Should regular nails be used to attach regular vinyl siding? Also, what causes siding to buckle and come loose

75 yars old housewith vinyl siding half-*** nailed over original wall material wit nofoam and is bukling n a lotof places as well as nails opping out after a year or two... ChicagoShould regular nails be used to attach regular vinyl siding? Also, what causes siding to buckle and come loose
I own a construction biz...use short nails with big heads, and don't nail them tight to the wall. leave them out a bit, so the vinyl can breath. The pieces were cut too long, that is why they are warping. Say the measurement is 10 inches, the piece of siding should be cut 91/2 inches to allow for movement. Foam is a must. It fills warped spots. You had a bad installer. Sue them. Don't listen to either of these peeps answers..they are wrong.Should regular nails be used to attach regular vinyl siding? Also, what causes siding to buckle and come loose
Oh my! What a mess. No dear you don't want to use regular nails,they will rust. If you want to use nails, use Electro-Galvanized, or a H.D.Galvanized. Those won't rust,and they make them in a Box and a Finish nail. You should attach the siding with a caulking made just for the installation of vinyl siding,along with the nails,and finish it off with a waterproof sealing caulk. That's why it buckled and was falling off. It wasn't installed the correct way,and wasn't finished off. Sounds like that was a quick,';Let's throw up some siding to sell the house faster'; kind of a job. I'm sorry some people are idiots. If everyone were to be more considerate of the next person,I might really be shocked! People don't care. So, if you plan to put more siding up, make sure you seal it good to prevent moisture damage. I better go ,Bye
You need 11/2'; nails with flat heads. The siding has not been installed properly. It should not move so much for actually a good 20 years!
I like to use 1'; roofing nails myself... they are long enough to grip easily, and not too long. The nail should NOT be driven tight to the surface. There SHOULD be a little play in the siding, with the nails driven into the center of the slots. Vinyl siding will expand and contract with hot or cold weather. If the siding is nailed tight... it WILL buckle. If the siding is nailed with the nails at the ENDS of the slots, instead of in the center of them... it WILL buckle. Vinyl siding also has a 'notch' at the end, where it laps into the piece next to it...sideways, I mean... the end of one piece will have the notch, that fits into the piece beside it.... if the vinyl siding is cut too long, and there is no room for expansion in this notch... it WILL buckle.





Those are your three most common causes for buckled vinyl siding.... nails too tight, nails in the wrong place, and vinyl siding cut too long.





One more common cause is the surface UNDER the siding.... if you have ';wafer'; board, it may be buckled out in places too... normally, you can set it back in place by using a screw and washer. I have found, on the odd occasion, a warped wall stud... you have to tear into the wall to fix that.





By the way... it sounds like youre going to be working on quite a bit of your siding.... you can purchase a small tool, that helps you 'unlock' the siding from the row below it... only costs about $7 and will save a lot of wear and tear on your fingers. ;) Here's a pic of a typical zip tool - http://www1.shopping.com/xPO-Malco-Produ鈥?/a>





Have Fun
normally siding has slotted areas at top for attaching to surface,this will allow for expansion / retraction. siding would be attached using hex headed screws for ease of installation or roofing nails are acceptable. (good luck)
Usually use aluminum siding nails about 1 1/2';. Aluminum nails is a must with aluminum siding, but for vinyl roofing nails are fine. They are the same shape, large flat head. The siding should be nailed in the center of the oblong holes, about every 16'; (12'; to 24'; will work). DO NOT nail tight. This is probably the cause of your problem. The siding expands and contracts with the seasons, and the large nailing hole and not-quite-driven-home nail, allow for this.
I agree with Sandy (answer number 1)
Vinyl siding should not have to have nails. Each panel interlocks with the previous panel. But, if yours is nailed on and that's how you have to fix it try either screws or these types of nails. Either ';Ring Shank'; nails or Spiral Shank nails.





They have greqat holding power and are designed to go in but not come out.
You should try using some galvinized srcrews. A good 2 and a half or 3 inches long. Don't forget to chaulk over the screws with painters chaulk.