Tools for dismantling siding with their own hands

Dismantling vinyl siding while saving material for home insulation

Sometimes it so happens that already after the house is protected from rain and snow vinyl armor, you realize that it should have been insulated as well. But whether the money then was not, or did not think right away, or the house was occupied by other people in general, the moment of insulation in the process of sheathing was missed.

But not to freeze on the favorite cottage! If it’s cold to insulate!

In this article, we’ll look at removing the siding and insulating the house from the outside, when the house is already clad. By the way, we have a great article on insulating your home: Insulation under siding: 5 common mistakes

The pluses of exterior insulation of the house under the siding

The obvious advantages are two. The first is dictated by common sense, the second physics.

Insulating the house from the outside allows you to keep the internal dimensions of the rooms

If you want the house to be warmer, you will probably have to make the walls thicker: add a layer of insulation.

Mineral wool, which is loved for its low thermal conductivity and relatively high environmental friendliness at a small price, has the most popular thickness of 50 and 100 mm. This is true of most sheet insulation as well.

Fit 50mm of wool around the perimeter of a 6×6 single-floor house, and you will lose 1.2 square meters of insulation.square footage of your home.

But that’s not all. Thermal insulation will have to cover something, such as battens, which is mounted on a frame. It will take away another 25 mm over the entire wall area.

6 Amazing Hammer Hacks || Useful Hacks

This means that the floor area of your home will be reduced by 1.8 square meters. meters. Not much, of course, but unpleasant. Usually in a 6×6 house those 1.8 square meters are not excessive.

Common sense dictates that insulating your home’s walls from the inside is not the best option.

Putting insulation on the walls from the outside shifts the dew point toward the street

There’s a clever word for dew point. It denotes the place where water contained in the form of vapor in the air, begins to turn into liquid (condense). You can read about this phenomenon in this article: The Siding Vent.

Dew point shifts depending on the temperature difference between inside and outside of the house. Colder outside, the dew point goes inside. Warmer on the outside outside. Either way, the dew point is inside the wall of your home.

Let’s not get too deep into the heat exchange. The main rule you need to adopt: the closer the dew point is to the outside of the wall, the better.

And insulating the house from the outside shifts the dew point exactly where we need it: toward the street. Of course, you have to cut off the water vapor to this very dew point. And we’re going to do that with a vapor barrier.

Or, if your house is a frame house, that vapor barrier is probably already installed inside the house. And on the house of CIP, it, in general, is not needed, because he already vapor tight.

By the way, we have an excellent article on frame houses: cladding frame house siding.

What are the disadvantages of insulating your home externally if the siding is already installed

We’ve decided that it’s better to insulate the house from the outside. But there’s a problem. Siding already installed!

And from this problem comes a number of complications that you need to be aware of.

The siding will have to be removed

Without removing the cladding, the house can’t be insulated from the outside. Even a child can understand that. You have to remove the mounted vinyl, insulate the house and then re-skin it.

The frame may have to be removed and reassembled or re-built

If you read our terrific article Frame (crate) for siding, then you know about the frame everything you need to know a layman.

So, it may turn out that the crate, on which the panels are mounted on your house, is not thick enough to put between the racks of insulation sheets, and then the framework will have to either increase or remove and do it again.

There is no 100 percent guarantee that you will have to do this on your house.

In order to understand whether the thickness of the frame will be enough, you need to know the cross-section of the lumber from which the battens were made, and the thickness of the insulation, which is planned to be installed.

The main thing to remember that the vinyl can not be mounted close to the insulation: must be ventilated gap 1,5-3,0 cm.

By the way, on all the houses that are in our magic video, this requirement is met.

Panels and accessories can be damaged during removal

If the people who take the siding off your walls have never done that, it can damage the material and you can’t put it back on again.

In cases where you have decided to cover the house with a new material, you do not care. For example, your old siding strongly burned, and look not very. By the way, we have an excellent article with pictures of how it happens: How quickly the siding burns?

But if the panels are still okay, even pretty, then in order to save money you can decide to remove them, insulate the house, and put back. Of course, the people who are going to do it, should be experienced and handy. And not just words, but deeds.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that most likely they are not the ones who mounted this siding. And to most shabashnikov and self-taught craftsmen it gives a great excuse from the claims: everything was spoiled during installation, you just did not see!

