Fastener guide for siding

[0001] This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/267,055, entitled FASTENER GUIDE FOR SIDING, filed Nov. 4, 2005 now abandoned.

[0002] This invention relates to siding panels for covering the exterior of buildings and more particularly to a fastener guide used to facilitate proper location of fasteners along the length of a siding panel.

[0003] Vinyl siding is produced in a multitude of colors and styles, typically through extrusion of heated, colored plastic through a die shaped to impart the desired cross-sectional profile. The texture of the panel faces may be made to resemble wood clapboards or shingles. The most common type of individual vinyl siding panels resemble two courses of wooden clapboards attached to one another; other types resemble single clapboards. Siding panels are nailed or screwed through horizontally extending slots formed in a nailing flange molded into the top of each siding panel in order to attach the panels to the exterior wall of a building to be clad in siding.

[0004] Vinyl siding is typically installed using lock-together panels or sub-components designed to accommodate the expansion and contraction of the vinyl material that typically occurs with temperature variations. This expansion and contraction can be quite significant in siding applications where long panels of siding are utilized. Vinyl siding can distort if installed improperly—particularly if fasteners are not properly placed within the elongated slots provided in the nailing flange. A fastener should be placed in the center of a slot so that movement of the siding relative to the fastener can occur in either direction. In addition, fasteners should be attached loose enough to allow siding to slide past the fastener without binding.

[0005] In one common siding panel design, a J-shaped channel or trough is molded into the bottom of each siding panel, typically by forming the bottom edge of the panel so that it turns rearward (toward the wall) and upward. A generally U-shaped lip projects forward and downward from the panel near the bottom margin of the nailing flange. This lip is sized to interlock or fit within the channel of the above panel which is installed to overlap and overlie the nailing flange and lip of the panel below. Therefore, the bottom of each panel can be hooked onto the top portion of the previously installed panel below it and the nailing flange and nails are concealed by the overlying, upper panel. Even if double course panels are installed, therefore, it should not be evident to the observer which courses belong to a given panel; rather, the courses should present the appearance of individually installed courses of lap siding.

[0006] Unfortunately, during installation it is not uncommon for the installer to drive fasteners into the slots in the nailing flange such that, for example, two adjoining fasteners are each installed outward or each installed inward of the center point in their respective slots thereby limiting the length of travel available for the siding in that location. When such errors occur, distortion or rippling of the panel due to uneven panel movement during expansion or contraction of the panel can be considerable. Such distortion, seen as bending, twisting or outward flaring of individual panels is not only visually unattractive but may allow moisture infiltration to the cladded wall surface. In addition to the above problem of improper fastener placement within the slots, fasteners may be driven into the wall too tightly thereby causing binding even if the fastener is properly placed in the center of the slot.

[0007] Therefore there exists a need for a siding installation system that assures proper fastener placement within a nailing slot and that limits binding due to over-tightening of fasteners.

[0008] A system for attaching siding panels to the exterior wall of a building comprises a fastener guide member provided as an elongated strip of resilient material having a generally rectangular cross sectional profile, i.e. relatively wide front and rear faces and relatively narrow top and bottom edges. The strip is sized to fit inside or against the securement flange or nailing hem of a siding panel and includes fastener guides, preferably comprising holes, spaced apart along the length of the strip to align with corresponding slotted apertures in the securement flange. Since the apertures in the securement flange and the holes in the guide member have equally spaced centers, once one hole in the guide member is positioned in one aperture in the securement flange all the other holes along the length of the guide member will be similarly positioned in their corresponding apertures. During installation or attachment of the siding panels to the wall surface, fasteners such as screws are driven into each guide hole thereby assuring that all fasteners will be centered within securement flange apertures. During later expansion and contraction of the siding panels due to outdoor temperature fluctuations, each panel may simply slide as needed along its associated guide member to relieve internal stresses (which are greatest along the longitudinal axes of the panels). Since the guide members are directly attached to the wall, rather than the panels, and the fasteners are all appropriately spaced within the flange apertures, binding and distortion of the panels is greatly reduced.

