this:

  1. Initially, you need to use a level to find the bottom point on the frame, and, stepping back 5 centimeters from it, make a mark. This is done using a self-tapping screw or nail.
  2. Consistently, moving around the house, we screw in the screws as marks. Starting profiles will be installed in these places. Do not forget about the marks in the corners of the building.
  3. We stretch the construction cord between the corner screws.
  4. We apply the boundaries of the profiles installed at the corners to the frame slats. To do this, we apply the profile to the sheathing, and, using a pencil or marker, apply marks to its edges.
  5. Adhering to the cord, we make a horizontal gap of six millimeters from the corner profiles and mount the starting guide to the profile or sheathing slats.

Don't forget to leave a gap of 10 millimeters between the profiles.


This is necessary to compensate for temperature differences. A gap of six millimeters should not be made if you remove part of the nail strips in advance, and they will not rest against the J profile when there is a temperature difference. The initial profiles should only be mounted horizontally. Don't waste your time on this. Otherwise, it will be extremely difficult to correct the subsequent distortion of the siding.

External corner profiles

Do-it-yourself installation of these elements is carried out in the following order:

  1. We mark the soffits; it is important for us to know where their edges will be.
  2. We take the guide and apply it to the sheathing; leave a gap of three millimeters between it and the soffit (roof). Then we fix the guide using self-tapping screws, but its lower edge should be six millimeters below the starting profile.
  3. Checking the vertical installation. If there are no defects, we fasten the bottom and other places. Do not overuse fasteners in corners.

If the height of the building exceeds three meters, the profile will fit one on one. To do this, the top profile will need to be trimmed. This is necessary so that there is a gap of nine millimeters between the connecting elements.


The profiles must be connected at one level and on one side of the building. In case basement siding protrudes, the profile needs to be trimmed so that there is a gap of six millimeters between them.

Internal corner profile

The methods for installing internal corner profiles are practically no different from the methods for finishing external corners. The space between the corner and the soffit should be three millimeters, and the lower edge of the profile should be six millimeters below J of the profile. If basement siding or other element protrudes from below, the profile will need to be trimmed.

Finishing window and door openings

Many novice finishers experience difficulties at this stage. The openings can be flush with the wall surface, they can be recessed, or they can protrude. The most common openings are those that are on the same level with the wall. The instructions for finishing such an opening look like this:

  1. We protect openings from precipitation.
  2. We install platbands on the openings (for each opening, two vertical and two horizontal ones are used).
  3. We join the profiles.

Installation of main siding panels

Work on decorating the facade of a house with siding with your own hands always begins with the most inconspicuous part of the building. This allows the installation technology to be developed with minimal losses.


  1. The panel is mounted in a corner profile and fits into the lock of the starting guide.
  2. The panel is fixed to the frame.

Subsequently, the panels are mounted using H-profiles or overlap one another. Installation of the remaining panels is no different from fixing the first one. When approaching the opening, the excess will need to be removed. Don't forget to check the horizon of the panels every three levels using a level.

To furnish the lower part of the house, basement siding in the form of slats is used; you should not use ordinary panels for these purposes.

In addition to its decorative functions, siding protects the house from precipitation, winds, and when laying a thermal insulation layer, from temperature changes.