Siding Replacement

Scott's Painting & Staining Inc. replaces and installs siding and brick moldings.

On This Page:
Building Materials Available
Siding Types and Styles
How to Determine if Your Siding is Rotting
Manufacturer Lawsuits and Getting Money Back
 

Scott's Painting & Staining Inc. can replace any of the following:

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Hardboard Siding   (Press-board material).  This is the most common type of siding that we replace due to the fact that it can easily rot after only a few years.  The rotting areas will generally swell up.  You can visually see this if you look at the area in question in the sunlight and at the correct angle.  When Scotts Painting replaces hardboard siding that overlaps concrete block, we use an insulating polyethylene film to keep the moisture in the concrete from seeping into the backside of the hardboard siding.

 

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Fiber-cement Siding   (Concrete siding).  This is quickly becoming the siding of choice for both new homes and when replacing existing or rotting siding.  If you have lap Hardboard siding on your home, then any areas can be replaced with Fiber-cement lap siding.  The texture and look will be identical to the Hardboard siding once it is painted.  Therefore only a few pieces may need to be replaced, not an entire section or side of the house.

 
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Wood Siding   (Real wood, such as cedar or pine).  Generally, newer homes in the Omaha area are NOT using real wood siding any longer.  (Except for trim boards).  Homes that are 20-30 years old may or may not have wood siding.  Note:  generally wood siding will split and the paint may peel or bubble.  With Hardboard siding, the paint usually remains in fair condition, but the siding could be soft or rotting.  The rotting areas will generally swell up.  You can visually see this if you look at the area in question in the sunlight and at the correct angle.

 
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Brick Moldings   (Used around windows, doors and garage doors).  Brick moldings are the 2" pieces of wood on the outer edges (sides and top) of your windows.  Note:  clad windows do not use brick moldings.  Brick molding are also used on the sides and top of doors and garage doors.  If they are the newer 2" wide brick moldings, then Scott's Painting & Staining Inc. will use either a wood or Polystyrene brick molding.  This is a type of plastic molding, will not rot and will hold paint much better than the wood counter part.  The old types of brick moldings are 1-3/4" wide.  To replace these, we must use wood and not polystyrene.

 
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Decks & Fences   Scott's Painting & Staining Inc. can repair or replace rotted or loose areas on decks, stairs and fences.  Note:  the final finish may reflect a difference in color due to the age difference of the old and new wood.

 
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Ring Shank Nails   (Used for siding, brick moldings, windows and doors).  We use only the highest quality Paslode nails when doing any type of carpentry work.  They are hot-dipped galvanized nails, which usually have ring shanks.  The ring shank is an arrow shaped ring around the nail, which allows it to slide into the wood, but keeps it from loosening back out over time.  The hot-dipping process offers 10 times more corrosion resistance than platted nails.  Paslode Hot Dipped Galvanized Nails meet or exceed ASTM A-153 (The highest standard of galvanization, average zinc coverage of 1 oz/ft with none below 0.85oz/ft) & NER 272 (minimum zinc coverage of 0.28oz.ft).

Percent of Red Rust After 1,108 Hours Prohesion     Salt Spray Test to 15% Rust Nail Shanks

 
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Caulking   (Vulkem & Siliconized Acrylic Latex).  When carpentry work is performed, Scott's Painting & Staining Inc. primarily uses Vulkem 116 caulking on these areas.  When painting, a high-grade Siliconized Acrylic Latex caulking is used.  Vulkem 116 is a one-part moisture curing, gun-grade polyurethane sealant. Vulkem 116 is durable, flexible and offers excellent performance in moving joints. Vulkem 116 does not require a primer on most construction materials.  Vulkem 116 is an excellent general-purpose sealant designed for use in precast masonry, window frame perimeters and similar types of construction joints. Vulkem 116 is suitable for continual immersion in water. Vulkem 116 is designed for exterior and interior use.

Vulkem 116

 

8" Lap Siding

Lap (horizontal) siding.  Each strip is an individual piece, usually 8" wide with about 6-1/2" showing.  (Available in Hardboard, Fiber-cement and Wood).  The look of the Hardboard siding is identical to that of the Fiber-cement siding.

 

Vertical Siding

Vertical panel siding, available in 4x8 and 4x9 foot sizes.  This type of siding comes with grooves every 4", 8" or 12".  (Available in Hardboard, Fiber-cement and Wood).  The only size available in Fiber-cement siding is with 8" grooves.

