Image by Bbbrrnn via Flickr
Cladding is a material that’s used for the exterior of your home. When installing house cladding, it’s vital to do it the proper way, as this will greatly impact the exterior appearance of your house. There are many different types of cladding that you can choose from including brick, stone, vinyl siding, PVC and cement fibre boards.
Because the material that the cladding is made of comes in different types, steps in installing it will vary. For this guide, we will outline the general steps required in installing cladding for houses. Cladding comes in different lengths and thicknesses but all of them use the tongue-and-groove joint method.
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Make sure there are no electric fixtures or fittings. You cannot clad on top of these as this can cause arching, overheating, or electrocution. Contact a qualified electrician who can move existing electrical fixture or fit it forward with the cladding.
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Ensure also that all plumbing is rerouted. You may need to adjust supply pipes to radiators. Contact a qualified plumber to help you on this one.
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Measure your home’s exterior. This will help you determine how much exterior cladding you need. Measure the length and width of each wall as well as the windows and doors where you will be required to make trims or channels.
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If your home’s plaster is crumbling or falling off, remove it with a chisel and club hammer. Wire brush the wall after.
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Ensure all sheathing is complete. All plywood sheathing should already be installed before installing exterior cladding.
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Wrap the outside of your home with paper wrap securing it with staples. After that, place another layer but this time, using faux stone panels. Secure it with nails. Adding these two is important in order to make your home more energy efficient and weather resistant.
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Take out your timber and cladding and let it lay flat on the side. The timber should be stored in the room being clad two weeks before using it for installation. This acclimatises the wood and shrinks it before being fixed.
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Remove the skirting board, dado rails, and picture rails.
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Begin the starter row of the cladding at the bottom of the wall. This applies to all the types of cladding materials you will be using for your exterior wall cladding. This step takes the most time but only because you have to make sure it levels along the entire length of the wall.
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Place each successive row making sure that each row overlaps the top of the bottom row. This helps prevent water from seeping into the back of the cladding. To help you set the correct spacing of your hardboards, you can create a spacing rod that you will use as you nail each hardboard up the wall. Use the spacing rod as guide for knowing where the base for the second board should be.
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Sand the outward face of your cladding and remove all dust. Wipe the surface with a lint-free cloth.
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Apply finish on the exterior cladding. This is only applicable for cladding materials that require special items to finish the look and add protection. Vinyl siding for example, requires the use of J channels and corner pieces. There is no need to apply coat inside the groove or back of the tongue.
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Fix skirting and other mouldings. You may use panel adhesive to put this in place. Finalize coat after cutting and fixing the boards.
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Saw off the ends and remove any splinters with sandpaper
Follow these steps and you should be on your way to a beautifully cladded home in no time.