Siding comes in many forms but T1 siding is mostly used as an Exterior Sheathing and Siding all in one.
Its primary application is in out buildings such as a detached garage or shed but it can be used on homes or businesses with good results.
Its maintenance factor will depend on the product that you select and new products that have a weather barrier or textured surface to match traditional siding surfaces are available.
The product comes in 4×8 sheets similar to standard plywood. The edges are shiplap joints similar to a tung and groove joint found on floor decking but with one edge of the tung removed for quick and easy installing.
When placing the sheets together at their joints you should allow a 3/8 inch gap or follow the alignment joints. This way the material can expand and contract in cold and wet conditions.
The perimeter of the sheet should be nailed 6 inches on center and the field or center of the panel can have nails spaced as far as 12 inches on center. This is similar to normal exterior sheathing.
The difference is when you are sinking your nails.
You have 3 options for your nail heads
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Exposed head above surface
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Flush head with the surface of the material
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Sink the head no more then 1/8th an inch and then caulk or putty
If you endup sinking heads below the surface and the inner parts of the material is exposed to weather conditions you risk shortening the life of the product because it will delaminate the plywood.
Special precautions on horizontal joints must include z type flashing that will sit behind the upper piece and extend out and over the lower piece of siding.
Where the product comes into contact with masonry like brick or foundations you will need to protect the siding from the masonry with flashing or membrane.
All openings in the material for windows and doors or other items like vents must be flashed.
T1 siding is a great choice to reduce your construction costs and give you a quick to build and somewhat easy to maintain building.
Remember that you will need to maintain the product with paint or stain and you should take additional care to check for rot, mold and separation.
If you are using this product in a residential building you may want to pre-install Tyvek or other moisture barriers to reduce the possibility of water entering your home or garage.
T1 siding is a good solution for quick manufacture of outbuildings but there are many other products that exceed the life and quality of this siding solution in residential use. For this reason we suggest that an alternative product be used for homes when the price point would not inhibit ownership.