# Forum Home Renovation Cladding  vinyl cladding installation methods

## ovann86

Hi -  
I recently repainted and sealed a wall of my house. I made sure to remove all cracked or rotten boards and used gap seal between the horizontal gaps.  
For the last 6 months it was water-tight, however during the past week we've had an unusual amount of rain and wind which was resulted in some water getting through the weatherboards. Fortunately I have the internal walls off in my spare room, so I was able to see exactly where it's coming from. 
Given that this is the 'weather' side of the house (get's most of the rain, wind and hot sun) I'm now looking to clad it with vinyl cladding. 
I'm in the process of getting a quote for the installation, however I'm not entirely sure what the best installation method is and how much preparation is required for a reliable seal. 
My questions, if anyone can help are:  Is Vinyl cladding worth the money? - (I'm going to take care to get a product designed for the Australian sun (UV))Should I get the cladding installed on top of the existing boards?If so - how much prep needs to be done to the boards? (As you can see in the attached photos, the top square meter is still all peeling paint  :Cry:  )Should I remove the existing boards and put cement sheeting down then the vinyl as the top ? - this way I can reuse the boards elsewhere or sell them (I understand this style of board is rare)Should I remove the existing boards, put down some building wrap then cement sheeting then finally the vinyl top ?OR should i remove the existing boards, building wrap then put the boards back on and re-sealAnd finally, should I fork out the full cost and get the whole house done? The condition of the rest of the external walls is MUCH better - no issues with water-tightness to date (touch wood!) 
Any advice to point me in a general dirrection would be appricated. I'm largely concerned about cost, but also considering time, labour/maintenance in the short and long term and the effectiveness to be water-tight. 
I'm also not entirely sure about the thickness of the product. It seems that it will stick out past the wind trim! This wall isn't seen from the street, so I dont think it would be noticed. Any thoughts on this?  
Very much appricated!

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## jatt

Had a place that was cladded in the stuff for 24 odd years, 14 of them owned by me is still going strong. The only maintenence I had to do was hit it with the high pressure hose and a stiff broom to get the lichen off it. 
Cant really answer your other questions but in my opion worth every cent.  Knew the previous owner quite well, but he is dead now so cant pick his brain about the details. 
Bummer cause I am renoing a joint at present and am going thru the same considerations as you are.

