How To Install Real Wood Siding

A brief overview on installing real wood siding.
Just to clarify a point, I'm only back-priming the siding on the first 4 or 5 courses since these are the ones that will most often get direct rain and also rain bouncing back from the ground below.

[@SachiWI]

I really do love the color you chose John Heisz it sure does a lot for your curb appeal - it's like night and day from what it looked like

[@mateostabio]

Aren’t you suppose to nail the boards on the top edge so the nail heads end up behind the board above? (Similar to shingles on a roof?)

[@FynexFox]

Watching you work is a real treat, John. I love watching your home renovations and repairs come to light. Thanks!

[@toolhog10]

That siding really is the icing on the cake. The house looks brand new now. It really has come a long way. Not that I really care that much, but nice color choice... Blends nicely with the land. I guess the 70's house colors aren't in at the moment anymore.

[@TheJoeman11]

Well made video, your attention to detail is critical to showing how to do this job to a high standard. Thank you! And your caulking application is a pleasure to watch too!

[@baconsoda]

I really enjoy these talkie-type videos but, the usual complaint, too short. I would quite happily watch you painting the whole thing. You are doing a beautiful job. Best Wishes, Brendan.

[@trillrudeboy]

Looks great. I notice that you did not use furrow strips to create airways behind the siding. I live in a hot humid Gulf of Mexico area and need to make sure I have ventilation. How does installation of furrow strips affect the installation of window and corner trim boards?

[@FearsomeWarrior]

Thank you for sharing your technique. Not that many ways to learn how to do it right without knowing someone like you.

[@bellevuesnekkeri]

I spot a re-use of the old dustcollector as a sawhorse/riser for your materials. Sweet. At 6:01 .....man you are a machine with that caulk-gun, almost no need to straighten it with the finger afterwards

[@IBuildItHome]

Bellevue Woodshop I'v had lots of practice with the caulking, I think I've gone through thousands of tubes.

[@bellevuesnekkeri]

I Build It Home It really shows. good job:)

[@toyboxprojects1895]

+I Build It Home Caulking is a lot harder than it looks. Great job. I really appreciate someone who can handle a caulking gun well. I have had a lot of experience as I install siding as a profession. Most of the time when I have to caulk a joint though I can't tool it because I use color matched caulk and it will turn white if you do that.

[@sahlind]

It is very interesting to see the vast difference in building techniques in North America compared to how we do it here in Sweden. The house is turning out great!

[@jaspermarshall3973]

i guess Im kinda randomly asking but does anyone know of a good website to watch newly released series online ?

[@roccomarley3411]

@Jasper Marshall Flixportal :D

[@jaspermarshall3973]

@Rocco Marley Thanks, I signed up and it seems like a nice service :D I appreciate it!

[@roccomarley3411]

@Jasper Marshall Happy to help :D

[@RaulBlancoI]

I Build It Home that's a nice job John, and the white and green combination looks great!

[@IBuildItHome]

Raúl Blanco Thanks :)

[@cinda-girl517]

Nice work John. Real wood is much nicer than the prefab crap that is used so predominantly these days. Yes, real wood is more expensive, but certainly worth it in my opinion. Thanks for sharing. You have a new subscriber.

[@joshw6212]

I beg to differ on the "prefab crap", if you are referring to a product such as LP Smartside. This product has a 50 year warranty, which is better then you can realistically expect out of a real wood siding. Also, smartside is produced with fast growing, small diameter trees, which makes it a much more readily available product, that does not require old growth timber. I have zero issues with real wood, but I think you may want to take another look at some of the new products out there. have a great day

[@connorgaydos8677]

@@joshw6212LP smart side has proved to fall apart after like 5 years as it’s basically glorified particle board.

[@joshw6212]

@@connorgaydos8677 well, its been on my house for 6 years now and it shows zero signs of failure anywhere....but ok

[@JacobRoberts1]

I love watching these videos. Thanks for taking the time to make them!

[@zlatanmustacevic9261]

I've been researching into constructing sheds and discovered a fantastic website at Adota blueprint pack (google it if you are interested)

[@muh1h1]

When you are finally done with it, you are going to have the nicest house in the entire neighbourhood :) it is probably going to survive generations also :D

[@abelnieto432ify]

Very beautiful and high quality craftsmanship,I love love love it!!Such a nice green color aswell!!Great job John,thx for taking the time to record this video,really needed to hear these tips!!