[0009] In a further embodiment of the system, a collar is provided surrounding each guide hole, at least on the rearward side of the guide member but alternatively on each side thereof. The collars on the rearward side of the guide member are sized diametrically to pass through the corresponding apertures in the securement flange to thereby make contact with the attachment wall surface. These rearward collars are typically generally cylindrical in shape and of a length that exceeds the thickness of the flange so that even upon tightening of a fastener the collar causes the guide member to stand off from the wall a sufficient distance to prevent binding of the flange. In other words, the collars reduce friction between the flange and the wall surface by providing space for the flange to slide along the guide member even though the guide member itself is tightly fastened to the wall.

[0010] Other advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] As required, a detailed embodiment of the present invention is disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiment is merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.

[0024] With reference to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a prior art siding panel 1 attached to an attachment surface or substrate A such as the exterior wall of a building. The panel 1 includes an upper panel section 2 and a lower panel section 3. The upper panel section 2 has an upper edge 4, from which the upper panel section 2 extends downward and forward to a lower edge 5, and a shoulder 6 that projects rearward from the lower edge 5. At a position sufficiently rearward to approximate the plane of a prospective attachment surface A, the shoulder merges with an upper edge 7 of the lower panel 3. The lower panel 3 extends downward and forward from its upper edge 7 and then projects rearward at its lower edge 8 to form a shoulder 9. A lip 10 extends generally upward from an upward bend at the rearward margin of the shoulder 9, thereby forming an upward facing, U-shaped channel or trough defined by the face of the lower panel 3 and its shoulder 9 and lip 10.

[0025] A lip 11 is formed along the upper edge 4 of the upper panel section 2 as an extension projecting downward and frontward from the upper edge 4 to form a downwardly opening U-shaped channel 12 along the upper edge 4 and then curving forward and upward to form an upwardly and rearwardly opening L-shaped channel 13. A rearward bend from the top of channel 13 returns to generally meet the vertical plane of a prospective attachment surface and then continues upward generally along said plane to form a nailing hem, fastener strip or securement flange 14. A forward and downward bend at the top 15 of the nailing hem 14 creates a downwardly opening U-shaped channel 16 extending between a forward wall 17 and a rearward wall 18 of the nailing hem 14. Both walls 17 and 18 of the nailing hem 14 have apertures 19 for accepting fasteners 20. Apertures 19 in the forward wall 17 are aligned with apertures 19 in the rearward wall 18 and both sets of apertures 19 are typically shaped as horizontally elongated slots 19.

[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates the panel 1 as it would appear attached to a substrate A, including fasteners 20, such as nails 20, driven though slots 19 in the nailing hem 14 of the panel 1 and then into the substrate A. Siding panels 1 of this type are designed to allow for thermal expansion of the panel through the provision of the elongated slots 19 in the nailing hem 14 of the panel 1 so that, in theory, the panel 1 may move, relative to the fixed nails 20, along the slots 19. To allow expansion and contraction of the panel 1 along its length, which may span the entire length of the associated wall, the nails 20 must be spaced uniformly in the slots 19, preferably in the center of each slot 19. Siding panels 1 are typically installed quite rapidly, however, and not always by personnel sufficiently experienced or motivated to center each nail 20 appropriately. As illustrated in FIG. 1, nails 20 are often placed non-uniformly along the length of a siding panel 1 which creates locations where portions of the panel 1 are bound and therefore unable to move along the nails 20. This causes the panel 1 to bend and warp over time, particularly when subjected to wide ranging temperature fluctuations. In addition to being unsightly, warped panels 1 allow for moisture to infiltrate behind the panels 1 to the substrate A which typically causes premature degradation of the substrate A due to weathering effects such as rot and freeze-thaw cycles.

