Starter strip for tongue and groove siding?
pkelecy
| Posted in Green Building Techniques on
I am planning to use horizontal tongue and groove siding for a renovation, and I’m planning to blind nail it so nail heads don’t show. However, I’m not sure what to do about the first row. Does anyone make a starter strip (j-channel) that could be used to hold the groove in the first row? That would be ideal, but I’ve not come across anything like that. Is there a better way to fasten the first row that avoids face nailing? After the first rows is attached, the remaining boards can be nailed through the tongue.
Thanks for any advice.
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Replies
Hey Patrick.
I've never installed tongue-and-groove siding, but I imagine other GBA members have. Giving your post a bump because I'm interested in solutions for this too.
Perhaps you could re-purpose something else like stucco lath starters or fabricate your own with a brake. Perhaps countersinking and filling the nail holes at first piece. Even hardwood floors can live with some face nails. If the starter proves too flexible you will be face nailing at any rate. If it was me I wood rip the groove of the bottom and face nail it. You sure don't want the first course moving.
Thanks for the replies. Since posting this I did come across a few products. Flannery makes a starter strip (SJS 25-187) that's designed for Resysta siding. Based on its dimensions, it should work with standard T&G products also. Fraser also makes a starter strip for their Evolution T&G siding. I'm not sure of its dimensions (waiting for a response on that) but it looks promising as well. There are also a number of companies that make starter "clips" for decking that might work. And as Mike mentioned, it might be possible to make something on a brake, assuming the strength was sufficient.
Given how common T&G siding is, I'm a bit surprised there isn't some standard starter strip everyone uses. But my guess is the standard solution is to just face nail it (or screw it), which I'll likely need to do at the top anyway. So probably shouldn't worry too much about this.
Thanks again for the feedback.
Pat
Is Resysta the rice hull siding? Have you used it? Did you ever have issues with pests eating it?
If you fabricate something I would be very careful not to make it so that it traps moisture. If that groove rots the whole board would come off. Cedar is rot-resistant but decidedly not rot-proof.
You can hide the exposed edge by routing a notch in the edge of a trimboard and then using that notch so that there is a lip of trimboard concealing any exposed fasteners along the first row of whatever type of siding you're using. I think there are some PVC trimboard profiles that are made specifically to do this, but I'm not entirely sure about that.
Bill
You can buy a tapered plug cutter drill bit, it is then easy to cut plugs from the same siding material that you are using. If you are careful about cutting plugs with a similar grain profile to the piece being fastened, and then sand them flush, they become almost invisible.
You can blind nail up through the tongue--just predrill, hand-nail and be careful.