How to Install Cedar Shingle Siding | This Old House

Cedar shingles were used for siding before the Revolution. They were easy to install back then and they are still easy. Tom Silva shows Kevin O’Connor the old school technique for aligning the siding that does not require a tape measure.

It’s time to start shingling the Arlington house. Tom Silva is using red cedar shingles that are primed on both sides. Before the shingles are attached, the exterior wall is covered with an all-in-one rain screen and air barrier. Tom puts a filler strip at the bottom of the wall so that the bottom course of shingles will flare out. The shingles get attached with 7-penny, 2-inch stainless steel ring shank nails. Tom recommends using one nail on each side of the shingle when the width of the shingle is five inches or less. The shingles should not be up tight to each other; there should be a very small air gap in between. The first course gets doubled, with the next layer just a little bit lower. Tom scribes and cuts the corner shingles to match the curved contour. The next courses that go up the wall need to be spaced out so that they line up with the bottom trim of the window. Tom shows Kevin O’Connor how he uses a story pole to mark off the courses that he wants for an approximate 5 inch reveal. The line is snapped with chalk and they attach the straight edge on which to place the butts of the next course of shingles.

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This Old House is America’s first and most trusted home improvement show. Each season, we renovate two different historic homes—one step at a time—featuring quality craftsmanship and the latest in modern technology. We demystify home improvement and provide ideas and information so, whether you are doing it yourself or hiring out contractors, you’ll know the right way to do things or the questions to ask. Our experts including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor give you the tools you need to protect and preserve your greatest investment—your home.

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How to Install Cedar Shingle Siding | This Old House

[harrytuttle]

Tom always has the most unique ways of measuring stuff 😵📐📏

[mpwall]

Good luck remembering all that when the wife and kids are watching you

[loganperry]

Love the fact that they are adding way more details, and show the finished product. Its way better when you can get a real idea for how to do the projects.

[Marshal_Dunnik]

If you’re wondering about durability, the cedar siding on my house was installed in 1963 and is only now, after almost six decades of Canadian weather, starting to require replacement (and even then, only one or two boards are staring to rot)

[bkestler]

Watching you boys putting up siding never gets old! ❤

[daw]

White Cedar, premium grade, painted on all six sides, and properly installed by a professional, will last 70+ years. Of course, it needs to be maintained just like any important asset. Cheers!

[rupe]

At some point while going around an old house they are going to find the next set of windows will be a slightly different height because the building has settled ovah the last 100 years. Might only be a quatah orah maybe tree-quatah of an inch spread ovah say 10 - 15 ft, but they will have to explain how to fudge the snap line so the look is ok from the street.

[Ryal]

That looks amazing. Love to see this show is still going. I used to watch it with my dad as a kid.

[timskufca]

beautiful work. Clarify the rainscreen: if water does drain along that fabric material behind the shingles, it doesn't appear that there was any way for that water to escape. It was blocked in with the first course board.

[jamesgrows]

I have been installing cedar sidewall and roof shingles in Rhode Island and Connecticut for years. Actually since I was a kid, 16 years old and now going on 40. Not handy man siding actually flawlessly finished dozens and dozens of large homes. Currently dealing with a home owner upset over spacing. The main issue is the house is a poorly constructed modular with large metal straps tying the levels of house together. This caused some visual imperfections in the wall, as well as the minor unevenness of the cdx sheathing. The box recommends 1/8-1/4 spacing. This is a global recommendation. I’m wet areas of the country or world I may go this far. Here in RI it’s much drier. The shingles are also treated which prevent moisture from expanding or contracting the shingles. On the other hand boxed untreated reds I do space. Whites never since they are green. This video helps ensure what we did was correct. Tight with a small gap which we did. Now there is concern the shingles will buckle and fall off the wall. The owner won’t consider any information I give him. In wet areas or on roofs spaces are required. Every house, siding, and application is different. Just common sense and more so part of experience in doing it for so long. Thank you for the video.

[ncsouthernman]

did anyone catch that Tommy forecasted the exact distance of that course of shingles at 5 9/16" ?

[findafire]

Looking and enjoying watching a craftsman work it appears the picture window on the next wall is a different height of the beginning wall window. How did that work out?

[mamav]

Is there a difference from this and standard cedar shingles?

[srdsrd]

"We don't want it to be any higher than 5 & 1/2 inches"
*Makes is 5 & 9/16ths*
5.5625 > 5.5

[THEREV]

I’m not a professional at this or anything but how I do it is I make sure my first row at the bottom is flush with the plywood or whatever it may be. I’d measure how far up I need to go for the next row. Then I’d grab a straight long piece of wood and nail that across and then I have a platform to lay the shakes on and use the mail gun, and use necessary cuts when needed with a jigsaw

[ericrzz]

At 2:15, Tommy was nailing the shakes with 7D SS ring shanked nails. Later in the video, the workers were using nail guns. Someone makes stainless steel, ring shanked nails for nail guns??? Maybe the guns were just using SS nails, nor ring shanked? Can someone explain/clarify?

[matthewv]

How to shingeling around the agular bay window? Both inner and outer angles.

[guysawka]

So you double the first row then single all others???

[DraftSZN]

I'm installing cedar shingles (#1 Red). My contractor wants to use asphalt saturated felt paper, backerboard, and then the cedar. Is this an appropriate method? The backerboard looks like sawdust or cardboard. I haven't seen it used anywhere. Is this a normal/good process?

[clarencetaylor]

3:26, I thought he was going to just score it with the box cutter, but he cut the whole thing!