To provide a common reference point measure up 8 in.
How high to start first course of siding.
Spend the extra few bucks on the wider stuff and start your siding a bit lower.
Use a table saw to rip a 1 wide strip of the siding.
From the top of this row and stretch a string line across the deck.
Nail the cut off shingle into place about 6 inches from its lower edge.
This is where the new siding will begin.
Make sure to keep nails out of the tar strip as you work.
Hammer in one nail about 2 inches from each end of each shingle and another nail about 1 inch above each cutout.
Generally a starter piece is installed underneath the first course to simulate the typical overlap and to orient the panel at the proper angle.
This project is using an 8 wide siding with a 1 overlap resulting in a 7 reveal.
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Vinyl siding starter strips snap a level chalk line for the first starter strip at the base of the wall no less than 8 inches above ground level after determining the lowest corner of the house.
These marks represent the vertical cuts fig.
This chalk line should be level and a consistent distance from the eaves or the top and bottom of the windows.
Most suppliers sell two sizes of starter 2 1 2 in.
This will be used as a template for the horizontal cuts.
The method discussed here is an easier and more common one installing corner trim first and then butting the siding to it.
Preparing walls for lap siding.
Nail a piece of plywood about 3 5 inches 89 mm thick along the top of the chalk line this will hold out the bottom of the first row of siding.
Lock a small piece of scrap siding into the lower panel next to the window.
The walls should be stripped of all previous siding and the surface should be fairly smooth and flat because lap siding will follow along any contours.