Construction Equipment Preparation: Things You Should Know

If you've made the decision to install wood siding on your home, it's important that you know what you're getting into and how to ensure that it's done properly. Wood siding needs special care, particularly because poor preparation and care can lead to damage and ultimately siding failure. Here's a look at a few of the things that you need to know about wood siding installation to ensure that it's done properly.

Wood Siding Needs Time Before Installation

Just like with wood flooring, it's important that you allow your wood siding to acclimate to the environment before you install it. The moisture content of the siding needs to adjust to the moisture content of the environment so that you don't risk any severe swelling or changes to the siding. Remember that humidity causes wood to swell, and dry air causes it to contract.

Order your wood siding as far in advance as possible. As much as a month is ideal for allowing the wood to adjust to the climate around your home before it is installed. This way, you can be sure that the wood is in good condition and ready for a secure installation.

Consider Dried Lumber

Kiln-dried lumber is far drier than air-dried options. It helps ensure that the wood is closer to its final condition, which can reduce the need for you to let the wood rest and adapt to the environment.

If you opt for kiln-dried lumber for your wood siding, you should consider the humidity in the area around your home. If the air is particularly humid, you should still allow the wood to acclimate. This is important because the wood will be so dry that it needs to draw some of the moisture from the air to adapt.

Choose Smaller Pieces

One of the biggest issues with wood siding is the movement that happens within the wood with humidity level changes. You need to allow for this movement when you're installing siding. The best way to do this is to choose smaller sizes of wood strips for the siding. The smaller the pieces, the less movement you'll see in the wood because it's less wood to affect by the environmental changes. 

Seal The Siding

You can further reduce the effects of the environment on your wood siding by having your siding installation contractor seal the wood before the installation. Sealing the wood will help to protect it against the effects of the weather as well as moisture changes. It can also protect the siding against pest infestations.

Talk with your siding installation contractor about these tips and create the wood siding finish that you've been wanting.