Finishing the exterior walls of the house with siding makes the appearance of a residential building or any other purpose complete and neat, but this is only true if the materials are correctly selected and additional decorative elements are installed, which not everyone can handle. Siding can be made of different materials, but the most commonly used are vinyl and steel, due to their qualities.
What siding material to choose: vinyl
To look attractive windows, siding decoration you can do it yourself. However, it is important to choose a finishing material that will look attractive and not cause installation difficulties. For example, vinyl material is more common, as it has many advantages, among them: accuracy and aesthetics, resistance to moisture, ease of maintenance and high quality material. Among other things, the material is frost-resistant and copes well with high temperatures. If the surface of the panel is dirty, then it will be possible to get rid of sewage with a wet rag.
When to choose a metal siding
If you want windows to look attractive, siding can be done. However, it is important to decide what material will be the basis of the panels. It can be a metal that is more durable than vinyl and can last up to 50 years. A polymer coating is applied to its surface during the manufacturing process, which is able to preserve the material from corrosion. Such protection also improves the appearance of the material, as it can have different colors and imitate natural materials. Metal is characterized by heat resistance, flexibility, which is especially important when designing windows with special profiles. That is why when using vinyl siding for walls, consumers prefer to install metal panels around the windows. But this material still has one drawback, which is expressed in a more significant weight compared to the vinyl variety.
Preparation of tools for window decoration
If you will be finishing windows with siding from the outside, it is important to take care of the availability of all necessary tools before starting work. Among them are the following:
- scissors for metal;
- wood hacksaw;
- knife cutter.
Scissors are needed for cutting material from above, in the place where the mounting holes are located. This tool will be necessary for figured cutting when installing siding in arched openings. It is important to choose the right hacksaw for wood, as well as metal, which should have small teeth. An alternative solution is an electric saw. It should also be remembered that when cutting the panels it will be necessary to draw a strip with a knife, only after the material is bent and unbent several times, in which case the siding will be easily broken along the intended line. Among other things, for installation work you will need:
- screwdriver;
- level;
- self-tapping screws;
- hammer;
- square;
- a piece of chalk;
- twine.
With the help of a square you will mark the angle of installation of the material around the openings and on the slopes. The level should have a length of not less than half a meter. But it will be possible to repel the installation line using twine and chalk. Siding will be strengthened with self-tapping screws.
For reference
If you decide to refine the windows, siding decoration can be carried out. It is so important to remember that fasteners must be made of galvanized metal. This is required so that under the influence of moisture the elements are not covered by rust and the lining is not damaged. It is important to choose the size of fasteners. Thus, a suitable cap diameter is one centimeter. As for the length of the self-tapping screws for installing the siding, a parameter of 2.5 cm is usually selected.
Component preparation
To install siding around the openings, it is necessary to prepare accessories; they are galvanized metal supporting profiles and other consumables. Sometimes installation is possible with the help of a crate of wooden bars. However, it must be remembered that this material is very susceptible to moisture. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare a completely dry timber, which is pre-treated with water-repellent impregnation. Siding cannot be installed without galvanized supporting J-profiles. A To comply with the installation technology, the rail should be mounted around the perimeter of the opening. If you plan to install with slopes, then you need to buy corner double-sided profiles. If there are euro windows in the house, installation of ebbs under the visors and windows is not required. Otherwise, you will need to purchase these components.
Preparatory work
If you want windows to look attractive, siding decoration of this part of the house can be done by you yourself. However, it is first necessary to take care of the surface preparation. To do this, the master will have to dismantle extraneous elements and platbands that protrude above the surface of the walls of the building. It is important to make sure that the surface and slopes are dry, roughness and potholes must be plastered. In the presence of large slopes, as usually happens, you need to take care of installing double-sided corner profiles. For this reason, experts recommend leveling the slopes with a stucco mortar, as well as treating them with a water-repellent deep penetration primer.
Crate Installation
If you finish the windows with siding outside with your own hands, then you can not do without a crate. It is a supporting frame, which should be located around the perimeter of the opening. First, marking is carried out, for which it is necessary to use a square, a long level, twine and chalk, as well as a water construction level. A long level is useful for leveling the frame, but its water version is needed to measure the installation level of the lower and upper bearing profile. When the vertical and horizontal lines for the installation of the frame are beaten, they should be positioned in level, and a square should be used to form a right angle.
