How to Install Retractable Awning Brackets on Rim Board

Make the marks on your wall where the top of the brackets will mount with a pencil. Use the calculations that come with your retractable awning to determine the proper height. Once you have the marks on the wall, snap a chalk line across the wall.

Place one bracket on the wall with the top of the bracket at the chalk line. Insert a wood shim behind the top of the bracket and the siding. Trace the outline of the top of the bracket onto the wood shim.

Cut the wood shim at the trace line with a handsaw. Cut a wood shim to the same size for each bracket your awning requires. Paint the shims with a similar color paint as your siding or awning and allow the shims to dry completely.

Place the bracket on the wall with the shim between the bracket and the siding. Hold a torpedo level against the bracket to ensure it is square.

Hold the bracket against the wall firmly with one hand, and drill a hole into the wall at each mounting bracket hole with a 1/4-inch drill bit. Drill through the wall and into the rim board.

Insert a 3-inch wood lag into each mounting hole and drive the lags into the rim board with a socket adapter on your drill. Repeat for all the brackets necessary for your awning.

Apply a bead of silicone caulk around the top and sides of the bracket between the siding and the bracket with a caulk gun. The caulk prevents rain and snow from seeping into the wall and rim board.