I have about 700sq. ft. of siding and 120 linear ft. of soffits to install. Considering it's not so much real estate, and my time is "free", I was leaning towards screw fasteners. Added benefit would be ease of assuring proper fastener clearance. If going this route I would choose #8 - 1 1/4" pan/truss. My questions would be zinc or stainless and whether there is any practical difference between pan and truss? Also, any compelling reasons to go with galvanized nails instead of screws?

Cheers!

 

I often use screws in soffits or on the tail ends of furring strips if they are not well supported. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to drive a nail into a board that springs back. I would go with a truss head which has a lower profile and wider head than a pan head. Eventually, even though they are protected from the weather the zinc plated hardware will rust. If you are close to the coast with salt spray in the air I would go for stainless if you can afford them but if you are further inland I'd go with zinc plated.

Nails generally go in faster and are less expensive then screws and a hammer is a less expensive tool than a quality screw gun or cordless drill. That's the only benefit to nails that I know of. I've had them slowly work their way out of old houses after many freeze thaw cycles and changing humidity make the wood expand and contract. When I go back and repair I use screws and have never had one come loose.

 

Just to add to Dane's comments, don't overtighten any fastener in the siding process as it has to expand and contract with the weather. You can tell a bad job driving down the street with ripples in it, you know the fasteners were too tight. And if you can find coated screws (mostly used for decking) use them, as the coating will outlast zinc or galvanization. But nothing will beat stainless.

 

Much appreciate the great replies guys, practical hands-on info I was looking for!

Looks like Bolt Depot has 1000ct #8 1-1/4" truss 18-8 stainless for an extremely reasonable $65. One box is likely to fill my needs.

Cheers!

 

1000 fasteners, if placed every 16" along a 12' piece of siding, would do approximately 100 pieces of siding. That would be about 4 boxes, or 8 squares. (800 sq ft - or a wall 8' high, 100' long.)

So your 1000 ct box might be enough as long as you don't drop any.

 

Thanks for the additional info!

You spurred me to running the numbers again and it looks like I had better keep the grass cut short. 67pc of double 5" should require at max 600 screws, add in trim and soffits and 1000ct is likely a squeaker.



One additional question -- What style stagger for panel overlaps tends to look better, 2' stair-stepped, totally random (i.e. wood flooring) or, something else?

Cheers!

 

I like to keep the stagger no less than 32". But it depends on the length of the wall and the amount of waste it might create. We discussed that recently in this other thread.

http://www.doityourself.com/forum/lu...yl-siding.html

 

Nail on the head AGAIN! The reply you posted in that link makes perfect sense. It also reminds me that cuts should be on stud (hence 32", not 24") and after taking a second look at my two neighbors vinyl it's clear they overlapped at 16" intervals which emphasized the stair-step look. They also overlapped towards the focal point making for a very visible seam.

I should apologize, asked my question in haste before doing a proper search.

Cheers!

 

That's something I didn't mention but it's good you noticed that! Lapping siding so that the shadow lines are hidden from the most visible spots (driveway / street / main approaches / decks, etc) is a detail that some people wouldn't notice... but if you do notice it, it would drive you nuts!

Overlapping joints don't necessarily have to be on studs, but your nailing pattern often will be.