For reference
When you take measurements, you cannot focus on the angle of slopes. It may happen that their slope is not correct, the level and the square will help.
Siding installation
Do-it- yourself siding of windows involves adhering to the technology, according to it, it is necessary to determine the distance under the window. There should be a margin of 6 mm on each side. Among other things, the cutout in the panel must be made wider than required by 6 mm. The gap should be formed using metal scissors. Until the panel is in place, a J-profile is installed in the lower part of the window into which the products will be inserted. This will add aesthetics to the finish. At the next stage, the siding panel is mounted across the width of the opening, this must be done flush with the window frame. By the same principle, siding is mounted above the opening, as well as from two sides.
Specialist advice
J-profile connection needs to be carried out according to a certain technique. It says that in the bottom of the vertical profile you need to cut a bend in the shape of an eye. In the side profiles, which are located vertically, the internal angle is cut, it should be equal to 45 °. Only now can the profile be connected.
Setting the external angle of the supporting profile for mounting siding around windows in the presence of slopes
You can independently carry out siding decoration at home, windows can have slopes, in this case you need to act slightly differently. The first step will be to install a two-sided corner profile at the corner, a finishing sheet will be put into it. During the installation of the angular profile, it is necessary to ensure that the fasteners are located in the central part of the hole, only in this way you can eliminate the deformation of the profile. A supporting profile is mounted around the perimeter, slopes are formed by siding, while the finish is installed in the grooves of the profiles. The panels should be located as horizontally as possible, this will provide not only durability, but also the strength of the lining.
What to do with arched openings
Siding windows can also be used when the opening has an arched shape. Previously in this case, you should purchase a flexible supporting J-profile. This element is located around the arch, and nails are driven in at a distance of 15 cm from each other. There is no need to leave a gap between the fasteners and the panel. This is only true for connecting the flexible profile and the supporting lower profile in the corners. At the next stage, the installation of the material should be carried out according to the above technology. In this case, the screws should not go into the canvas tightly, it is necessary to take into account the thermal expansion of the material when heated.
If you will be finishing windows with siding, the step-by-step instructions presented in the article will allow you to eliminate errors. But it should be remembered that not every home master is able to install siding in arched openings, since this work requires professional experience. For the reason that the price of such work is not too high, it is best to entrust the matter to specialists.
The nuances of installing vinyl and metal siding
Finishing windows with metal siding is no different from the technology of installing vinyl panels. As a departure from the methodology, we can single out only the need to use additional elements from the same material. In all cases, you should be guided by the width of the slope, which will determine the method of installation of the finish. If this parameter is approximately equal to 20 cm, then the space must be covered with a lining. This must be done vertically or horizontally. To install siding inside the slopes, you will need a J-profile. But if we are talking about slopes of medium width, then for their decoration there is no need to use siding. To do this, you can purchase special slats for such slopes, the width of which can be made as necessary. In this case, it will only be necessary to remove excess material with a knife. But the edge of the bar will also be installed in the J-profile or finish profile. To install such strips, you will need to cut them or bend the corners.
Features of the installation of the crate
Window decoration with siding from the outside is usually done on a crate. It is a series of vertical bars made of wood or metal. The outer edges of the bars will form a virtual circuit. It is important to make this support as even as possible, the attractiveness of the appearance of the finish will depend on this. Initially, you should determine the right angle from the bottom of the opening, and then set the start profile according to the marks, then you need to do the rest of the markup, guided by the lower dimensions. In the corners of the aperture, a corner should be formed from the profile; for this, UD and CD profiles are strengthened between themselves. On this blank, the internal corner of the siding will be laid. Finishing windows with vinyl siding must be carried out along the crate, as an exception, openings are the width of which is less than 19 cm.
Conclusion
Window decoration with siding, the photo of which is presented in the article, should be carried out according to a certain technology. It provides for fixing the last bar under the cornice after fixing the finish profile. Cutting blanks should be carried out only on a special table, while it is recommended to use a circular saw.
Before purchasing materials, it is important to make a calculation so that there is no cost overrun. Most often, the length of components for siding is 3 m; therefore, when calculating the required amount of material for decoration, it is necessary to divide the total perimeter of doors and windows into three. The length of the components can vary depending on the manufacturer, which is why this feature should be taken into account by you when making the calculations.