Your Guide to Getting New Siding – Part 1: Siding Terms to Know

When you go shopping for siding, you’ll encounter terms specific to the products you’re looking at. To better understand your options then, it’s important that you understand these terms. Some of the terminologies you should familiarize yourself with include:

 

 

• Backerboard – A flat material fastened to the sides of the house serving as a surface for the main material to attach to.

 

• Beveled – Tapered on the end (compared to having a rectangular tip).

 

• Caulking – Material used to seal up intersections, joints, or seams in the material, keeping moisture from penetrating the siding.

 

• Channel – Area where the siding panels are connected to the trim or corner post. There are different types of channels depending on their appearance.

 

• Clapboard – Horizontal planks that overlap each other.

 

• Course – A row of siding (usually a single panel unless using smaller panels).

 

• Cupping – A siding problem that causes panels to rise away from the wall (usually happens with wood siding).

 

• Double Course – When a layer of siding tiles or shingles is covered by newer siding.

 

• Face – The visible side of siding.

 

• Lap – The point where two siding panels overlap and leave room for expansion or contraction.

 

• Nailing Hem – Part of the siding where nail slots are found.

 

• Single Course – When a layer of siding is exposed (no underlying siding panels).

 

• Soffit – Underside space between the end of the roof and the top edge of the siding.

 

• Square – Unit of measurement that is equivalent to 100 square feet.

 

• Tongue and Groove – A way of connecting siding; Panels have a “tongue” (narrow indent) on one edge that fits the “groove” (a narrow channel) on the other edge of the panel it will be connecting to.

 

• Sheathing – Sheets of wooden planks that covers the wall’s framework.

 

• Weep holes – Openings found in a siding panel that allow water runoff.

 

Now that you know some sidingspeak, the next thing you should consider is what kind of siding to get. Head on over to Part 2 to learn about our siding recommendation.