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Can You Put Vinyl Siding Over OSB? (How To)

Are you interested in options for how to remodel your home exterior? If this is the case, you’ll be pleased to know that there are more choices now than ever. If you have oriented strand board (otherwise known as OSB) on your house, you’ll know that this engineered wood may seem sturdy and durable, yet it’s not really meant to stand up against the elements for a long period of time. You may have thought about what type of siding you can use. Vinyl siding can be installed on top of OSB as long as you do this with great care. 

When choosing an ideal layer to put over oriented strand board (OSB), you’ve got a few options. You can use vinyl siding on top of your OSB. Just use caution and make sure that you have a solid understanding of what supplies you’ll need and how to conduct this DIY project before you start installing it. 

Vinyl siding of the house

Should You Put Vinyl Siding Over OSB?

Vinyl siding of the house

Now that you know that you can place vinyl siding over OSB, you’ll want to think about whether this is a good idea in your situation. 

Vinyl siding isn’t necessarily the best material to use for your house exterior, since it expands and contracts more than other materials. If you want to use vinyl siding over OSB, it can work out well. Make sure you do research about how this process will go, as well as any issues to look out for. 

OSB is a common type of sheathing that’s used on the outside of residential buildings. It isn’t the most durable material, so it needs to be covered by other materials. If you plan to place vinyl siding over OSB, you’ll want to prepare the OSB by putting a protective material in between them. A good choice for this purpose is foam board insulation. This is crucial because the vinyl siding might allow rain or snow to get inside and this can warp the wood of the OSB. As long as you put this house wrap in between your layers, you can go ahead with your vinyl siding project. 

What Tools Do You Need to Put Vinyl Siding Over OSB? 

Tools in the floor

There are several tools and various other supplies you’ll need in order to install your siding over OSB. 

When installing your siding, you’ll need a few tools and supplies. If you don’t already have a protective covering, get something like foam board insulation. Other things include nails, a hammer, measuring tape, straightedge, chalk line, ladder, utility knife, caulk, and foam sheathing strips. 

The following are tools and other items you’ll need for your DIY siding project: 

  • Hammer and nails
  • J-channel – this is used to help conceal edges of the cut soffit and siding pieces
  • Measuring tape 
  • Ladder
  • Caulk 
  • Utility knife 
  • Flashing tape
  • Foam sheathing strips (1/2 inch) – they provide you with a flat surface at the corners where you’re going to attach the channels 
  • Marker pen
  • Straightedge
  • Plumb bob 

What Preparations Do You Need to Put Vinyl Siding Over OSB? 

Vinyl siding of the house

One of the main things you’ll want to do is check that there are no holes, moisture issues, cracks, or other defects on the existing structure. Then, do the necessary repairs before you install your vinyl siding. 

Check that you don’t have any structural issues before you begin your project, like holes or moisture problems. Repair these, then remove obstacles that will interfere with your siding installation. Put a protective barrier on the OSB so that it will stand up better against the rain and snow. 

After you do any repairs such as taking out decaying wood and caulking problem spots, you’ll need to clear the area of obstacles such as molding, downspouts, and light fixtures. This will make it easier to work and protect the surroundings from damage. If you don’t already have a sheathing layer on your house, this is when you’d put up OSB. After that, you’ll need to install a protective layer to serve as waterproofing. 

How to Put Vinyl Siding Over OSB

confused man standing

Put in your soffit siding, which is what you install under the overhang of your roof. Place J-channel nail pieces under the fascia. This hides the soffit siding and offers a watertight seal. 

There are several steps when it comes to installing vinyl siding over OSB. Install soffit and fascia, then measure your walls. Install the starter strip, set up corner posts at each corner of your house, then install flashing and J-channel. Next, install your siding panels, starting from the bottom. 

Measure and cut 12 ft. vinyl siding for the soffit. This should be 1/4 in. shorter the true soffit length to allow for expansion from heat. Press these pieces into the J-channel, bending them to fit whenever you need to do so. Install the fascia (which goes along the front). Measure your walls in order to figure out how many siding pieces you’ll need at each wall. Divide the number of pieces by the width of a panel, and if this turns out to be a whole number, you won’t have to trim the panels to size. 

Install a starter strip so you know where to start putting in the first row of your siding. Put a nail here and mark this point around your house perimeter using chalk line. Place the starter strip on top of this line, just make sure that you leave a 1/4 in. gap between each of the strips for expansion. 

Set up your corner posts on each corner of your house, 3/4 in. beneath your starter panel’s bottom edge and then up to just below the eaves. Use your plumb bob as you’re nailing the posts so that you know they’re straight. 

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on January 14, 2023.

Put flashing and J-channel around your windows and doors. Then, seal spaces with caulk to prevent moisture from getting in your house. Install your channels from the bottom to the top around the windows and doors. Measure and cut your siding, making sure there’s a 1/4 in. gap between your panels and corner posts to allow for expansion. Ensure that the bottom lip of each of your panels is hooked properly under the starting strip. Nail these vinyl pieces to the wall, overlapping panels at seams by around one inch. Work your way up towards the top of the wall, staggering seams and lapping them away from the entrance of your home. 

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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on January 14, 2023.

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