Double or Triple Lap Siding

Lap (horizontal) siding.  Each piece of siding is usually 2-4 strips.  This type of siding usually has about a 1" groove at the top of each strip.  The size of each strip can be from 2" to 5".  (Available in Hardboard and Fiber-cement).  This type of siding is available in Fiber-cement siding but it is special order and it will not match any existing Hardboard siding.  This means that you must replace an entire section of the house if you wanted to switch from Hardboard to Fiber-cement siding.

 

Stucco Siding

Vertical panel siding, with a Stucco finish.  (Available in Hardboard and Fiber-cement).  The look of the Hardboard siding is almost identical to that of the Fiber-cement siding, so the Fiber-cement siding may be patched into just the rotted areas.

 

bullet Fiber-cement Siding   If you are lucky enough to have Fiber-cement siding then you do not need to read this because Fiber-cement siding does not rot!

 
bullet Hardboard Siding   (Press-board material).  This method will apply to any type of Hardboard siding, whether it is 4x8 vertical siding or horizontal lap siding.  Look down the length of the house for any "bubbled" or "swollen" looking surfaces.  You can usually see the damage if you look at the area in question in the sunlight and at the correct angle.  A bit of a shadow may be created.  It is easier to see these areas with a satin paint then with a flat paint.  This also means that if your house originally had a flat finish, after Scott's Painting & Staining Inc. repaints it in a satin finish (our standard finish, because it is more durable), areas that were not noticeable prior to repainting may become visible.  The following is a list of common problem areas:

 
bullet With vertical siding, the bottom of the siding is generally the first part to rot. In addition, the siding closest to the ground will most likely be the first to rot.  Concrete foundations provide a source of moisture.  The siding will suck up the moisture like a sponge from the backside of the Hardboard.  Normally when Scott's Painting & Staining Inc. repairs these areas a polyethylene film is used between the areas where the Hardboard comes in contact with any concrete block.
bullet With lap siding, the bottom is usually the first to rot but this may mean the bottom of each strip.  Each piece can be anywhere from 6" to 24" apart.
bullet Around the lower side and bottoms of windows.  The drip cap (the metal piece that should be above the window) can either be missing, too short or not properly caulked.  In any of these cases, water will seep in around the edge of the window and run down the backside of the siding.  If this happens, the siding can actually rot from the inside out.  In these cases, the window may be rotted as well, or at least the brick molding.  The brick moldings can be replaced independently from the windows.
bullet Around the end of a gutter.  If the metal flashing from the roof is too short or bent incorrectly, water may leak in behind the siding just as it could with the windows.

If you find any of these "swollen" areas and you can reach them, try to gently press on the area with your fingers.  If the wood is badly rotted, it could be soft to the touch, especially after a hard rain.  Do not press too hard or you could actually puncture the wood if it's badly rotted.  If the wood has time to dry out, it may not be soft to the touch but it could still be damaged.  It will remain "swollen" though.  Scott's Painting & Staining Inc. specializes in all types of siding replacement, including concrete siding replacement.  When any siding is replaced, the new siding is normally sealed with a high-grade polyurethane sealant called Vulkem 116.  For more information about rotted siding or peeling paint check out our painting tips page.  

 
bullet Wood Siding   (Real wood, such as cedar or pine).  Wood siding generally will last much longer than Hardboard siding.  While Hardboard siding may begin to rot without noticeable water problems, this is usually not the case with wood siding.  Most of the time wood siding is cedar, which is naturally rot resistant.  Therefore if it is rotting there is usually a moderate water problem.  The rotted area will be soft and spongy.  If the wood is allowed to dry out for a considerable length of time it may not be spongy or it could be dry rot or termites.  Dry rot is a fungus that causes wood to crumble.  If you press on an area like this, the wood may disintegrate.

 
bullet Windows & Doors   (This only applies to wood windows and NOT clad windows).  As mentioned above, siding around a window or door that has not been properly installed or sealed may begin to rot.  Usually, when this happens, the window/door may be rotted too.  Keep in mind that if the window/door is rotted, the siding around the window/door may not be rotted.  The first part that usually rots is the brick molding.  This is the 2", outer strip of wood, which is on the sides and the top of the window or door.  In addition, the bottom of the window/door, (the sill) may be rotted too.  If the rotted window/door is detected early enough, it can be repaired.  Scott's Painting & Staining Inc. can replace the rotted brick moldings.  When this is done, a new brick molding, is used and the window/door is sealed with a high-grade  sealant.  If the inner part of the window/door is rotted, the window or door itself or part of the frame may need to be replaced.  Scott's Painting & Staining Inc. can recommend the best solution during an estimate.

 

The links below have information about manufacturer's lawsuits and how to get reimbursed for rotted siding.  They will also help you determine the manufacturer of your siding.