To remove the material with preservation you will need a special tool, which can usually only be purchased from the siding manufacturers and manufacturer’s representatives. This tool helps keep the locks of the panels in place so they don’t get too bent out of shape during removal. Usually only professionals have it.

Well, of course, people need to know what they do, and have experience dismantling vinyl facades.

Old siding may not be enough

If your house is insulated with the expansion of the frame or with the installation of a new frame, the perimeter of the walls increases. Judge for yourself: each wall is moved out by 5 or 10 cm (the thickness of the insulation).

If the size of the house 6×6 before insulation, then after insulation will be 6.1 x 6.1 (at least). That is, each wall will be 10 cm longer. Erected before the panels did not take into account this lengthening, and these 10 cm will have to take somewhere.

The first is to make decorative columns of siding pieces, inserted from one side of the outer corner and the other in the H-profile. Usually, if the thickness of insulation is 100 mm, this is the only way out.

The second solution is to use wider outer corners, which will be able to hide the 5 cm gap formed on both sides of each corner.

Unfortunately, vinyl corners of such width in the sale is not, so we have to twist: to order the metal or find a corner of suitable size from the manufacturers of facade panels.

Dismantling siding with saving material for insulation of the house and then installing it back: conclusions

If you decide to insulate a house, already sheathed siding, then you face a difficult but solvable task.

Let’s consider two scenarios: optimistic and pessimistic. Most likely, what will happen on your site will be somewhere between.

Worst case scenario

Siding on your house mounted on thin purlins or no purlins at all.

• Remove the old material without damaging it;
• Attach a vapor barrier;
• Install insulation;
• lay the windproofing;
• mount the frame;
• install panels and accessories.

All the walls will move out, you will pay for a full siding of the house, to which will be added the cost of removal with the preservation of the material (usually 50% of the cost of installation), plus have to think, how to compensate for the increase in length of the walls.

This is the most expensive option, and here you should consider removing the siding yourself without preserving the material and then cladding and insulating from scratch.

What advantages can be found in this situation:

• you will have a new cladding of the house that you like right now, with modern materials;
• you can install insulation without thermal bridges, which will make the house warmer;
• If mistakes were made in the process of finishing your home, now those mistakes can be corrected and done right.

Even if you find yourself in a worst-case situation, don’t feel bad. As you can see, there are also advantages.

The best option

Your home is clad in a thick frame of 50×50 mm timber, as was fashionable to do in the 2000s.

This bar allows you to place the insulation between the racks of the frame, and the geometry of the house will not change. Insulation is simply attached to the wall, and does not go beyond the boundaries of the frame.

Of course, it is bad enough that the air gap will be small, but with the proper skills of installers even in this case it can be created. The main thing is that people know what they are doing.

This option is the most painless for the homeowner, and the costs here are limited:

• Dismantling the trim with the preservation of the material;
• Install the insulation;
• laying of windshields;
• panel installation (the accessories will remain in place).

Obviously, this option is much more advantageous.

How to understand which variant you have?

The easiest way not to get a headache is to call a representative of a company that professionally deals with facade work (eg, CTK Etalon), so he could look at the site, and determine what awaits you in the process.

Even if you do not then work with this firm, you will know what to prepare for, and the money for the trip and consultation will not be spent in vain.

In addition, after the departure of the representative of the company osmett all the work and add the necessary materials to be purchased (if necessary). You do not have to sort out everything yourself.

In addition, the firm will give a guarantee on their work, and in the case of mistakes in the work (which is unlikely if they are professionals), to correct them at their own expense.

By the way, we have an excellent article on this topic: How to choose a firm to install siding.

Call 956-17-30 in St. Petersburg or click on the Calculate Estimate button.

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You can remove the siding trim and panels yourself. It will save you money on home insulation. But it will be difficult for an amateur to keep 90% of the parts intact. Plus, working on your own will take more time than having professional installers. Alone it is difficult to disengage the lock on top of the entire length of the panel.

To get fast results, save maximum material, it is advisable to contact an installation company. Builders with experience installing siding will carefully dismantle the facade. Where to look for installers:

• On the Internet you can find companies whose employees have been trained by siding manufacturers;
• Private offers of masters on message boards. Avito, city.where, city.pros, others;
• Ask acquaintances who have repaired or installed PVC cladding for information.

Before choosing look at the term of the company or the master, read reviews. Remember that expensive is not always quality and vice versa.

