Old House Clapboard Siding

This type dates to the 1930s or earlier.

Old house clapboard siding.

When milled with an unplaned face it s quite rustic. Re squared and re butted r r cedar shingles cost about 3 60 sq. Since colonial times americans have protected their houses from the weather with thin overlapping wood planks known as clapboards. The clapboard and its variants are the original horizontal siding dating back to the earliest hand rived types from the 17th century but they are only the progenitors of a family of materials that took off with the industrial revolution.

For example it s possible to install wood shingle siding over older clapboard siding. Plain lap siding beveled to be thinner at one edge viewed from the end grain. The country s oldest timber frame house the fairbanks house built in 1641 in dedham massachusetts still has the the original siding beaded siding on the south facing exterior lapped cedar clapboards on the north and east side and red oak clapboard on the west side. Tap flat bar under siding to loosen nails.

Dolly varden is bevel siding with a rabbeted edge allowing installation flat on the wall with a tight joint. For pine to 7 8 sq. But in most cases you re better off removing old siding prior to installing new wood siding. When siding is not back primed or the end grain is not sealed the clapboard absorbs moisture and will push the paint off the wood.

Primed 4 oc v groove plywood siding panel. Ft when installed with a 5 in. Instead you can size the replacement using the old clapboard as a template a simple technique that virtually guarantees a tight fit on the first try. Remove the wood then the nails.

The siding which got its name from the dutch work klappen to split was originally hand split from logs of white pine hemlock spruce or cypress. Using a utility knife score the entire length of the damaged clapboard from end to end about halfway up from its bottom or butt edge. Pull nails from split clapboard. For clear red cedar clapboards.

Pull loose nails from clapboard siding. Don t slice all the way through the board or you may cut the builder s felt underneath. Clapboard siding on older houses are not back primed and often were installed over resin paper tar paper or bare sheathing. Secure old siding by driving ring shank nails down at an angle through the old nail holes.

Clapboards are the old new england staple. Before installing new siding you ll want to replace any damaged trim or flashing around window and door openings and also repair or add house wrap to improve. Plywood siding t1 11 48 00 in. In this video this old house general contractor tom silva explains how to repair clapboards.