The present invention relates to siding products and methods of installing siding products, and more particularly to apparatuses and methods for providing rainscreen in overlapping siding panels.
Typically, clapboard siding panels, such as fiber cement clapboard siding panels, are installed on a wall of a structure, generally on a sheathing product, in one of two ways—either in a so called “blind nail” method or a so called “face nail” method. In the blind nail method, illustrated by siding panel assembly 20 of
In the face nailing method shown by panel assembly 10 of
There is a growing concern in the siding industry regarding “rainscreen.” Rainwater penetration in a wall surface is a concern with any siding product, particularly in high storm areas. This penetration can cause rotting and decay and has been identified as the cause of massive condominium failures in regions such as Nova Scotia. Generally, there must be three factors present for leakage to occur: (1) water must be present; (2) an opening in the wall must be present; and (3) there must be some kind of force present to move the water through the opening. The above-described face nail and blind nail installations tend to pull the top panel onto the overlapped panel to create a fairly tight overlap. This overlap can cause a pressure imbalance between the outer and inner surfaces of the overlapping panels, thereby providing the force necessary to draw water into the assembly towards the wall. A related issue is draining water away from the wall once it penetrates the assembly.
These concerns have engendered the use of vertical furring strips in installing clapboard siding panel assemblies. The siding panels are installed onto the furring strips over some form of water barrier, such as building paper. The furring strips act to slightly separate the rear face of the siding panels from the wall, creating a slight air gap that helps to equalize air pressure on the front, exterior and rear, interior faces of the siding panels. This helps reduce the amount of moisture that is pulled to the rear face of the siding panel, which can lead to moisture-related problems such as mold growth or wall rotting stemming from collected water or moisture. This gap, which is created by the furring strips, also provides for a rain drip or weep, which helps remove water from behind the rear face of the siding panels. The use of furring strips, however, is not without its disadvantages, including increased installation costs due to the extra materials and the cumbersome installation process.
In light of the above, there is a need for a new siding panel system and panel configuration that allow for ease of installation while providing rainscreen and water drainage.
A generally rectangular siding panel having a front and rear faces is provided. The siding panel has one or more protrusions spaced along at least one of the faces, wherein the protrusions provide an air gap between the siding panel and a face of a second siding panel when the siding panels are installed in a siding panel assembly.
The designed air gap allows for air flow between overlapping panels, thereby helping to promote air circulation between the panels. This circulation promotes pressure equalization between the front and rear faces of the siding panel and eliminates a factor known to contribute to rain penetration.
A generally rectangular siding panel having a front and rear faces is also provided where the siding panel has one or more recesses or cuts spaced along at least one of the faces, wherein the recesses or cuts provide an air flow path between the siding panel and a face of a second siding panel when the siding panels are installed in a siding panel assembly.
The designed air flow path between overlapping siding panels helps to promote air circulation between the panels. This circulation promotes pressure equalization between the front and rear faces of the siding panel and eliminates a factor known to contribute to rain penetration.
The above and other features of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention that is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings.
The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, as well as other information pertinent to the disclosure, in which:
Referring first to
Referring to
Referring to
Although the siding panels illustrated herein are described as clapboard fiber cement siding panels, this is by no means a requirement. One of ordinary skill will realize that siding panels may be fabricated from a variety of materials other than fiber cement, such as wood or plastic, such as PVC, or composites thereof. It should also be apparent that, although not illustrated, the siding panel assemblies described herein may include other products typically included in panel assemblies, such as sheathing, air and water barriers and insulation.
Fabrication of the panels 100, 200 having protrusions 110 or recesses 210 described above may be accomplished using fabrication techniques known for manufacturing fiber cement or other clapboard siding panels. For example, the recess or protrusion shapes can simply be incorporated into the press contour, grain, or grooves between shakes, used to fabricate fiber cement clapboard siding panels. This process is often referred to as “Post Press.” Alternatively, an accumulator roll process, for example, may be utilized.
A method of installing a siding panel assembly on a structure is also provided herein. A first and second siding panels are provided. At least one of the siding panels is configured like a siding panel 100 described above, i.e., it has a plurality of protrusions 110 spaced along at least one of its respective front and rear faces 102, 104. The siding panels are attached to the structure such that a rear face of one siding panel partially overlaps a front face of the other siding panel so that the protrusions 110 provide an air gap between the first and second siding panels. Preferably, this process is repeated until the structure is covered with siding panels. A blind nail or a face nail process may be utilized to attach the siding panels. In one embodiment, a blind nail method is used and the siding panels have protrusions 110 located on the front face 102 of the panels 100 and proximate to the top edge 108. The protrusions 110 are spaced such that they may be used as nailing marks. For example, the protrusions 110 may be located at positions every 12″ or 16″, or other spacing for load bearing studs in a wall 150. These nails are then driven through the protrusions, as shown in
In a second method of installing a siding panel assembly on a structure, a first and second siding panels are provided. At least one of the siding panels is configured like a siding panel 200 described above, i.e., it has a plurality of recesses 210 spaced along at least one of its respective front and rear faces 202, 204. The siding panels are attached to the structure such that a rear face of one siding panel partially overlaps a front face of the other siding panel so that the recesses 210 provide an air flow path between the first and second siding panels. Preferably, this process is repeated until the structure is covered with siding panels. A blind nail or a face nail process may be utilized to attach the siding panels.
Although the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, it is not limited thereto. For example, the concepts described herein may also be applied to starter strips used to provide air circulation regions behind a starter strip used in connection with a clapboard panel assembly, thereby improving the effectiveness of the entire assembly. Rather, the appended claims should be construed broadly to include other variants and embodiments of the invention that may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and range of equivalents of the invention.
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