Tips on replacing siding?

[mtnman1]

Will be helping a neighbor replace some masonite siding.

Above all the lawsuit and hardiplank stuff, any helpful hints on replacing siding?

Thanks - jim

[Lawrence]

Be sure to wear eye protection.

[Don Young]

If it is installed with spiral shank siding nails with small heads, pulling them can be pretty tough. A nail pulling bar with a wide, thin head will help. You may have to pull the heads thru the siding and pull the nails afterward. A pincer type slide hammer nail puller will sometimes work. The problem is to do minimum damage to the next course up, which has to be lifted to replace the sheet and then fastened back down over it.

Do not butt the ends tightly together. Install a flashing strip behind each vertical joint with the the bottom of the strip lapped over on top of the lower course, leave about 1/8 inch gap, and caulk with flexible caulk. Otherwise the sheets will buckle as they expand and contract. Do not caulk the horizontal seams.

Caulk carefully around doors and windows and be sure the bottom edges are painted good.

You can make little sheet metal clips to hold the bottom of a sheet to the top of the underneath one if you are working alone. Otherwise use a chalk line and keep everything straight and neat. I personally use screws to install the siding but it takes longer and costs more than nailing. Don Young