[0027] An additional problem of the prior art attachment method described above, that can also lead to binding, is due to nails 20 being too forcefully driven into the attachment substrate A. Ideally, nails 20 are driven into the slots 19 until the nail head 21 touches the outer surface of the forward wall 17. This firmly attaches the panel 1 against the substrate A yet does not create excessive friction between the nail 20 and the panel 1 or the panel 1 and the substrate A. As illustrated in FIG. 2, however, in practice nails 20 are often driven into the substrate A until the hem 14 is pinched between the nail 20 and the substrate A creating considerable resistance to movement of the panel 1 relative to the nail 20 and substrate A. As with improper nail 20 placement within the slots 19, this causes binding that restricts proper uniform movement of the panel 1 relative to the substrate A during expansion and contraction of the panel 1.

[0028] FIGS. 3 through 8 include drawings of various embodiments of fastener guides, fastener guide members or fastener guide strips of the present invention that may be used to alleviate binding. The fastener guide members function in cooperation with a siding panel 1 such as the prior art panel 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, as well as other panel designs.

[0029] As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, a first embodiment of a fastener guide member 22 has a main body 24 comprising an elongated strip of resilient material such as plastic or metal having a generally rectangular cross sectional profile. The body 24 has relatively wide front 25 and rear 26 faces and relatively narrow top 27 and bottom 28 edges, as well as relatively narrow first and second opposing ends. The body 24 is sized to cooperate with the nailing hem 14 of a siding panel 1.

[0030] In the case of a double-walled nailing hem 14, the guide 22 is sized to fit within the channel 16 of the nailing hem 14 between the forward 17 and rearward 18 walls. Substantially circular holes or guides 23 are formed along the length of the guide 22 to project through the front 25 and rear 26 faces of the body 24 and are evenly spaced apart from one another to align with corresponding apertures 19 in the fastener strip 14 so that a fastener 20 passing through a slot 19 in the forward wall 17 passes through a corresponding hole 23 in the guide member 22 and then through a slot 19 in the rearward wall 18. A cross sectional view of the guide member 22 installed within the fastener strip 14 is provided in FIG. 4.

[0031] When engaging a guide member 22 with a siding panel 1, the guide member 22 is positioned, as shown in FIG. 3, so that a first hole 23 in the guide member 22 is aligned with a first slot 19 in the nailing hem 14. Due to the uniform spacing of slots 19 and holes 23, it is thus assured that every hole or guide 23 will be aligned and similarly spaced on its respective slot 19 along the entire length of the panel 1. The guides or guide holes 23 in the guide member 22 are preferably sized slightly larger in diameter than the shaft of the fastener, but smaller than the head thereof, so that driving the fastener into the wall to which the siding is attached does not drive the guide member 22 into the wall and cause binding.

[0032] In a further embodiment of a fastener guide member 29, holes 23 are surrounded on the front face 25 of the body 24 by front collars 30 (see FIG. 5). Rear collars 31 may also surround the holes 23 on the rear face 26 of the body 24 (see cross sectional views in FIGS. 7 and 8). The front collars 30 each have a bore that is an extension of the hole 23 in the main body 24 and may include an area of relief in the shape of a frustocone (frustoconical space 32) in the forward-most portion of the collar 30 to accept the head 33 of a screw 34. The rear collars 31 also have a bore that is an extension of the hole 23. The front collars 30, in cooperation with the rear collars 31, create a generally cylindrical overall structure that is able to withstand the substantial force that may be applied when a fastener, such as a screw 34, is driven through the guide member 29 and into the substrate 36.

[0033] The collars 30 and 31 may be generally cylindrical in shape or may be ovoid or oblong (see collar 30a in FIG. 6) with the larger diameter aligned with the longitudinal axis of a further alternative embodiment of a fastener guide member 35. The rear collars 31 of fastener guide members (such as embodiment 29 or 35) are sized diametrically to pass through the corresponding apertures (slots) 19 in associated nailing hems or fastener strips 14 to thereby make contact with the attachment substrate 36 (see FIG. 7).

