This is the second post in a series of how to remove and replace the front porch and board and batten siding at the Front Cabin. You can check out the first post showing the porch and siding demolition here. This post will show you how I prepped and replaced the board and batten siding for a cute white farmhouse look.
Here’s where we left off. The porch and siding is completely removed. I patched the hole in the concrete foundation and an doing the prep work to install the new board and batten siding.
If you recall, the previous siding was original board and batten siding made of actual boards. I will be replacing it with a better, less expensive system using smooth exterior plywood called T1-11. Then I will add 1×3 trim boards to achieve the cute farmhouse board and batten look. It’s less costly and less prone to air gaps and hole were mice can get into the house. Win-win!
What should you do before installing new plywood T1-11 exterior siding? Here is a quick list.
- Take photos of the exposed framing! These can be very useful if you ever want to make changes in the future.
- Foam insulation around outlets for added insulation. The Great Stuff Fire Block Foam from a can works great.
- Install safety nail plates where electrical wiring runs through wall studs. This protects the wiring when you nail on the new siding.
- Now is a great time to upgrade the exterior wall insulation.
- Add Tyvek house wrap for a proper water barrier.
- Flash around windows and doors.
Rockwool Wall Insulation Upgrade:
The old pink fiberglass insulation has about an R-11 insulation value in the 2×4 stud wall. I had some leftover Rockwool insulation that fits in a 2×4 stud and has an R-15 value, so it was a no-brainer to upgrade the insulation while the framing is exposed.
This insulation was left over from a similar project on the Main House. If you want more details on the insulation upgrade, you can check out that post here.
This is the newly installed Rockwool insulation. It also has some sound-proofing qualities that I can already notice from inside.
See that white flashing tape along the bottom of the wall? That will be the flashing basis for the Tyvek house wrap next.
Tyvek House Wrap & Flashing:
Next, let’s install the Tyvek house wrap. This was also left over from a larger project on the Main House that you can check out here. I go into more detail on why Tyvek has the best water barrier properties and how to easily install it yourself.
Basically, upper sections overlap lower sections for proper water drainage. So start at the bottom and work your way up. You can see in the photo below that the upper layer of Tyvek overlaps the lower run. I nailed the Tyvek to the studs this time instead of stapling because I ran out of staples. So I used plastic capped roofing nails instead and that works just fine.
Next I tapped all the Tyvek joints with Tyvek tape. Then I re-installed the old windows after giving them a good cleaning. I taped around them with Dupont Tyvek flashing tape. I go into more detail on how to install house wrap here and how to install windows here if you want to check that out.
Here are the newly installed and flashed windows. Now we’re ready to install the T1-11 plywood siding.
Cut and Prime Plywood T1-11 Panels:
Like I mentioned, we’re going to achieve the board and batten look using a much less expensive and better performing system. This system is simply using smooth exterior plywood siding panels called T1-11. Then we’ll nail 1×3 flat trim boards vertically along the exterior siding to achieve the board and batten look.
This method performs much better because the plywood panels are more dimensionally stable and less likely to slightly warp and provide a gap for mice to enter the house.
Here is a bare T1-11 smooth panel. It is 19/32 inch thick x 4ft wide x 8 ft tall. You can see a wood grain pattern that is still visible after painting.
Any holes for windows, lighting, etc, need to be cut in the panels before you can nail them up. Here are my tools used to cut a small round hole for an exterior spigot. The DeWalt Hole Saw Kit was really handy for this.
I go into more detail on how to install plywood T1-11 panels here on the Main House if you want to check that out.
Before nailing any panels, I always paint one layer of primer. This allows me to prime all edges and give the panels just that extra bit of weather protection. I should note: the bare T1-11 is THIRSTY! Meaning it soaks up a lot of primer that first coat – which is good! You want a really covered and protected panel. I end up just pouring some primer on the panel and spreading it around.