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## ovann86

Hi Jatt - 
 Thank you for your reply and apologies about the delayed response (I didnt see the reply until now). 
 After many days of working on fixing the existing boards I've decided that my heart is no longer in the painting option and I would rather spend my time doing other tasks. 
 I looked at removing the existing boards and installing Weathertex boards. They have a good product but I feel silly putting something up that'll need painting (and the equipment associated with the job, such as scaffold). 
 I got two quotes for the vinyl cladding (installed):  $17,500 from Formplex. The salesman was VERY rude and i had a few VERY rude and pushy phone calls from Formplex after I got the quote. Their product is really good but the price is too high and I don't want to deal with the people.$8,000 from Mitten. Their product seems OK, although they seem to be avoiding the critical information like if the product was designed for the Australian sun (UV). I'll be taking this one up as soon as I can decide the colour. 
If you're interested, I'll answer my own questions below based on my research and dwelling on the decision:  Is Vinyl cladding worth the money?  I think this answer has to be based on personal circumstances. Do you like painting, do you have the equipment to do the whole job (scaffold, sanders etc.), do you have a month or two to spare to do the job...I am doubtful that Vinyl Cladding gives value to a house - after all it does make it look a bit cheap like a giant caravan.  Should I get the cladding installed on top of the existing boards?  You may HAVE to - there are two classifications of vinyl boards, type A board and type B boardType A is rigid and can be used to structurally tie the building together. Therefore it does not require any boards underneath. It can be installed right on top of your sarking/building wrap.Type B isnt rigid and needs a type A product underneath - such as the existing boards, cement sheeting, structural MDF etc.By keeping the existing boards underneath you're adding an extra layer for insulation against noise and heat transfer/loss.  If so - how much prep needs to be done to the boards? (As you can see in the attached photos, the top square meter is still all peeling paint [IMG]file:///C:/Users/ITSUPP%7E1/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/02/clip_image001.gif[/IMG])  They install the new vinyl cladding right over whatever is there (wet, rotten or crumbling!) - I would attend to these issues well before they come to do the installation!They claim that whatever is underneath will 'dry up'. But I would prefer cutting it out and replacing so mould or other fungal issues cant get to the rest of the structure.  Should I remove the existing boards and put cement sheeting down then the vinyl as the top ? - this way I can reuse the boards elsewhere or sell them (I understand this style of board is rare)  This is A LOT of workYou'll need to remove the existing boards, nails etc. and install the cement sheeting.Cement sheeting is heavy - so you'll need a helper with lifting and holding the sheets in place as they're being fixed on.  OR should i remove the existing boards, building wrap then put the boards back on and re-seal  Once again, this is A LOT of work (but could save you some $$$)I dont think this is a good option though because once the boards have started to warp and rot on the edges (even if it's only small) they're not going to be any good to reuse.  And finally, should I fork out the full cost and get the whole house done? The condition of the rest of the external walls is MUCH better - no issues with water-tightness to date (touch wood!)  I'm still toying with this idea ... I may get the 'weather' (west) side of the house done then if I agree it looks fine get the rest done. The important part is how the cladding is finished. I've seen some done really good and some done really badly - so make sure your installer has several years experience working with the product. 
Good luck! Let me know what you do with you cladding.Hi Jatt - 
 Thank you for your reply and apologies about the delayed response (I didnt see the reply until now). 
 After many days of working on fixing the existing boards I've decided that my heart is no longer in the painting option and I would rather spend my time doing other tasks. 
 I looked at removing the existing boards and installing Weathertex boards. They have a good product but I feel silly putting something up that'll need painting (and the equipment associated with the job, such as scaffold). 
 I got two quotes for the vinyl cladding (installed):  $17,500 from Formplex. The salesman was VERY rude and i had a few VERY rude and pushy phone calls from Formplex after I got the quote. Their product is really good but the price is too high and I don't want to deal with the people.$8,000 from Mitten. Their product seems OK, although they seem to be avoiding the critical information like if the product was designed for the Australian sun (UV). I'll be taking this one up as soon as I can decide the colour.  *If you're interested, I'll answer my own questions below based on my research and dwelling on the decision:*  Is Vinyl cladding worth the money?    I think this answer has to be based on personal circumstances. Do you like painting, do you have the equipment to do the whole job (scaffold, sanders etc.), do you have a month or two to spare to do the job...I am doubtful that Vinyl Cladding gives value to a house - after all it does make it look a bit cheap like a giant caravan.  Should I get the cladding installed on top of the existing boards?  You may HAVE to - there are two classifications of vinyl boards, type A board and type B boardType A is rigid and can be used to structurally tie the building together. Therefore it does not require any boards underneath. It can be installed right on top of your sarking/building wrap.Type B isnt rigid and needs a type A product underneath - such as the existing boards, cement sheeting, structural MDF etc.By keeping the existing boards underneath you're adding an extra layer for insulation against noise and heat transfer/loss.  If so - how much prep needs to be done to the boards? (As you can see in the attached photos, the top square meter is still all peeling paint [IMG]file:///C:/Users/ITSUPP%7E1/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/02/clip_image001.gif[/IMG])  They install the new vinyl cladding right over whatever is there (wet, rotten or crumbling!) - I would attend to these issues well before they come to do the installation!They claim that whatever is underneath will 'dry up'. But I would prefer cutting it out and replacing so mould or other fungal issues cant get to the rest of the structure.  Should I remove the existing boards and put cement sheeting down then the vinyl as the top ? - this way I can reuse the boards elsewhere or sell them (I understand this style of board is rare)  This is A LOT of workYou'll need to remove the existing boards, nails etc. and install the cement sheeting.Cement sheeting is heavy - so you'll need a helper with lifting and holding the sheets in place as they're being fixed on.  OR should i remove the existing boards, building wrap then put the boards back on and re-seal  Once again, this is A LOT of work (but could save you some $$$)I dont think this is a good option though because once the boards have started to warp and rot on the edges (even if it's only small) they're not going to be any good to reuse.  And finally, should I fork out the full cost and get the whole house done? The condition of the rest of the external walls is MUCH better - no issues with water-tightness to date (touch wood!)  I'm still toying with this idea ... I may get the 'weather' (west) side of the house done then if I agree it looks fine get the rest done. The important part is how the cladding is finished. I've seen some done really good and some done really badly - so make sure your installer has several years experience working with the product. 
Good luck! Let me know what you do with you cladding.

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## jatt

Yeah decided to go the standard 175 mm square edge boards to match the rest of the house. 
Where possible will use the airless to speed up the painting process.  Once the first coat has been followed up with the brush, one can just "gun" the other coats on (well thats what I do).
Generally first thing in the morn seems to be the go around here, before the wind picks up.  Its strictly acylics only for me outside as enamel seems to float more in the air and takes longer to dry.  Not good if it hits next doors car etc..

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