[@wakeuprandy]

I really like what you have done throughout this project. Thank you for sharing!

[@kman-mi7su]

Good video probably the best I've seen so far. I have to replace rotted siding on the side of a dormer on my house. The roof is steep so I'm thinking of using roof jacks but I'm going to try to get it done on my 32-foot ladder before I do.

[@dpelcherjr]

Super video John. I learned something new today, as usual when I watch your videos. I did a small siding job on my shed last year, but caulked after and not before and during as I should have. Thank you. This will come in handy very soon.

[@JohnHeisz]

Thanks Dave :) Doing the caulking right makes a huge difference to the lifespan and durability of the siding and paint. When water can get in, it causes problems and when it gets in but can't get out, it causes even more.

[@dpelcherjr]

Got it. Thanks again.

[@doctorwork]

How do you tell a high-quality caulk from a low-quality caulk? Is it simply by price, or is there something else you look for, such as brand?

[@stevenalford-purvis7613]

Nice timing. Just about to wood side my new shed/greenhouse and this proved helpful. Thanks.

[@CharlesLi1]

Enjoying these as much as your other channels! What makes a caulk high quality? I just see outdoor and grab it but have no clue differences between them. Thanks I Build It Home !

[@IBuildItHome]

Charles Li Price, usually. The one most people buy is a DAP product, which is a latex caulk (waterbased) and very thin. It shrinks away to nothing leaving very little protection. It's cheap and it works great for some things, but I wouldn't use it for this. Must be paintable, so not 100% silicone and will normally say right on the tube what it's recommended for. The one I'm using says "windows, doors and siding".

[@rossr6616]

Enjoying your practical videos. For tongue and groove cedar siding which will get olympic stain/sealer, do I need to seal the back of the board also, or just the exterior face? I’ve read of horror stories of T&G buckling from expansion or shrinking exposing the vapor barrier, so seems like total sealing would be best to lock it in current moisture state ??.

[@pinotnero69]

Hi, nice job. I have a question though about the inside corners. I am using 10" bevel cedar sidind. The thickness varies from a 1/4" to 3/4" on the bevel boards. What degree do you cut the ends for an inside corner? If the ends are cut at 90°, I end up with a big gap between the boards at the upper ends of the boards. Thanks for replying.

[@jackmack9325]

Really admire your hard work, As much as you have done to your house, I really hope you got a deal on it! lol

[@tomhoodjr]

What did you use for a starting strip?

[@Davesdiy]

That looks about like the same color we painted ours, brown trim instead of white though. House is really coming along.

[@mcsqueegee81]

Usually wood lap siding is cedar? Ive never seen pine etc for that. Am in the northwest, WA. T1-11 is hem or fir i think

[@urihaynes]

Curious what the life expectancy is for pine siding applied in this way? And how does that compare to fiber cement siding?

[@nomadglampingba]

Hello there 😊 So there is no need for osb sheating for wood siding. It goes directly to studs. Right?

[@shahsmerdis]

Which paint did you use btw? I was told for bare wood primer should be oil based? I thought its best to have breathable paint?

[@redneckgoatfarmer]

Nothing better then real wood siding. So many houses look plastic these days.

[@klauerb]

Love the look of real wood siding. The shadow lines are much stronger than with cement board etc. I had a beautiful cedar sided home once that required constant repainting. The explanation I got for the paint failure was that the clapboards were not backprimed and moisture penetrated from the back, causing the paint to separate from the front. I highly recommend priming the entire clapboard, ends as well after cuts are made to avoid this issue.

[@IBuildItHome]

The lower courses are back primed. Also, it's 3-1/2 years later and my paint isn't peeling or in need of repainting. Back priming is always a good idea, but there are a lot of other factors that have a greater impact on paint adhesion over time.

[@gregl2249]

awesome video---I had a diffucult choice b4 trying to decide between insulated viny and Hardie lap siding ---now u have given me an even tougher choice----can u explain why u didnt use either of the others---i love wood siding and am having a hard time imagining me putting plastic siding on my house--thx again! btw i will be residing over wooding dutch lap

[@mrmjspencer]

Q. How would you flatten your table saw top? I have a similar saw and since moving home it has a dip in the top. Your videos are truly informative. I can't thank you enough for the inspiration you provide. Thank you. Matt

[@pinotnero69]

If you have more than 1 board on long lengths, like 40 foot walls, how do you cut the ends, at 45° ? Thanks for replying

[@artstreetstudio]

Is that pine siding? And what do you think of the synthetic shellac primer? Thanks much.

