Siding

[AlaskaWes]

First I would like to thank all who responded to my "power to shed" thread. I talked to an electrition on a job site I was working on (new construction) who is licensed, bonded and knows about codes. I think for a case of beer he can hook me up with what I need. Excuse the pun.

Now for this siding thing. I need to replace all the siding on my trailer and not sure what the best product to get. I was looking at this stuff called LP Smart Side http://lpcorp.com/sidingtrim/lpsmartsid ... panel.aspx but I am not sure about it. I just seems like OSB sheeting with a heavy coat of primer on it. It has a 30 year warranty. but it seems kinda cheap to me. T1-11 is not much more on price.Has anyone used it?

Is vinyl siding over 1/2 OSB the way to go?

[Jim from Canada]

You could go that way. I have never heard of the LP stuff, but if you are doing a total residing job, it would be a good time to upgrade the insulation value too. The way I am doing it is, 7/16 exterior osb, 3/4" isocyanurate exotherm with foil facing, then the siding. The foil face is like tyvek/typar acting as an air infiltration barrier. The seams all get taped with tuck tape. Living in Alaska, I would think you would want as much as possible in the insul. dept. lol.

[JD]

I use Smartside siding to repair homes with old hardboard siding. Compared to hardboard, Smartside is a much better product. T1-11 plywood siding can be a good product, but it will require more maintenance. It would take 2 full coats of primer to give T1-11 siding the protection that Smartside has. Re-painting of the T1-11 is also more crucial to maintain that protection. All wood siding requires maintenance. Not just the paint on the exterior, but it is important to not have roof leaks.

Vinyl siding may be your best choice. But with vinyl siding, everything will depend on the quality of installation. The way you finish the vinyl siding at the top of the walls and around windows and doors can make your siding "bulletproof" or worthless. Vinyl siding will also be more expensive as a DIY project. Also, installing 4' wide vertical siding is much faster and easier than installing sheathing and vinyl siding.

JMO
JD

[JimCNY]

I used Smartside last year and i really liked it. I put sheets of Iso under it to beef up the r value. It took two coats of paint on top of the pre primed surface, and don't forget to paint bottom edges and cut ends. I cut the sheets with a fine tooth blade. It cost about $18 a sheet last year. They are quite heavy, good idea to have a helper.