Revolving coordinate-punching machines on program control allow to get high productivity and accuracy, exclude human resources in production. This reduces the risk of workplace injuries. Before the machine is put into operation, the integrated NC program is precisely programmed according to the necessary positioning. It contains a careful plan of the location of the holes, their exact shapes and sizes.

Each such press is equipped with special punching mechanisms made of harder alloy, different in diameter and shape. punches. They are automatically replaced by the system depending on the program installed, which speeds up the process. The maximum production speed of this machine is 1,500 holes per minute.

Revolving machine is able to perform other actions:

Everything is carried out quite simply. A sheet of iron is firmly clamped together with clamps and the CNC program starts. The same clamps automatically move the workpiece according to the set coordinates.

Punchers first press into the metal half of the density of the sheet, and then squeeze, tearing and separating it from the solid surface.

Included with the machine a rotating drum provides a number of additional opportunities for cutting a variety of forms.

But such mechanical equipment is very expensive and more suitable for large enterprises and industrial complexes.

In some cases, the use of mechanisms is very conditional, and more often it is the use of mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic press. They are considered to be manual versions, because they require constant supervision from outside.

Tools for dismantling siding with their own hands

Despite the apparent simplicity of installing vinyl siding, there are many moments when the introduction of special tools can significantly speed up installation, as well as to minimize marriage when preparing the siding panels for the assembly.

The main tools required for installation of siding include:

Professional builders know the basic rules of installing siding. Wooden crate must be thoroughly dried and treated with antiseptic. A gap between the screw and the siding to allow for thermal expansion. The work must not be performed in temperatures below minus 10 degrees. Blades should go into the crate for more than 35 mm, with all cross section of the cap should be at least 8 mm.

Follow these rules will help special tools. Such assistants should be at home each, who is going to masterfully deal with the siding of houses.

Peorator for making fastener holes. Used for making holes in the siding, when the factory holes do not fall on the crate or when there is a need to lengthen them

Siding removal tool. Allows for the removal of the wall panel in case of improper installation or in case it needs to be replaced

Used for siding panels fastening. to make hooks that act as a lock when inserting an element into a molding or finish profile

D4.5 panel cutting and marking tool

D5 panel marking and cutting tool

Using tools to install siding

If you need to make minor repairs or replace a single panel of siding. You do not have to replace the entire wall. The siding removal tool makes it easy to replace your home’s facade.

To properly install the molding and trim you must make special hooks on the siding panels. Use a notch punch to make them. This tool makes siding installation easier and more secure.

3. Widening of existing holes.

Some situations require you to widen the nailing holes of siding or accessories. A peorator for making anchor holes will help you do it.

Hammer with a nail gun

Before installing the frame, make sure you do not have any old siding on the walls. Tap the protruding elements with a hammer, remove old nails with a nailer

Notch cutter

Used to cut notches in the window trim to attach the inside of the slope to the finish profile. Used to cut through the notch in the siding panel when attaching to the finish profile.

Hole puncher

Used for creating new holes in the siding panel and fittings. Although the siding panel and has the factory holes for mounting, but it happens when the panel can not be fixed to the profile (eg, when installing the panels under the windows). Do not screw the screw directly into the panel, as the panel has a coefficient of thermal entrainment / contraction, which will deform the panel. But the use of a hole puncher will save you possible problems with the siding.

Tools for removing siding with your own hands

For some reasons it is necessary to remove the trim from the facade. It can be poor quality insulation or, in general, its absence. Or even damage to an individual area. Therefore the relevant question remains, how to remove the siding from the house and still maintain its attractiveness and integrity.

Is it possible to repair the damage to the house?

If vinyl siding has been used for trim, it is most often impossible to repair the damaged area. Especially if it is a crack or break from mechanical impact. But if the lining is metal, it is possible to straighten the dent.

In this case, work very carefully so as not to damage the polymer decorative coating. If there are cracks in the paint, the metal will rust over time. This not only looks untidy, but will lead to a rapid total destruction of the part.

Most likely, the damaged area of siding to dismantle and replace it with a new and whole. And all the work is quite realistic to do yourself.

How to repair a blown-out area

It is not always mechanical failures of siding cladding. Swelling can form on the facade. The only reason for this is the shrinkage of the house.

Therefore, it is important to leave the new buildings for some time to fully settle and only then proceed to the outer and even inner decoration. But such a defect has already formed, what to do now?