[0034] Nailing hems or securement flanges of various designs may be used with fastener guides as described in the above embodiments, including a single wall nailing strip (not shown) having only a rearward wall 18. Such a nailing strip could be used with any of the embodiments of the fastener guide described above, the disadvantages of such a strip including, however, lack of a forward wall to hold the guide in place adjacent to the flange prior to installation. For this reason, it is advantageous if the rear collars 31 of the guide fit closely into the apertures 19 in the rearward wall 18 so that friction may hold the assembly in place during installation of the associated panel.

[0035] Fastener guide members 22 without collars, as shown in FIG. 3, are easier to utilize with a siding panel 1 having a double wall nailing hem 14, as shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, because the guide member may simply be slid between forward and rearward walls 17 and 18 of the nailing hem 14 after fabrication of the panel 1. The siding panel 1 with the forward and rearward walls 17 and 18 may also be used with embodiments of the guide member 29 having collars 30 and 31 in which case the guide member 29 may be installed during formation of the panel 1. Typically, a panel 1 is formed by an extrusion process. For a siding panel 1 having a double wall nailing hem 14, the siding panel 1 is initially extruded through a dye with the nailing hem 14 extending in a single plane. Two parallel rows of the elongated slots 19 are then formed or cut out of the nailing hem 14, which is then folded over (while still warm or after localized heating) to form the forward and rear walls 17 and 18 of the nailing hem 14. In the present application, the guide member 22 may be inserted adjacent the portion of the planar nailing hem 14 which will form the rearward wall 17 after cutting of the elongated slots 19 and prior to folding of the forward wall 17 over the rearward wall 18. The portion of the nailing hem 14 forming the forward wall 17 is then folded over the portion forming the rearward wall 18 with the guide member positioned between the forward and rearward walls 17 and 18. If the guide member 22 includes collars 30 and 31, the collars 31 may be aligned with the elongated slots 19 in the portion of the hem 14 forming the rearward wall 18 as the guide member 22 is positioned adjacent that portion. The hem 14 is then folded such that the elongate slots 19 in the portion of the hem 14 forming the forward wall 17 align with the collars 30 on the nail guide member 22.

[0036] The advantages of using a double wall fastener strip 14 include the ability to securely hold a guide in place prior to installation, including during packaging and shipping. The disadvantages may include loss of the benefits of using guides with collars, if the guide must be slid into place, or the necessity of having to enclose the guide within the walls of the strip during formation of the panel as described above. In the embodiment of a double wall fastener strip 37 (shown in FIG. 6) which is shown used in association with a guide member 35 having oval front collars 30a (see FIG. 6) the slots 38 in the forward wall 39 are typically enlarged from those found in prior art panels 1 in order to accommodate the collars 30a.

[0037] FIGS. 5, 7 and 8 illustrate use of a fastener guide member 29 with a single-wall nailing hem 40 having a lip 41 along the top margin of the hem 40. As with prior embodiments, apertures 19 are evenly spaced along the length of the rear wall 18 of the hem 40. The forward and downward curving lip 41 is provided along the top margin of the hem 40 to form an upper guide engagement channel 42 that holds the top edge 27 of the guide member 29 in place, particularly prior to installation of the panel with fasteners. Advantages of this embodiment of a nailing hem 40 include ease of use with various guide embodiments, including those having forward facing collars 30 or 30a, since the lip 41 may be sized to terminate prior to contact with the topmost edge of the collars 30 or 30a. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the guide member 29 may be placed in operative position by tilting the top end 27 of the guide member 29 and slipping it into the upper channel 42 then tilting the bottom end 28 of the guide member 29 so that the rearward facing collars 31 are fully inserted into their corresponding apertures 19 and the rearward face 26 of the guide member 29 abuts the wall 18 of the hem 40.

[0038] In order to hold the guide member 29 more securely in engagement with the nailing hem 40, the lower portion of the hem may be curved downward to form a lower guide engagement channel 43 to receive the bottom end 28 of the guide member 29 (thereby providing a means for the guide member 29 to snap securely into place). Forward of the lower guide engagement channel 43, a raised ridge 44 also may be provided to assist holding the guide member 29 within the channel 43.

