How To Replace Rotted Clapboard Siding

Pry off the rotted boards.

How to replace rotted clapboard siding.

Protect sound siding with a scrap piece of 1 4 in. The slices were then nailed. Use section of old clapboard to mark the length of the replacement siding. After you remove the rotted courses use a small hacksaw to cut any protruding nail shanks or if you have a very strong grip use a good pair of wire cutters.

However the amount of present rot can be deceptive. Cut the clapboard using a 10 teeth per inch crosscut handsaw. Wedge the board away from the house by driving wedges up under the damaged board to pull it out from the sheathing below. A lumberyard can help you get the best match for your clapboard siding repair i bought a couple of pieces of the siding in case i screwed one up or discovered more rot both very likely scenarios.

First to help avoid any future insect damage back prime the cedar with oil based primer image 1. We used cedar siding to replace the rotted clapboards. Look for the nails in this section of clapboard and pull them out. When old claps split rot or warp they can t perform their crucial job of shedding the elements.

Replace the old board with a new one of the same size and shape. Clapboard is a throwback to an earlier time when hemlock pine spruce or cedar boards were split lengthwise to produce siding. Such was the case with the quarter sawn old growth white pine clapboards on this 1840s era greek revival house which had enough splits and rot to require replacement. Use utility knife and speed square to score the cut line onto new clapboard.

Here s how to repair damaged clapboards also known as bevel or lap siding. A single rotted clapboard can usually be replaced by the homeowner or the commercial maintenance crew by using the old rotted clapboard as a measurement board for the new siding plank. Pry the remaining pieces of old clapboard out from behind the course above. Repair methods for clapboard siding.

For your clapboard siding repair your best bet for a good match on anything out of the ordinary is a good lumberyard.