Longboard Aluminum sidings are designed for giving contemporary architecture a whole new characteristic for both residential and commercial applications. They are varied in two types which are woodgrain and solid color finish. The siding substance is made of aluminum in order to have extremely stable wood-metal mixture with higher resistance against any weather conditions. This applicable siding can increase the value of the property and they decrease expenditures in the long term by omitting the need to paint or replace damaged or old panels. Longboards are immune from being warping, fading and rotting unlike wood sidings and they are impenetrable to pests such as termites.
Following is the brief introduction for installing longboard aluminum sidings. This introduction is designed only for experienced siding professionals. These boards are being installed in a similar manner to other type of sidings requiring more precision.
Using proper personal protective equipment when installing any type of siding is essential. Cutting metal with saw can increase eye injury risks, thus using eye protection is highly recommended. Complying with all application guidelines of governing body for occupational health and safety is important.
For ripping and cutting an aluminum board, a compound miter saw and small table saw can be used with a 10 to 12 inches, 80 to 100 tooth or ferrous metal cutting blade. When creating holes for pot lights up to 4 inches, using an appropriate hole saw is recommended. For larger holes, a jigsaw is required.
All longboard products are produced a minimum of one inch longer than the specified length. Taped ends are always needed to be cut off. A proper maintenance and care will surely affect the quality of installation.
Due to changing temperature, allowing a quarter inch for every 24 feet of longboard for expansion and contraction is necessary. These longboards, bring quick screen clip ability with them, which improves expansion and contraction tolerance and is a rain screen solution. These clips should be connected to the top of the aluminum boards at 32 inches on center fastening them into the solid substrate. They can create the rear ventilation plane and allow movement from thermal expansion and contraction. Number eight screw with appropriate length with corrosion resistant is suitable for the application and is needed to be used.
When installing sidings, it is important to install the components and the starter strips at first. Starter clips can be fastened with quick clips, however other components should be installed with strong screws and they do not require quick clips. Aluminum long boards sidings come with A and B pieces packaged together and they should be installed in the exact way they come out of the box. A and B pieces should give the cladding a repeating visual pattern which should also be identified and offset in a random manner in order to enhance the aesthetic look of the exterior or interior.
For siding applications, fixing the woodgrain starter strip using the clips to maintain standoff distance from the wall is necessary. Then installing a second screw in order to hard fasted the strip to the wall is recommended. This needs to be done in order to help support the weight of subsequent courses of longboard aluminum sidings. Then the inside and corner pieces should be installed to receive the siding.
After installing main boards, finishing caps should be installed. Before installing them, using touch up pens on the raw aluminum edge is needed due to concealing any visible points. Then, J tracks should be inserted into the course of siding that runs beside the window, followed by aligning them with the finishing county below the window. It is done in order to conceal the cut edge of the finishing cap and give a clean finished look to the façade. Longboards can be installed between two pieces of J tracks allowing minimum of quarter inch for expansion. The board should be fully inserted into the J trim on one side and then the opposite side of J trim should be cleared so it can be inserted as well then the board should be centered for optimum placement. It should be noted that each single length of a longboard must have a component to receive any expansion or contraction.
Once the boards are installed completely, the mill finishes should be installed as well to the finishing base. The last step is applying the final finishing chemicals using a mallet or a tool which cannot damage the longboards and finishes. They should be used to gently but firmly drive the trim into the finishing base.