There are several options for solving the problem:

• Completely redo the cladding. This is a long, expensive and impractical. Later on the house can continue to settle, and that means that the swelling will appear again.
• Put a metal spacer to help level the panel. Such actions are much easier. In addition, completely disassemble the construction of the siding is not necessary.

Now step by step consider the second option to remove such a defect as swelling. The instructions are simple enough, but require attentiveness, and accuracy of action:

• Prepare materials and tools. You need a dismantling hook or as it is also called a zip tool. It can be purchased from siding manufacturers. Professional craftsmen are sure to have such a tool, so you can borrow it from them. You will also need a starter strip or piece of galvanized steel, a pencil, and metal scissors;
• open swollen part. To do this, place the zip-tool under the panel at the bottom lock. Pull down a little, and then lengthwise, so that the lock is opened, while the panel is aligned;
• Under the protruding part is placed a metal strip, so that one end rested in a lock on the screwed to the wall panel;
• on the edge of the free panel on a piece of metal make a mark;
• trim the strip at the mark;
• insert the metal part with one hand into the fixed part of the siding in the panel, and the other into the groove of the released panel.

Thus, the metal spacer will help get rid of the visible defect, but the structure will remain intact. And most importantly, there is no need to completely remove the siding and reinstall everything.

Dismantling tool

If the owner wants to reinstall the cladding again, then during the disassembly he must be as gentle as possible with the material. Then the siding is removed by following specific instructions and using the correct tools.

Therefore, you can not dismantle the cladding without a set of tools:

• An electric screwdriver. if screws or self-tapping screws were used for fixing.
• A nail gun is used to remove nails, if the siding was attached with them. This tool should have a wide head, so as not to damage the membranes, which should be under the cladding. In addition, you have to sharpen the foot to fit the gap.
• A pencil or marker to mark the location of each panel. If the parts will be put back in their places afterwards.
• Dismantling hook (zip-tool).

In this case, the main thing is not to rush and clearly follow the instructions.

How to remove and replace the panels on the house with your own hands?

In order to change the building material is necessary to follow the specific instructions for removal. Only in this case, there is a high probability of preserving the panels in the same form in which they were on the wall. How to do all the work, if you want to do everything yourself:

• Begin to remove the panel over a window or door opening.
• The dismantling hook undercut the bottom edge of the topmost panel of siding.
• Easily pull down and then move along the element.
• The upper part is released from the lower panel lock.
• If the cladding material has been installed relatively recently, it is easy to do. Since the siding has not yet lost its elasticity. Old material must be handled more carefully.
• If the first time the panel is not free, repeat the action several times.
• Next, remove the fasteners. Use an electric screwdriver or a nail gun for this purpose.
• After one panel is removed, mark its location on the membrane with a marker.
• Further, the zip-tool will be needed only if the locks of the siding elements do not open manually.

If the original trim was installed according to all requirements and clearly according to the instructions, then there should be no problems with the dismantling.

Choosing a crew for reinstallation

Install and reinstall the cladding material, such as siding can be installed yourself. Of course, it will take more time and effort, but you can significantly reduce the budget for facade renovation.

But most consumers want to get perfect results, so they hire professional crews. Where to find them?

• Siding manufacturers offer their workers. There is not only quality, but also a guarantee of free repairs if something went wrong;
• Advice from loved ones or acquaintances who have personally encountered the brig. If someone offers candidates, but have never seen the result of their work, it is better to refuse at once;
• You can try to choose people by advertisement. But at the same time, going for an interview, study in theory all the subtleties of installing siding and do not hesitate to ask a lot of questions. If the masters respond confidently, clearly and understandably. everything is in order, you can hire. But if you’re not happy with anything, reject it right away. You need to clearly understand that you pay, your money and want to get a quality result. Therefore, do not be lazy to spend a little more time on the choice of professional crews.

Rules of maintenance

Vinyl and metal siding unpretentious care. It is enough to clean the dirt with running water. Often this does not have to do, because the precipitation is also easy to remove dust.

If the surface has oily stains that are hard to wash off you can use a soft cloth and a detergent without aggressive chemical compounds. A brush or caustic agent will damage the polymer coating and this will destroy the liner.

As for the wooden siding, then everything is much harder. The wood should not only be cleaned from contaminants, but also treated with protective coatings. And do it every 2-3 years.