[@fouroakfarm]

I've been taught that back priming is beneficial to prevent differential moisture absorption. True or not necessary?

[@IBuildItHome]

Bike Man Dan I would say that's the best approach, to back prime everything to ensure the siding is "encapsulated", to limit moisture absorption. But, I think the benefit is marginal where the siding will normally stay dry. The lower courses get direct rain and splash-back from the ground below, so will see a lot more exposure to water. The upper courses see very little and the exterior paint blocks nearly all of that.

[@almonjacob3496]

This is the siding I am planning to use on my house in southern Georgia (Hot, and humid, and almost daily rain) How do you think a Sho sugi-ban process will last using southern white pine?

[@foodiesworldUSA]

Can I convert the wood siding to a stone veneer exterior or maybe layer stone on wood siding to get a more luxury look?

[@user-vw4qc4fh6o]

why did you choose not to use furring strips? I am about to put some up and trying to figure out if I need it or not in North Texas?

[@americanrifleman2992]

You may have saved me thousands of dollars. Thanks for the information.

[@rayswem1328]

Hey john what color did you use, amazing work on everything I have watched on your channels, truly enjoy the videos.

[@tiffanyalvarez1363]

is the wood your using, just regular pine board but primed and painted? if so how does it hold outside after a few years?

[@stefeniedavidmusic]

Looks nice. I find vinyl siding looks good from a distance but it just seems so flimsy and cheap. This is the way I think I'll go. Love that colour.

[@mrtmtl3953]

Very informative and professional video. Thank you for your time. I love videos like these

[@CaliMaxe]

I am painting ciding. Should I be caulking the gaps between ciding seams?

[@vallejokid1968]

I like that color a lot. Did you happen to say what color it was on your website or on a video?

[@jasonmariani1258]

I noticed that your piece of siding is cut snug and tight to the corners. What happens when wood expands due to wet conditions and the tightly cut piece of siding expands and pushes on the corners causing stress on corners and thus popping the nails that secure the board to the studs?

[@robc5639]

Thank you so much for the info, very informative ! AAA . Would you need to prime the backs of the boards ? kind regards Rob

[@AntKardano]

is home depo wrap decent? Other youtubes told me that I should only use Tyvek

[@brianchv3661]

John, How do you feel about the new cement siding? I’m deciding weather to use it or not

[@thisisme8522]

nice job what kind of wood are you using sir?

[@yusuihang]

Caulk the nail head first before priming?

[@williamzanghettijr5862]

what brand caulking did you use? Love the video, William

[@Popeslash]

Hi. What's in the corner of your wall where the planks meet?

[@MRrwmac]

Lot of work but It's getting there John! Thanks for sharing.

[@leivenabigaildobson9700]

If you can remember what company did you get that pine siding from?

[@JimDockrellWatertone]

Looks really nice. I like the colour!

[@hungvu8480]

I can not find this kind of siding tabthe local store. Can you send me a link how to order this please. I have to redo the back of my house. Thanks

[@1873Winchester]

Yes, real wood siding! I note a difference in canadian & scandinavian construction process, over here there's usually an air-gap between the wall and the siding. So there's a bunch of exterior studs the siding is installed onto. And the wall behind the siding is just exterior grade drywall, no caulking is done that I know of. I wonder what the pros and cons of the different methods are. Perhaps this method is used in Canada, too?

[@IBuildItHome]

1873Winchester Furring behind the siding is common here too, and must be done to comply with the warranty on most of the prefinished products. It's done with the idea that any water that does get through will not sit between the backside of the siding and the wall sheathing. But, if you are really careful and thorough sealing the gaps with caulk and keep the paint in good condition, water will not get in.

[@lkeeble]

I think it's better to install some furring behind the siding because some water will most likely find its way (eventually) back there and get trapped, causing planks to rot (and sometimes can seep into the sheathing which is typically not 100% waterproof). The furring will let that water run down as John pointed out. My house was sided with wooden log cabin type siding nailed directly on top of the house sheathing and I spend a lot of time replacing boards due to (I believe) this problem.

[@mrperez7036]

where did you get the wood siding from? new subscriber

[@hungvu8480]

You use the vinyl siding corner piece in this house right?

[@DaveMadeIt]

How do you seal the corners where two 90 degrees sidings meet? It looks like you have just put in a square piece of stock but with the angle of each piece of siding I don't think it would logically be that?

