clapboard corners without cornerboards
First of all, this is for my own house, so money (install time) is not an issue. We ripped the top of the house off a year ago and raised the roof peak about 6 feet, and added in an offset gable dormer and a doghouse in the front and a shed in the back. All of the new dormers / gable ends are done in pre-stained cedar shingles with woven corners and a nice little eyebrow over a front window set in an offset gable dormer. Soon I will be replacing the lower level windows and siding, which I plan on doing with cedar clap. I will be installing it with an alternating exposure pattern, 2.5″ and 6″. Now the most visible corner of the house will have a woven shingle corner stacked above the clap siding (separated by some band trim)and there is no way using corner boards on the clap is an option. It will look like hell. I have searched some past threads and the majority opinion (but not all) seems to be “use corner boards”. What I’m looking for is opinions on how people have done non-corner board clap that has lasted. My current thoughts are alternating lap instead of mitered (matches the shingles), cutting the short side slightly long to spring the corner a bit, using adhesive caulk at the joint, and pinning the corner with some brads in the meaty part. I’m planning on using a pre-primed, pre-stained cedar, probably with a solid stain like Cabot’s Factory Finish. I know, I know…it will hide all the beauty of the wood, but #2 is on the way and once I’m done with this house, I want to spend my weekends taking the kids climbing and backpacking, not preping and staining.
Replies
I have done alternating laps in CO and it was still fine five or six years later, don't know about now.
But it was modeled on other siding in that area that was over twenty years old and had been taken care of with regular paint work. The only place ai remember seeing any problems is where people had let their dogs demo it.
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The key is to lap....not miter.
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J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
We've done it two ways, alternating laps trimmed in place with a laminate trimming router and a pilot bearing trimming bit, (but I personally do not like the idea of exposed end grain on the exterior) and compound mitered corners, way back with a jig and circular saw (took a little adjusting) and more recently with sliding compound miter saw (a little less adjusting) the last time was mitered and we used clear Dap 230 (pre stained natural cedar lap siding) at the joints, 7 years later and still tight.