Repairing bloated siding

After the arrangement of the foundation and the construction of the walls, experts do not recommend finishing the facade immediately. Bearing structures must allow for shrinkage. Otherwise, swelling of individual siding elements may occur. This problem often occurs at the joints of walls from different materials, if shrinkage occurs at different speeds.

Repair bloated siding: 1. damaged panel; 2. mounting hook; 3. steel starter strip.

To remove the swollen areas, using a mounting hook, open the locking joints of the deformed panel. Next, you need to straighten it out. To level the area, the panel is set in place with the use of spacers, inserts. To make it use a starter strip of steel. Another option. a strip of painted tin plate to match the cladding. The width of the spacer should be the same as the distance from the lock of the top panel to the hook of the lock connection bloated element. The straightened panel is returned to its place, pre-installing the spacer.

What tools are needed for installing siding

Before proceeding directly to the installation of metal siding, you must take careful measurements, the siding should be a little more, as there is a natural loss during its cutting. When buying metal siding fastening plays an important role, since its selection depends on the strength of the facade design. To avoid problems when working with siding, you must carefully prepare the surface of the wall, removing old plaster, masonry, and anything that might interfere with the work. The instructions for installing the metal siding are as follows.

Installing purlins. the most responsible stage, which depends on the strength of the structure. To implement this ingenious plan will help metal profiles, used for cladding with drywall, or wooden slats or bars of various cross-sections. Depending on the type of installation of siding, and it can be installed both vertically and horizontally, depends on how the crate will be placed. When metal siding is placed vertically the crate is fastened horizontally

In this case it is important to choose the right distance between the bars or profile, so that the construction is strong. The optimal distance is 40 centimeters

The next stage of installing metal siding with his own hands. is the attachment of the frame to the bearing surface of the wall

To design a perfect look in the future it is necessary to observe several rules, with particular attention should be paid to the fact that the siding panels were laid on the two slats or two metal profiles simultaneously. The crate should not look out. this must also be taken into account

Remember also that fasteners must be strong, and all surfaces must be checked with a level to ensure that the entire surface is vertical.

Before attaching the steel siding itself, it is necessary to worry about the arrangement of a layer of insulation. Polystyrene, polystyrene foam and other types of insulation materials are good, but mineral wool is better for this purpose, allowing the walls to breathe. It is cut in strips corresponding to the size of the crate and placed between the profiles.

To avoid damage to the insulation, the installation technique of metal siding in the next stage involves laying a vapor barrier film. Beginning its installation should be the bottom of the facade, moving upwards, with sheets to overlap each other.

The final stage of the work is the laying of panels of metal siding. To do this, it is necessary to unpack and peel the film, and most often the material comes in this form. Installation rules for metal siding stipulate that the installation of panels should be conducted from the bottom up, with each panel, inserted into the guide beam, attached to the crate with screws or nails. Some difficulties may cause installation of the last panel, which will likely have to be cut with an angle grinder. Conceal the cuts will help install the metal siding trim strip. the final step, indicating the end of the installation of steel siding.

If you follow the instructions, you can look forward to a unique, one-of-a-kind design that will last for decades, and siding from reputable manufacturers can last up to 50 years. In addition, you will not have to periodically paint the walls of the house, in addition. it is environmentally friendly and fire retardant material installed with their own hands.

We suggest you watch the video fixing the metal siding:

Professional tools for working with siding: tips for use

House siding has become very popular. This is due to the excellent performance characteristics of the material, its external aesthetics, adequate cost and ability to perform the installation yourself, without resorting to the services of skilled craftsmen.

You can do with a minimal set of tools. Necessary are a hacksaw and an electric screwdriver, which is easily replaced by a hammer. However, using a professional tool for working with siding, it is possible to work better and faster.

Marking

When marking, you must remember the basic rules of installation of the frame, adhering to them, make mistakes when installing the frame will not work. Basic rules for installing the subsystem, include the following mandatory requirements:

• The frame should be installed so that the distance between the closest profiles does not exceed sixty centimeters;
• At the corners of the walls, at a distance of not more than 10 cm from them, a profile must be installed in a mandatory manner;
• If you plan to install vinyl or acrylic siding, it is necessary to make special corner crosspieces, on which in the future will be attached a corner strip;
• On all sides of the windows and doors, profiles must be installed;
• The pitch of hangers, holding each of the profiles should be no more than sixty centimeters.

Then, with the help of a construction level, following the rules of the frame, marking is made for the subsequent installation of hangers and the assembly of subsystems.