I am replacing some damaged clapboards. I am using 8d spiral, gavalized nails because the big box store didn’t have ring shank nails and it was Sunday. No other options. When I nailed the boards they split. I was in far enough from the ends and up far enough from the edge ( I was nailing high enough to miss the top of the clapboard underneath) so that it should not split. I ended up pre-drilling the clapboard. Could this be due to the type of nail or somehing else?
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Nails too sharp.
Did you try blunting the nails?
devil is in the details....
I can't speak for all locales but here in the upper midsouth you do need to nail high. If it doesn't split now it will later. Also if your boards are really dry you will have more splitting, the fatter the nail the more to split. .
Do you really need a ring shank or even an 8 d nail? A thinner nail will split much less or even one that isn't fattened up with with a clunky galvanized job.
Anyway do what you have to do but I've never seen any projects explode into flame due to split siding.
Hi Oldhand, Just out of curiosity what is the clapboard material of choice where you are? I totally understand the practice of nailing high. I've just seen in our locale and materials what works. I know it kind of goes against Carpentry 101 - Siding, but it seems to work better here. When we install pine board and bat we never nail each edge of a single board for the same principal,
report from the far field....
There is very little clapboard siding installed here these days. Mostly it's fiber cement or {yikes] vinyl.
Some rustic stuff happens which is often local sawed pine or oak. Western cedar is offered at the building supply but I don't see a whole lot of it ordered.
GP
Look for and use a Stormguard Splitless Siding Nail.
i would never use a ring shank for siding, the shank is too large. It's like using a wedge.
i've had to remove a lot of siding (repairs/alterations) and have cussed those damn nails that have no good reason being used.
http://www.mazenails.com/tradename-stormguard.php
Hi Calvin, I know the ring shanks you are referring to and not loving. The ones we use are a 5 or 6 penny stainless siding nail with a very small wire size. They are about as thin as a 4d bright finish nail shank. You can put them almost anywhere in the smallest piece of red cedar with very little chance of splitting. The Maze nails you linked are great too, but we don't use any galvy hardware at all anymore in my location. I wish we could but every archy specs stainless so we just spent over $10,000.00 on stainless deck hardware for one deck -yikes.
Yikes is right.
But when spec'd we must follow the direction given especially when the correct path.
but those big ring shanks or those spiral ardox's, what the heck were they thinking..........someone gonna come steal the siding in the middle of the night?
Yikes is right.
But when spec'd we must follow the direction given especially when the correct path.
but those big ring shanks or those spiral ardox's, what the heck were they thinking..........someone gonna come steal the siding in the middle of the night?
Hey George, Yes I like the stainless ring shanks made just for siding. Try nailing lower on the clap - about 3/4" up from the bottom. I know and understand the convention and argument to nail higher, but in my experience lower is better. Also take time to locate the studs and you will reduce pops as well. Good luck