Siding strip

The window strip (profile) complements the newly installed siding. It protects the slopes of window openings from excess dust, dirt and precipitation. Without it, the siding cladding would take an unfinished look - the plank is matched to the color scheme of the main panels.

Before the invention of siding as a subtype of cladding material, window decoration was simple. Few could afford curly stucco moldings or the special texture of walls and platbands - in most cases, the house was decorated simply, without any frills.

The window strip is an additional accessory or component purchased for a specific attachment pitch and siding texture. Siding panels are easily cut into pieces and assembled by inserting one into the other. The window profile has a groove along its entire length - the ends of the siding section are driven into it. The assembled joint of the window strip and the ends of the cladding fragments forms a connection that does not allow, for example, an oblique downpour - the drops and streams of water that fall down its gutter flow downwards without encountering any obstacles and without wetting the structural profile with which this siding is fixed on the wall of the house.

Window strips are often used as an outer door casing. They can be installed both before and after the installation of the main siding covering.

The insertion of siding sheets covering the main part of the wall is done into J-shaped grooves that hold these panels at their ends in a stationary state. The inner wide area completely covers the entire slope. The inner flange of the window panel goes under the finishing strip - some craftsmen simply attach it to the window frame using self-tapping screws with a head painted with white enamel. External - forms the same J-shaped profile groove. The latter, in turn, is supported by sections of siding, fixed to the supporting wall structure with self-tapping screws, while preventing these sheets from moving.

For better protection of the joint between the window and the window opening, finishing strips are used. They are several times narrower than the window strip and do not extend beyond the window frame (from the side of the glass unit with a rubber seal).

The window profile is mainly made of plastic. An excellent addition to vinyl siding is a near-window strip made of the same material - in terms of texture and color scheme, they are harmoniously combined with each other.

Metallic window and finishing strips, particularly those made of pure aluminum (or aluminum alloy), can be an excellent addition to aluminum or steel soffits - a type of more capital siding that has found application for low-rise buildings. A striking example is a residential Khrushchev, trimmed with spotlights and metal window-sill components, but this is a rarity. Insulation (glass wool, polystyrene) is placed under the soffit and strips in the void between such a siding and the load-bearing wall.

The width of the slopes is up to 18 cm.In the overwhelming majority of cases, this distance is sufficient for the window strip to fit perfectly into the opening and the existing slope, to connect to the main siding along the outer perimeter of the window.

The length of the elongated holes, for which the window panel is attached to the supporting structure (along the perimeter of the opening), is no more than 2 cm. This, in turn, is rigidly fixed to the wall. Slotted holes - as in the siding sheets - are made to compensate for buckling in the summer in the heat (or tension in the winter in the cold) of the window sill.

The range of sizes of the near-window profile is determined only by the manufacturer's brand.

The window profile does not have dozens of variations in dimensions. Houses built according to old standards are not always suitable for restoration: installing window panels without replacing a window is a complicated matter. Replacing the old Soviet wooden window with a new, metal-plastic one, it is adjusted in the opening so that the slope (including a vertical one, at 90 degrees) turns out to be no more than 18 cm wide.A number of manufacturers also offer alternative versions of solving this issue.

Most often, window panels have a range of pastel color shades. Both the frontal (near-wall, outer) and inner ("near-finishing") parts are most often made in a single shade - from light brown ("cream") to white.

The original window panels are made for individual finishing to order: a vinyl-containing (or vinyl-based) coating is applied to the vinyl here, tightly adhering to the base (bearing) layer of each component. The basis for such paint is a polymer, which also serves as the basis for the window strips.

The step-by-step instructions for installing a window siding strip include several points.

1. If nessesary, replace the window frames with new ones. Clean the window and window opening from all unnecessary that interferes with work.

2. Check condition of slopes, close up the cracks and cracks near the openings.

3. After the putty (building mixture) has dried process the slope and the line of its joint with a window frame with antifungal and anti-mold compounds.

4. Install the lathing structure along all walls where you plan to install the siding. After the construction of the near-window supporting structure, determine how the ebb should be located using a special additional component. This element is placed at some distance from the front side of the building or building and gives uniformity to the drain. You can refuse from the special door part - the drainage function will be taken over by the window strip, beveled at a certain angle. For the plank, a piece of timber is set in advance - at the same angle.

5. Attach a wooden or plastic batten to the outer area of ​​the window opening as a base for the finishing strip... Hardwood pieces come in handy here - they only expand slightly in the heat. Impregnate all wooden components with protective compounds.

6. Calculate the required amount of material for sheathing... As initial data - the inner and outer perimeters of the window opening, the width of the slope. On one of the measured sides, three reference points are used - the third will allow you to bypass the skew that is outlined when the height of the working point changes. The resulting values ​​are measured and compared with the window layout.

7. Having measured the parameters of the slopes and the window opening, purchase a near-window profile of the required standard size (or adapt the previously purchased one).

8. Prepare the hardware. Window screws should not exceed the recommended values ​​in length and diameter. Otherwise, the worst option is cracking the glass in the glass unit of the window.

9. Secure the finish bar. It is installed along the inner perimeter of the window span. The finishing strip should be firmly pressed against the frame. To give additional stability, attractiveness of the assembled cladding and endurance of the right angle of joining, the components are cut at 45 degrees. Plastic, in particular vinyl, from which siding and window trims are made, can be easily cut with a grinder - use a cutting disc for metal or wood.

Match and fix the finish and window strips.

1. Fit the bottom side first... For example, when the width of the window from the inside is 80 cm, and the casing lengthens this distance by 8 cm, then the total length of the near-window strip is 96 cm - 8 per allowance on each side.

2. Bend the inner trim tab. A flange is formed - it must be cut to 2-2.5 cm. The outer one will remain straight - or you can cut a small part of the joining point. Maintain a 45 degree undercut angle. A deviation of at least one degree with the temperature constriction in winter will lead to the formation of gaps.

3. Repeat the steps with the opposite (upper) component of the window and finishing strip. A 45 degree crop can be mirrored.

4. Fix the trimmed elements with additional self-tapping screws - from the outside. From the inside, the finishing strip will close the window.

5. Measure, cut and fit the side (left and right) accessories in the same way.... Measurements can be made not at three, but at two points - they are not threatened with a bevel, since the window-sill and finish strips already have landmarks. The upper and lower components have hollows for the outflow of rainwater and melted snow - the internal component of the slope rack is shortened only according to the measured value of the curvature.

Cutting the outer planks is done in a different way.

1. Leave the top edges straight. An exception is the corrective trimming of the corner. Join the bottom edges by cutting the plank at a 45-degree angle.

2. For docking, push the vertical stand under the corner of the upper component - and tuck it under the finish bar. In this case, the tongue should be under it. Repeat this step for the lower plank. In this case, the rack corner of the window strip should click into place, hiding the visible part of the lower strip.

3. Fix all loose components using window screws.

4. Glue all joints with glue-sealant.

For more details on the installation of a near-window siding strip, see the next video.