How to: Wood Siding for a Single-Wide

Measure the length and width of the single-wide trailer. The single-wide trailer width will be either 12, 14 or 16 feet -- with a length of between 42 feet to 60 feet. A home-improvement store will have packages of wood siding pre-made -- with enough siding for specific projects.

Roll vapor barrier over the outside walls of the trailer. Staple the end of the vapor barrier roll at one corner of the trailer, using a staple gun and staples. Staple the vapor barrier every 12 inches until the entire trailer is covered.

Staple the vapor barrier around the windows and doors. Cut the barrier, inside the staples, around the windows and doors to remove the barrier from these spaces.

Find the studs in the walls, using a stud finder. Mark the studs, on the vapor barrier, with a permanent marker.

Install a starter strip on the bottom of the trailer, starting at the corner. Use a level to keep the starter strip even. Hammer a siding nail into the strip, at each stud. The starter strip is a thin piece of wood that's as thick as the siding, but half as wide. It's found in the siding package.

Install the first piece, called a course, of wood siding on the starter strip. Hammer two siding nails into the siding course with one nail 1/2 inch from the top, and the second in the middle of the width of the course. Nail the course at each stud.

Install the next course of wood siding above the first course. Leave 1/8-inch gap between the top of the first course and the lip of the bottom of the second course. This gap is an expansion gap that will protect the wood siding from snapping, popping off or splitting when the weather changes, which can cause wood to expand or shrink.

Continue to add courses of wood siding until the entire side of the trailer is finished.

Cut wood siding with a jigsaw to fit it around windows and doors. Measure the size and angle of the corners on the windows and doors twice to guarantee an accurate fit.

Caulk around the doors, windows and corners of the trailer, using exterior caulk and a caulk gun.

Nail a butt joint to each corner of the trailer that covers both sides of the trailer, to hold them in place, using siding nails and a hammer.