How to Install Nailite Siding

Installing Nailite Siding

• 1

  Make sure you start with a smooth, flat, nailable substrate, such as 7/16- or 1/2-inch plywood. Nailite isn’t intended for installation over old siding. The substrate must be covered with weather-resistant house wrap. Use the chalk line to mark a level horizontal line 2 inches from the bottom of the wall. Install a starter strip along the chalk line at the bottom of the wall, inset by the width of the outside corner pieces. Nail the strip every 12 inches. Determine the number of panels needed for each row by dividing the length of the wall, in inches, by the length of your panels.

• 2

  Always work from left to right and do one wall at a time. Start by nailing an outside corner piece at the end of the starter strip. Cut one end of a panel straight so it will butt flush against the corner piece. Set the panel’s bottom into the starter strip and nail the panel into place. Take a full panel and slip it to the left to engage the locking fingers on the right side of the previous panel, and lock the panel onto the bottom starter strip. Allow a 1/2-inch expansion space between the panels. Use five nails per panel, starting from the center hole. Nail the panels snug, but not tight; they need to be able to move as they expand and contract with temperature changes.

• 3

  Continue installing panels until you get one panel short of the end of the row. If it’s an outside corner, nail up another outside corner piece. If it’s an inside corner, install a J channel and nail it into place. Cut the end panel to fit the corner piece or J-channel and install it. Return to the left side of the wall and install the next row, interlocking the bottom locking fingers of the panels with the top of the previous row. Repeat row by row until the entire wall is covered. When you cut panels to fit around doors and windows, allow a 1/8-inch cutback for panel expansion.

• 4

  When you’ve completed the first wall, move on to the next wall, starting at the bottom and repeating Steps 1 through 3 until the job is done.