[@IBuildItHome]

DaveMade.It It's just a piece 1-1/4" square cut from a 2x4 and the siding just butts into it.

[@emanekaf4107]

whats that plastic stuff under the weather boards? how did you put it up?

[@SebastianAdamski83]

Hi. Whats the color of paint? Love it with white trim.

[@susanhenry6834]

Is the first board flat then over lapping starts.

[@raesrebornluv]

What kind of wood siding is that and where did you purchase it?

[@thoperSought]

that was really interesting. I'll probably never do this myself, but it was super interesting to watch

[@redwingsyankees2011]

Hi John, I love the colour you chose. Do you know offhand what it is called?

[@IBuildItHome]

Derek Dinezza It's a Sherwin Williams colour, "hardware": www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW6172-hardware/#/6172/?s=products&p=PS0

[@redwingsyankees2011]

I Build It Home Thanks!

[@marceaton3128]

How often will you have to paint this over the years?

[@jimeckland]

I didn't see the corner pieces. What did you use?

[@deeskrodzki242]

How thick were the boards that you were using?

[@lucascorreia3203]

what was the caulking that you used?

[@shartne]

Looks like a quality job.

[@nilobalodo997]

May i know the dimension of that wood youve installed?

[@mcsqueegee81]

Definitely recommend using a sprayer, mask the windows at least. Spray & back brush that siding! Speed it up considerably & still do great job. If lp siding or hardie, you can skip the backbrushing

[@jamesbwaterman]

Lovely video. Thanks for making it!

[@ianschimke2431]

Nice quality wood siding done right.

[@billmccormack682]

Thanks for making he video and posting it.

[@beinghuman6527]

How about installing inside corner ?

[@justinpratt3462]

Excellent video 👍

[@JamesG1126]

No rain screen?

[@karlarobles2707]

what kind of wood is that

[@hungvu8480]

I love the old wood siding. Not like vinyl siding, l, if a tiny rock shoot out from the lawn mower, you get a hole. Wood siding? Nothing , or just the paint got scratch

[@henrymerino6038]

Good video thank you for not trying to sell me crap

[@Wordsnwood]

White Shellac - $15 for half a liter at Rona.ca... not cheap at all! Great tutorial, John.

[@IBuildItHome]

wordsnwood I tried that (zinnser?) white shellac last year and the knots bled through. I was not happy. The jury is still out on this stuff, but it's looking good so far. Another thing that works is that tremclad aluminum paint, spray or brush on, and if this stuff fails, I'll be using that.

[@JayBates]

I Build It Home I used shellac based Zinnser on some knots on interior wood trim in my dining room about 6 months ago and they have bled through already.

[@keithweagle]

Jay Bates You need to use the zinnser shellac from the red can, not the blue.

[@IBuildItHome]

Jay Bates That's not much good. I think a third option would be oil based polyurethane, but that takes a long time to dry.

[@santosmartinez503]

Thank you!!!! That's my next project, good info.

[@liquidlen9391]

coming along nicely

[@hungvu8480]

Oh, you use the 1 by 8 and paint it. I t look so nice . Look likes the ore finished by manufacture

[@jimilormand9242]

Bare wood absorbs moisture like a dry sponge on a wet counter,,I use cabot solid stain and pre stain each board, sides edges back and front,, if bare wood is stained or painted on the surface the moisture will migrate out and cause blistering, peeling etc I am using western red cedar clap boards on the first floor and will install cedar shingles on the three gables, pre-staining them. I used an oil base stain on the clap boards and the formula changed during the process, never again. now just solid stain

[@gregl2249]

what if u want white siding?

[@casst346]

great job!

[@derekharney3668]

thanks for the info!

[@MR.IGETUPTOEARLY]

You're awesome.

[@sykorose1966]

Lol, was expecting that peice of wood to drop on him when he let go. Sorcery!!! 🤔

[@liquidmandotcom]

Nice

[@yrulooknatme]

you started out hangin dry wall huh?

[@g2macs]

There's no way that piddilly little lawn mower will cut that grass. Get someone in with a strimmer to do it, and most importantly open a bottle of beer and sit back and watch him get sweaty.

[@Roy-ov6xg]

Caulk the Carpenters best friend. ;-)

[@davidgrza]

What would you do if the section your putting siding on is longer, like 25’? How would you stagger the boards, and how Wouk you hide the seams?