Hi,
I just wanted to get a general opinion (on this subject of course, hold all other opinions). I noticed that a hired contractor put on the cedar clapboard siding with a non-galvanized finishing nail rather than a galvanized cedar siding nail. I was going to remind him about using galvanized but it slipped my mind.
He’s a nice guy and I think I’d crush his already damaged ego (and he might kill me) if I asked him to replace them since I’ve asked for ‘little’ additional things during his work (e.g. put another electrical box here, oh by the way could you wire that for a lighting fixture too, etc.) and pointed out other things I might have done differently (he’s relatively inexperienced).
So it’s a matter of whether I do it myself. Should I bother to replace them with galvanized by prying loose and removing (it’s only about 60 square feet of siding), drive them all the way through and replace with galvanized nail, or sink them sufficiently and putty them up and call it a day. I guess I’m worried about eventual rust staining the paint job.
Replies
This is worse than rust staining the finish. The rusting nail may very well expand, splitting the wood. The fact that it is a finish nail instead of a siding nail means there is no reason to expect that it will hold in the wind.
He may be inexperienced but how do you expect him to gain the right experience if you let this go? Even if you do the work yourself, you need to let him know that he screwed up on behalf of the industry and for all future homeowners he will do this to/for. Someday, hew may be posting here with a statement like, "I've been using plain finish nails for cedar siding for years now and never heard a complaint!" and offering that as proff that others should follow his example. I've done a few stupid things in my life but the only way I could learn about some of them is when somebody else said something to me.
Whether you or he does it is not my concern but I think you should be able to drive a stainless steel siding nail right into the same hole punched by the finish nail, perhaps at a slight angle.
Thanks guys, I appreciate the info. I'll probably pry it off and apply the right nail. I'm slightly concerned about the length of the original finish nail and punching it through. He apparently used a fairly hefty finish nail for the width of the head, so it's probably at least 2.5" long. Punching it through would leave it just puncturing the sheetrock on the opposite side.
Just curious, you sure these aren't stainless steel?
Good question Steve. I was wondering myself if maybe I'd prematurely made that conclusion. So I took one off. Sure enough it is a 6d finish nail. That made me 95% sure. A trip to the local lumber yard and a soak in a glass of water confirmed that it is a regular finish nail.
Unfortunately the lumber yard only had aluminum and galvanized. The aluminum appeared to be too soft for my inexperienced hammer hand and they said galvanized would bleed eventually as well. So I looked on-line for them and there are apparently a number of sizes, manufacturers, etc.
Can anyone recommend the stainless steel nail type I should use with 10" width cedar clapboard siding?
Thanks for your help.
I have before, they are nice and shiny 'birght'.
Try this web site for installation info:
http://www.wrcla.org/
Check under Ceder Specs/ Installing SIding
Steve
I don't think my last message made sense. I've been nailing shingles all week and I'm a bit tired.
I meant to say I have made that mistake thinking they were finish nails. I also have a tough time finding stainless steel nails. Can't get them at either of the chain stores, found them at a lumber store, 5#s for $35. Apparently they are too soft for nailing guns so it's all by hand. But I sleep better knowing that's one less thing that will ruin my cedar. It is beautiful wood!
Steve
Thanks Steve, your post made enough sense to get me to the website. I found another potential problem with my contractor's installation there. That Cedar site recommends that only 1 nail be driven approximately 1 inch above thick part of beveled siding being careful to not nail through the overlapped siding beneath. This allows for adequate expansion to avoid splitting. My contractor used 2 nails, one at top and one at bottom and my guess is if he did it that way then he wasn't too careful about nailing through siding beneath. I don't think he nailed into the studs behind the sheathing as recommended either (I don't think that's too big a deal though.)
But as others have suggested I'll probably at least tell him so to avoid the mistake in future since the lasting impression of his work would otherwise be the stains crying out from the clapboard.
I definitely empathize with you. Some of these subs lifted a hammer at some point in their life and called it a pro. Just like the computer biz, read a book and now you can do it all. Hello Prospero.
Home owners are expected to make mistakes but when you know more then the 'pro' something is wrong.
Anyway, a little venting.
Steve
Hello Prospero.
ROTFLMAOExcellence is its own reward!
check swan secure online, they have collated ss nails for guns
Yes, Swan Secure is good.
And they have free shipping.
They don't play the order consolidation game like others and will ship right away. Turns out they supply a lot of the other resellers who don't necessarily maintain an inventory.
Ask them about the offset oval head ring shank nails (stainless).
In front of me is a box of 3" x .121, 31-deg paper collated nails.
Fits Senco/Paslode/Hitachi/Fasco.
(I have no financial interest in Swan Secure.)
<<<<Someday, hew may be posting here with a statement like, "I've been using plain finish nails for cedar siding for years now and never heard a complaint!" >>>>
Piff
I love that....wanna start a thread with all the statements we read like that. It cracks me up.
Be well
Excell.......I mean , Namaste
AndyIt's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
I totally agree w/Piffin about enhancing your contractor's experience by pointing out the problem, at the very least. I would be reluctant, however to leave bright finish nails in place because with any moisture, you're going to have black streaks running down your claps.
Since he used finish nails, it should be pretty easy to carefully pry the claps off, pull any nails out through the backside and reinstall using SS. Even hot dipped galvies will bleed to some extent if the coating is compromised as they're driven. And use nails with a head on them.
I've made errors from time to time and I actually appreciate a customer pointing them out so I can fix them right away rather than go off fat dumb and happy while my reputation gets smeared or I get a call back when I'm really busy on something else.