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Clapboard, insulation, sheathing, trim?

JDBoston | Posted in General Discussion on March 2, 2009 10:15am

<!—-><!—-> <!—->

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My 1941 <!—-><!—->New England <!—-> home is clad in clapboard that 1) isn’t back primed and doesn’t hold paint very well, and 2) in many places has been sanded into various wave forms.  So I’m thinking I’ll re-clad it this spring, but that prospect raises a host of questions. <!—-><!—->

<!—->  <!—->

1) I’m thinking I should reinsulate the house from the outside when I have the clapboard off because all that’s in there is this ratty, thin old fiberglass stuff (maybe 2†thick and largely broken down). What’s the best approach? Blow in cellulose, spray foam, or fiberglass?  Oh, and the sheathing is boards, not sheet goods.  Should I replace that with plywood while I’m at it?  <!—-> <!—->

<!—->  <!—->

2) If I do re-sheath, what should I do around the double hung windows?  Cut around the trim and then sister in some 2X stock to pick up the plywood?<!—-> <!—->

<!—->  <!—->

3) Should I replace the corner boards with something synthetic, a PVC product? That idea appeals to me because of the paint retention capabilities, but will it end up looking too different compared to the adjoining wood?  In other words, will the paint on the clapboard age differently than the paint on the PVC trim?  (And yes, considered synthetic clapboard but ruled it out because the stuff is too thin and the shadow lines too small.) <!—-> <!—->

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4) My house doesn’t have water tables.  Should I put them in, or just let the clapboard run down and off the wall as it does now?  Any argument one way or the other, or is it simply a matter of taste? <!—-><!—->

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5) Should I use one of those textured house wraps for extra drainage under the new clapboard? <!—-><!—->

<!—->  <!—->

Sorry for the overly long query.  Thanks for any advice you can share. <!—-><!—->

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Replies

  1. DanH | Mar 02, 2009 10:31pm | #1

    I don't see any need to resheath if the existing is in good condition. You would, however, be well-advised to use some sort of housewrap (and we'll include building felt in that category for the felt partisans), since air leakage through the sheathing is a big factor in energy loss.

    The one reason for possibly replacing the sheathing would be if you decided you needed to remove all of it to reinsulate. If the walls were totally uninsulated you'd be able to just bore holes through the existing sheathing and blow in cellulose or FG, but with old FG batts in the way you may have to remove much of the sheathing to get them out. (Or you may be able to just remove a few pieces of sheathing, grab the batts and pull them out, or perhaps just blow away and compress the old FG out of the way.)

    Water tables are only required when the sill or foundation juts out from the plane of the wall. If you don't have that problem (and the house has been perfectly fine without water tables for all these years) then it's just a matter of personal preference.

    The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
  2. frammer52 | Mar 02, 2009 11:23pm | #2

    3) Should I replace the corner boards with something synthetic, a PVC product? That idea appeals to me because of the paint retention capabilities, but will it end up looking too different compared to the adjoining wood?  In other words, will the paint on the clapboard age differently than the paint on the PVC trim?  (And yes, considered synthetic clapboard but ruled it out because the stuff is too thin and the shadow lines too small.)

     

    Haidi is available in 5/8 butt now!  At least that is what I have been told.

    If you are going to put new claps up, it is better to use felt as underlayment.

    The paint should fade at the same rate.

    Follow Dans advice!

  3. reinvent | Mar 02, 2009 11:42pm | #3

    A lot of those Q can be answered by whats your budget.

    Foam is the best followed by cellulose.

    Here is one option:

    http://www.retrofoam.com/

    If you decide to re-clad it then I would recommend factory primed and painted claps. They come with a 25yr warranty. And yes the textured house wraps will help the longevity.

    http://www.benjaminobdyke.com/visitor/product/key/homeSlickerPlus

    Water tables can add some nice detail and they do help to kick the water away from the house. If you are going to reclad then I would do it.

    Some pics would help.

    1. JDBoston | Mar 03, 2009 12:36am | #4

      I'm going to do the work myself (not my day job, but I built my own garage and put the clapboard on that so I feel accomplished enough), probably taking on one or two faces of the house at a time, which should keep it cheap enough for me to explore some decent options.  Thanks for both of those links.  That Retrofoam stuff looks interesting.

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