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My wife and I just bought our first house and it has some rather old aluminum siding. It's a smaller house (~ 1400 sq. ft.).

We'd like to switch to wood siding, but we honestly have no idea where to begin other than guessing that the process breaks down into two steps.

  1. Remove aluminum siding
  2. Install wood siding

Obviously we're going to need a little more detail than that if we're going to attempt doing it ourselves.

Any tips on where to start? Any recommended resources online?

Aarthi
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Kilik
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    I would start by making a call to a local company that does siding; even if just to get an estimate, you might find that they are able to do it at a reasonable price (that would save you a lot of work). – Tester101 Jul 20 '11 at 03:38
  • I'd consider looking at James Hardi as an option as well. – DA01 Jul 20 '11 at 04:32
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    What kind of wood siding are you thinking of? Lots to consider, not a job for a rank amateur, you will need some guidance and good mentoring. Rip/strip and reside goes for $450 to $550 a square around here. – shirlock homes Jul 20 '11 at 10:54
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    How old is the house? If it is an older house there is probably wood siding under that aluminun siding. You could try and take a peek under some section and see if that is the case. If so you could easily rip off the aluminum siding and simply refurbish the wood before painting. – auujay Jul 20 '11 at 14:13
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    Be careful, trying to refurbish old wood siding (under alu siding) most likely will test positive for lead if older than early 70's, now the flood gates of remediation are open. The original question needs a lot more info than I can type in a couple of hours!!!!!! – shirlock homes Jul 21 '11 at 21:56
  • Do you have any updates on your project? This sounds very similar to what I'm planning to do-remove ancient wood siding, insulate, put up sheathing, and finish with vinyl siding (I don't mind it not looking "original" and like not having to caulk or paint). I did much research on YT and you need to make sure you understand all the installation steps and have all the tools and accessories/materials. Mostly, this is just lots of nailing, taping, stapling, and removing the debris. – The Rev Apr 30 '16 at 17:46

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Have you thought about using hardy board siding? You can get the same look and feel of wood without the risk of mold or termites. The price would not be much different than a good quality wood siding. It is not that difficult to install either, so labor cost should be no different. It is also easy to remove and replace incase there are any future problems with the house(ie electric or plumbing) that would require you to have to remove your siding.

lazoDev
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    Hardi is actually cheaper these days than wood siding. (In my area, Texas, T-111 vertical siding is $40/panel, and Hardi is $28/panel.)

    One HUGE caveat with Hardi is that you have to make sure they're using it correctly. Before you install it or have someone install it, read thoroughly the instructions on the Hardi website and make sure the installers follow them. Also, use a high quality latex caulk and make sure they apply it properly. I personally like BigStretch; GE or DAP stuff is garbage.

     – Karl Katzke Aug 04 '11 at 13:18
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I'm about to replace the Cedar siding on my house with LP SmartSiding.

Here are the best sites that I came across about replacing Siding:

  1. Lots of Great tips on Installs and what to avoid: Link
    Note that it's title is misleading - 'Many problems with installations of LP SmartSide siding' because it's actually a great How-To and What-not-to-do on Siding.
    (and be sure to also read the comments}
  2. Tips on Water-Resistive Barriers Link (sorry, could only post a max of 2 links)
  3. You can also look on YouTube for the 8 part series on installing LP siding (id: LP SmartSide)
  4. Finally, any of Taunton's 'For Pros by Pros' Books are great. They have several available on installing Exterior Siding and Trim.
Earl
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