[0039] FIGS. 9-12 show a further alternative embodiment of a fastener guide assembly 51 for use in attaching a siding panel 55 to a wall or other attachment substrate 36. The fastener guide assembly 51 includes a plurality of fastener guides 61 formed separate from and mounted on an elongated fastener guide strip 63. Each fastener guide 61 is annular, including a shaft 65, an enlarged head 67 and a central bore 69 extending axially through the shaft 65 and the head 67. The bore 69 is sized to receive the shaft of a fastener such as a nail or screw 34 as best seen in FIG. 11.

[0040] In the embodiment shown, the shaft 65 and head 67 of the fastener guide 61 are cylindrical with a round cross-section. It is foreseen that the cross-sectional shape of the head 67 and shaft 65 could be formed in other geometries, such as square or hexagonal, which may provide additional functionality.

[0041] The siding panel 55 with which the fastener guide assembly 51 is adapted for use is similar in construction to the siding panel shown in FIGS. 5, 7 and 8 having a single-wall nailing hem 71 with a forward and downward curving lip 73 forming an upper guide strip engagement channel 75 for holding a top edge 77 of the guide strip 63 in place.

[0042] Apertures or elongate slots 79 are formed in the nailing hem 71 and extend in equally spaced relation generally in horizontal and axial alignment across the nailing hem 71. Slots 79 are generally taller, from a bottom edge to a top edge therefore compared to corresponding slots formed in existing siding systems. In existing siding systems, the slots are generally sized to be slightly taller than the diameter of the fasteners to be driven therethrough and smaller than the head of the fastener. In the disclosed embodiment, the slots 79 are sized just slightly taller (or wider) than the diameter or width of the heads 67 of the fastener guides 61 As will be discussed in more detail hereafter, the heads 67 of the fastener guides 61 are positioned in the slots 79, behind the fastener guide strip 67.

[0043] A plurality of guide receiving apertures 83 are formed in the guide strip 63 in equally spaced relation. The centers of the guide receiving apertures 83 are spaced apart a distance equal to or approximately equal to the distance between centers of selectively spaced slots 79. The selected spacing may correspond to the spacing of the centers of adjacent slots 79, every other slot 79, every third slot 79 or so forth. The apertures 83 are sized just slightly larger than the outer diameter or width of the guide shaft 65, such that the shaft 65 of each guide 61 may be snugly inserted or received within a corresponding guide receiving aperture 83 in the guide strip 63. The shafts 65 are inserted into the apertures 83 from what may be referred to as a back or rear face 85 of the guide strip 63 such that the head 67 abuts against the rear 85 of the strip 63 when fully inserted therein. Although not shown, an outer, circumferential edge 86 of each shaft 65 may be chamfered or beveled to facilitate insertion of each shaft 65 into a corresponding aperture 83 in the strip 63.

[0044] Fastener guides 61 are preferably inserted in apertures 83 in the guide strip 63 prior to attachment of guide strip 61 to a siding panel 55. The upper edge 77 of a guide strip 63 with guides 61 pre-loaded therein, is first inserted in the channel 75 of lip 73 formed in the nailing hem 71 with the heads 67 of the guides 61 positioned in alignment with the slots 79 in the nailing hem 71. The strip 63 is then pressed toward the nailing hem 71 such that the heads 67 of the guides 61 advance into the corresponding slots 79 in the nailing hem 71.

[0045] The fastener guide assembly 51 can be assembled and attached to or installed on a siding panel 55 at the job site or in the factory and shipped to the job site for installation. The siding panel is positioned against a wall 36 with the heads 67 of the guides 61 generally abutting the wall 36. Fasteners, including either nails or screws 34 are then driven through the central bore 69 in each guide 61 and into the wall 36 to attach the siding panel 55 to the wall 36. The fastener guides 61 are preferably formed from a relatively rigid plastic, such as neoprene, which resists deformation when a fastener is driven therethrough.

