Vinyl Siding around windows

Installing Certainteed Cedarboards vinyl siding, with the foam backing. Coming up to the bottom of my windows, I am about an inch short. J channel around the window with the dual undersill trim. What now? We can not figure out how to remedy this. Any ideas?? The starter strip has to be where it is.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. thanks

 

Inch short of what? post a picture if you can. Your siding should get ripped so that it fits completely up into the undersill, and up and around the sides of the window. You will have to remove some of the foam backing from the siding to do this.

 

That piece under the window would just be a sliver. There is about an inch. Of course this window is right next to the front door. First thing you see.

 

Install two shorter pieces ??

 

Cut out a rectangular piece from the siding so it will fit under the window and up each side. The cut edges should be hidden inside the J-channel.

 

Pallou, it is normal for the pieces underneath (and over) windows to vary in size. It's nice when they are bigger, but sometimes it just doesn't work out. If there is no way to clip it so it stays permamently, you can put a couple dots of clear silicone in the interlock before you snap it into place.

 

We are finding this insulated siding is harder to work with than we thought. The j channel is much wider to accomodate the thickness, and it makes the bottom of the windows difficult. We need the dual undersill in the j channel, but on this one window we can't really fit it in.

xsleeper, thanks for all the help. I think the silicone is the only thing that will hold this together. The window isn't very wide, about 20". I don't think we will be able to crimp the top of the piece at all. If we cut the nail holes off the undersill, do you think we will be able to stick it to the bottom of the j channel with the silicone? Then hopefully, slide the top of this little piece in?

I am sure you have figured out by now, we have no idea what we are doing.

 

Yes, the insulated siding is a real pain.

Under those windows, you will need to cut the nailing fin off the undersill, and just slip the undersill onto the siding... it can't go anywhere and should lay fairly tight inside the j-channel. Don't worry about using silicone to attach the undersill just slipping it onto the siding will just help stiffen the top cut edge of the siding. I would test fit the piece to make sure it will fit, then take it off and just put a dot of silicone in the bottom edge of the siding every 24" or so, and then put it on.

If adding the undersill distorts the siding at all (makes it look like it puckers in at the corners) then you have to omit it. Leave the foam backer on the siding (it will help the siding lay flat) and just rely on the silicone in the interlock to hold it in place under the window.

A 20" wide window is no problem, it's the 8 ft long windows that get challenging.

 

Ok that makes sense. Its a small window, and will be a relatively small piece of siding, so that helps. I know it will take a few trys to get it right. Just to make sure I understand what you are saying, we want the silicone where it locks into the panel below?

I am hoping nailing the siding on each side of the window will hold things together. Making this all lay flat will be the challenge.

Thanks again.

 

Yes, I usually put the silicone in the bottom hook of the siding before it goes up. In the same area where the weep holes are. One small dot (like a small marble) in the middle of your 20" window would be plenty. You don't want to use so much that it squeezes out, or makes the siding impossible to remove someday. You also want to make sure when you nail up your siding that all your nails are centered in the nail slots, and loose, to allow for expansion and contraction. But you probably already knew that.

If you are going over existing siding, you sometimes need to shim the existing siding out with a piece of fanfold or lathe to give yourself a flat area, otherwise your siding and j-channel are sucked back too far. Not sure if you stripped off all the old siding or not, or maybe put on fanfold?