Textured 111 Siding and Z-Flashing

[fatclemenza]

Hi,

My carpenter just finished building my shed which came out fantastic. He was able to use full sheets of textured 111 siding so there are no seams anywhere on the walls therefore no z-flashing was required. My question is - "Should there be z-flashing (or something else) on the bottom where the wall is nailed into the joist/sill plate? I'm concerned that water/rain splash/snow will eventually wick up into the structure.

Thx

FC

[lefty]

It's really not needed as long as the siding wass hung down a couple of inches below the floor level. Both of my sheds were built that way (without any flashing) and the siding down about 2" below the top of the slab (and about 3" above grade). I've never gotten any water inside.

[fatclemenza]

Thanks lefty. I think I'm in good shape as my walls were hung as you described. Appreciate it.

FC

[fatclemenza]

Lefty,

Wanted to run this by you. In the front and rear of my shed there are seams where the t 1-11 walls meet the piece that was cut for the gable/peak area. I can't tell whenter or not if my guy used z-flashing. He did however angle cut the top piece nicely so it sits on top of the bottom piece nice and tight. I'm sure if he didn't use z-flashing he used some caulk to form a seal. Based on that, do you think there is the possibility of water penetration here over time if no z-lfashing was used? Thanks

FC

[marksr]

If there was flashing you would see a little piece of metal [or plastic] exposed at the top of the lower panel. Another option is to have the top panel furred out and lapped over the bottom panel.

While a miter joint is SOP for boards, I don't know how well it will fair with plywood.

Lefty knows more about carpentry than me and I'm sure he'll be along later

[lefty]

I'm assuming that you are talking about a horizontal joint.

If he used Z-flashing, you will see it. It will lap down over the bottom sheet by about 1/2". If he didn't use that, he should have furred out and lapped the upper sheet over the lower sheet, like Marksr said.

Just a tight joint is not enough to stop moisture and water from penetrating. But if that is what you have, you can cover it with a piece of 1X trim across the joint. Just make sure that you caulk it in place, and then caulk the top edge of it.

[fatclemenza]

Yes it is a horizontal joint. I'll have him install some trim over the joint when he returns to install the windows. Stupid question but why wouldn't a carpenter install the z-flashing in the first place? Is it that much of a pain in the a**? It looks to me that he spent quite a bit of time cutting the boards at an angle, probably more time than to just install the Z.

FC

[marksr]

IMO the flashing would have been quicker/cheaper than cutting the plywood at an angle. I assume he didn't have any and didn't want to take the time to get it. I don't remember the price but it's not expensive.

[fatclemenza]

hi mark,

just a quick follow-up if you don't mind. my shed is done and i should have the final coat of paint on this weekend. was wondering if you could tell me what the level of difficulty would be to install gutters. two walls @ 12 feet with a total of four downspouts (roughly 7 ft. walls). i was thinking of taking a shot at it myself but not sure how to do it. i got an estimate from a gutte guy for $200 bucks to do it. what do you think?

thanks fc

[chandler]

Curious as to why you want 4 downspouts, as 2 will be sufficient. Also, don't let that guy go for $200 if you feel good about it. I wouldn't install gutters for twice that.

[XSleeper]

Those were my thoughts exactly Chandler!

[marksr]

You can go to a big box and buy guttering in 10' lenghts [I think] they also sell the end caps, downspouts, connectors and everything you need. They're a little smaller than the normal seamless gutters but would be fine for your needs. It shouldn't be hard to install on a shed and IMO ought to be diy project most can handle.

[GBR in WA]

Just covering T1-11 siding with a board over the joint is not acceptable. He should install Z-metal flashing now, above the trim board. Especially if you have grooves. Caulking is not used on a horizontal joint or on top of boards exposed to water, it will fail. If any windows, they should have flashing over the frame and another piece over the trim above.
Be safe, Gary