Nail on T1-11 Plywood Panels:
Once the panels are cut and primed, it’s time to get them on the wall. I nailed them with galvanized 8d common nails at 6 inches on center along the panel edges and at 12 inches on center along studs at the panel interior.
Here is a progress photo of the siding panels.
Here I am trying to get the cut panel up on the wall. Notice the large hole near the top? That is for a round electrical box for exterior lighting. The small hole near my knee is for the exterior spigot plumbing. It was tricky to get all this aligned but I measured at least 5 times before cutting. Thankfully everything lined up well.
Horizontal joints in the plywood panels should have z-flashing to help with waterproofing. You can see the z-flashing in the photo above (click on the photo to enlarge) and the final exposed part in the photo below.
This is a photo of the siding and a new crawlspace vent where that rat access hole used to be! No rats or mice are getting in there now. Woohoo!
Install Board and Batten Trim:
With the plywood panels up, let’s install the board and batten trim. This is achieved with vertical 1×3 trim. I like to use Radiata Pine Primed Boards found at Home Depot or your local lumber supply. It is nice that they aleady come with a layer of primer. Plus they have a nice wood grain on one side that matches the T1-11 well. Here is a photo of the texture on the trim boards.
Before we start with the vertical boards, the very top of the wall needs to be capped with a horizontal trim. Here I am notching the horizontal trim board to fit around the rafters with a jig saw. I’ve found that works best in-field.
Getting the trim to fit around all the rafters can be tricky. Just keep at it.
Here is the finished horizontal trim board. If you zoom in (click on the photo to enlarge), you can see small vents. I added those to better the attic venting even though it had none here for years. I also foamed around the windows and doors for just a little bit more insulation and air-tightness.
Next, it’s time to install the vertical trim. I used 1×3 trim spaced at 16 inches on center as I like that spacing look. I nailed the trim boards to the plywood siding with galvanized 4d common nails, a pair at about 12 inches along the vertical board.
Here is the installed board and batten siding! You can see I stopped the trim short where the replacement porch will go.
If you want to check out a more detailed post on board and batten trim, see the Main House post here.
Caulk Trim Joints and Edges:
Before we paint the board and batten siding, we need to caulk all the joints along the trim with a good exterior grade caulk. Use a high thrust caulk gun (haha) to save your hands. If you don’t caulk all the joints, there will be a very small gap between the trim and the plywood panel. Since we will be painting the siding white, this small gap will show up as a black line that we don’t want.
I run my finger along each joint after applying a bead of caulk. I like to wear gloves when doing this because it saved my finger from the plywood texture. Thought it does ruin the glove!
Paint Board and Batten Siding
Once everything is caulked, we’re ready to paint. I always apply one coat of Kilz primer for good measure so the trim and panels are the same color. After that dries, I apply two coats of exterior paint.
Here is the white paint I used. It’s simply Ultra Pure White in satin finish by Behr from Home Depot. I wanted a classic white white and couldn’t be bothered to deal with all the white options out there. Thankfully, I really like this white!
In the past, I hand-painted the whole exterior of the Front Cabin. But it took WEEKS! Also, I have since picked up a paint sprayer for projects on the Main House. I has been a true blessing and time saver. I would recommend picking of these up if you have any larger paint projects. It makes everything so much easier.
Here is my well used and well loved paint sprayer back at work!
I’ve learned the hard way: if you’re using a paint sprayer, use protective gear. Otherwise, you’ll get covered in paint as well. Here I am just starting to paint. I wear a full paint suit, glasses, a face mask, and gloves.
Finishing Touches:
Here is the freshly painted new board and batten siding! Do you like how it turned out?
I re-installed the farmhouse lighting on either side of the entry door. I still really like those lights.
Thanks for stopping by! I hope this post was helpful. Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions.
Next post, we’ll replace the front porch deck. I’ll show you how I plan to keep the rats and voles from making their homes under the new deck and how I work around the crawlspace vents.
