Climate-Shield Vertical Wood Rainscreen Siding Installation Tips
Part of the appeal of the Climate-Shield rainscreen system is its versatility. You can design and build as a vertical siding or horizontal wood siding installation. Climate-Shield makes vertical rainscreen installations faster and more dependable. Here are some important tips to help you get the best vertical rainscreen siding installation results.
Specify and Use Narrow Vertical Siding Boards
Narrower siding boards work best. Why? The narrower the siding, the smaller the actual amount of movement in width variations as the wood acclimates to site conditions. Four inch (nominal size) siding is ideal for vertical installations. 1 x 4, 21-mm x 4 and 5/4 x 4 nominal siding boards all work very well to achieve this. The seasonal movement (left and right) for narrower siding boards is minimal. The vertical joints between the siding boards look better and behave better.
Use Kiln Dried, Quality Hardwood Siding
Kiln Dried hardwood siding has already shrunk in width before it was milled into the Climate-Shield rainscreen siding profile. Kiln dried siding minimizes much of the natural expansion/contraction of exterior wood as it acclimates and seasons. But not all. A common misconception is that kiln dried siding will not shrink. This is false. All wood will move initially and continue to move seasonally throughout its usable life cycle as a building material. It is true that kiln dried siding materials will move less than air dried wood. That's where proper on-site acclimation techniques help.
Proper On-Site Acclimation of Wood Rainscreen Siding is Imperative
Wood siding must properly acclimate to site conditions, before installation, for best performance. Otherwise, the initial movement will happen on your wall. Not good. Failure to properly acclimate your wood, is a sure-fired recipe for job site call backs. Who wants that aggravation? Always allow wood, especially exterior wood, to adjust to your job site specific conditions. Follow Critical Acclimation Guidelines or watch our Proper Wood Acclimation online learning for best practices and best results.
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