Key Tips for Siding, Doors, and Window Flashing
Flashing is meant for keeping water out of your windows, doors, siding or really anywhere there might be a crack that could let water in. Using old trim coil is perfectly fine.
Flashing is made with three simple bends in the trim, both at 90 degrees.
The long top edge (1) hides behind the top of the siding, above the door, window, or trim. The flat edge perpendicular to the top side (2) lays on top of your window or door and the last, smallest edge (3) hangs down so the water can drip down without getting in where it’s not supposed to be.
The importance of flashing on siding projects is that it keeps the corner boards from rotting out when water drips down the siding. Oftentimes we see rot that could have been easily avoided with a simple bent piece of metal, made into flashing to avoid getting the water behind the siding and soaking the material.
With windows, it’s especially important to not place your siding directly up to the window. Instead, stop the siding at the corner board to have a tighter tie-in for better caulking. This also helps when it comes time to replace the window itself. Instead of having to remove the siding and replace it along with the window, you can just remove the corner boards, replace the window and replace the corner boards.
The next thing to remember with siding is to mark where your studs are after wrapping the house, but before installing the siding. If the wall isn’t marked prior to installation, you can’t be sure the siding is hitting studs. The danger in not hitting studs comes with heavy storms. Wind will make your siding start to chatter, crack or even fall off.
Installing siding properly, especially with sufficient flashing is imperative—even if it takes a little extra time. This will ensure a quality job that will last and look great on your home for longer.
What tips did we miss? Drop a comment below for your best practices when it comes to installing siding, especially around windows and doors.
Key videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgrQjyMLpyk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1riM2sWROdM&feature=youtu.be