[0046] The fastener guide strip 63 is preferably sized such that an upper edge 77 of the strip 63 supports the nailing hem 71 in the channel 75. The nailing hem 71 may also slide or move relative to the guides 61, such that the siding panel 55 may slide or move laterally relative to the fastener guide strip 63. The fastener guide strip 63 is preferably formed from the same vinyl used to form the siding panel 55, but is preferably approximately twice as thick as the siding panel 55. It is to be understood that the thickness of the fastener guide strip 63 may be greater or less than the thickness of the siding panel 55.

[0047] As best seen in FIG. 11, an upper edge of the head 67 of each guide 61, when secured to the strip 63, may also abut against and support the nailing hem 71 adjacent an edge of the nailing hem defining an upper edge of the slot 92. The nailing hem 71 and the associated siding panel 55 can therefore slide or move laterally relative to the fastener guides 61 and the associated heads 67. The guides 61 are preferably formed from a plastic which has a sufficiently low coefficient of friction to facilitate sliding of the siding panel 55 relative to the guides 61 and which is sufficiently rigid to prevent compression of said guide shaft 65 when a fastener is driven therethough. A preferred material of construction of the guides 61 is a neoprene plastic. The head 67 of each guide 61 preferably is thicker than the thickness of the nailing hem 71 to allow sufficient space between the wall 36 to which the siding is mounted and the guide strip 63 to prevent the guide strip 63 from compressing the nailing hem 71 against the wall 36.

[0048] The shaft 65 of each guide 61 is at least as long as and preferably longer than the thickness of the guide strip 63, such that a distal end of each guide 61 extends past a front face 97 of the guide strip 63. The shaft 65 of each guide 61 is preferably longer than the thickness of the guide strip 63 to help ensure that the guides 61 stay in the guide receiving apertures 83 before the pre-loaded strips 63 are connected to a siding panel 55.

[0049] As with the prior embodiments, by mounting the guides 61 on the guide strip 63 in equally spaced relation and at a distance corresponding to the distance between the centers of corresponding slots 79 in the nailing hem 71, the fasteners 90 inserted through the guides 61 will be properly spaced relative to the slots 79 to prevent binding of the siding 51 upon expansion or contraction.

[0050] It is to be understood that the guides 61 do not have to be inserted in every aperture 83, rather the guides 61 may be inserted in selected apertures 83. For example, the spacing and sizing of the slots 79 in the nailing hem 71 and the apertures 83 is preferably selected so that the guides 61 may be spaced sixteen inches or twenty-four inches apart, corresponding to the standard distance between studs of a studwall to which the siding panel 55 is to be attached. Therefore, although the slots 79 may extend in closely spaced relation to one another, and the apertures 83 may be formed in the guide strip 63 to align with every other slot 79, the guides may only be inserted in every other aperture 83 or a varied spacing corresponding to the spacing of studs of a wall to which the siding panel 55 is to be attached. It may be preferred to install the guides 61 in every aperture 83 and then allow the siding installer the discretion of deciding through which guides 61 to drive a fastener 34. It is foreseen that the siding panel 55 could be mounted directly to the studs in a studwall without any plywood or other facing material interposed therebetween.

[0051] It is to be understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable equivalents thereof. For example it is to be understood that instead of comprising holes, the guides could comprise areas of reduced thickness or score lines or other indicia or markings on or in the guide members 22, 29 or 35 to indicate where the fastener is to be driven. It is also foreseen that the fastener guide strip 63 could be mounted behind the nailing hem 71, in which case the lip 73 would preferably extend across the rear of the nailing hem 71 to assist in holding the fastener guide strip 63 in place. In an application with the fastener guide strip 63 mounted against a rear of the nailing hem 71, the orientation of the fastener guides 61 preferably would be reversed from the orientation shown in FIGS. 9-11. More specifically, the guides 61 would preferably be oriented such that the shafts 65 of each guide 61 project toward and not away from the attachment substrate 36 with the heads 67 of each guide 61 positioned in a corresponding slot 79 in the nailing hem 71.