How to start vinyl siding (4 inches off layout) 

Yeah, it can get pretty tough! You bundle up, but then you can’t move. All in a days work I suppose. 🥶 🤗

Glad to help! Will be posting more videos. Might try a couple a month, maybe more.

Thanks!

Thanks!

The “drop catcher” just covers the edge of the plywood so it isn’t visible from the side. It most likely helps quite a bit to keep water out but is not 100%. I don’t think there’s typically enough water flow there to cause much damage anyways. But if you want to be sure the edge of the plywood is protected I’d recommend caulking the edge before putting the drop catcher up.

If the foundation and the framing are flush I usually cut the nail fin off from the exposed side of an inside corner (flush with the face of the corner) and run the corner to the furthest point down. If there is a step in or out from the framing - usually I stop the corner up higher and install j channel on the lower part against the foundation.

I'm thinking the only way to get the groves to line up once I make the turn at the inside corner is to run j and rip a piece in half or whatever that difference is. The situation I'm in is like __l-- where the l is the inside corner. Running from right to left

Got it… yeah if the layout isn’t a multiple of 4” you’ll most likely have to start with j channel and a “rip” of siding on one of the sides. Sometimes I’ve been able to make up the difference by hanging one side down further than the other. Then I can start with starter strip on both sides and still have the ribs in the siding line up.

Hi, a 1/4” staple is too narrow and will most likely clip the nailing fin on top or bottom, which will cause the siding to bubble. I’d recommend using a 16 gauge 1/2” crown galvanized staple that penetrates into the wood by at least 1 1/4” (make sure to check your manufacturer instructions and local code requirements, I’ve done jobs where the codes required aluminum nails).

Do you prefer any type of stapler brand model and does it have to have a siding tip? Would a coil nailer be easier?

I use a Paslode scs200 that comes with a vinyl siding tip already attached. I seriously cannot find them except for one local place that doesn’t offer shipping. In my experience with roofing coil nailers, the pressure varies too much because of the actuator that pulls the nails forward. That variable pressure causes some nails to go too tight and some too loose. They also don’t always come out straight and that causes the nail to sometimes clip the bottom or top of the nail fin - both problems require pulling out a hammer to correct… I think some people have better luck with a battery powered dewalt roofing nailer because you’re not dealing with variable air pressures, but I can’t really attest to that. I prefer staples because they have been more consistent in my experience. Again you must check your specific siding and local code requirements if you hope to have a warranty (warranties usually don’t cover improper installation practices).

Gotcha, didn’t know if the stapler had to have a different tip that you buy separate and which staplers you can find a tip for.

As far as I know there’s only one stapler for vinyl siding right now, and I only can find one place to get it. (There is an Apache VF40 stapler, but that uses an 18 gauge staple that doesn’t meet minimum requirements). If you want to buy a Paslode SCS200 with a vinyl siding tip off from me I would be happy to drive to my local store and buy one to ship out to you… or if you can find one somewhere online I’d be happy to share that information with anybody who asks. Also you could buy almost any 7/16”-1/2” crown 16 gauge stapler and modify the tip (maybe just with an angle grinder) to fit on the nail hem.

Story poles work well for fiber cement and wood siding, not as well for vinyl siding imo. Unless you have a method?

What do you mean by story poll?

A story pole is a piece of wood that you mark predetermined measurement increments on, say every 4” if that’s your preferred siding reveal. You can then easily carry that around the house and transfer the marks to the wall as needed to set your coursing heights… these come in real handy when you want to land with a full width of siding above or below a window - all you do is tilt the story pole until a mark aligns with the top or bottom of the window. It takes the math and guess work out of losing or gaining on course height.