# How do you finish the bottom of siding?



## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

Well…there should be Z metal flashing over the top of the green trim and behind the T-111 osb. 

The T-111 should be held up ¼” off that flashing. 

The green trim should be wide enough to cover and hang below the framing about an inch.


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

The above is exactly correct - too late now for that!

How about you caulk it and forget it. Trouble is...you will probably be caulking moisture in-behind the siding and the caulking may not hold indefinitely.


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## Briandl (Jul 17, 2010)

Is it too late for that now? What about water table trim?


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

> What about water table trim?


What the heck is that?


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## Tom Struble (Dec 29, 2008)

it's not too late,remove the green trim,flash and reinstall


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## Briandl (Jul 17, 2010)

I've never understood the benefit of z flashing. I know it's used, and should have known beforehand that would be the recommendation because another home I'm working on has it as well. I also understand the siding should sit 1/4 inch off the bottom, how exactly is this better than say having the bottom edge exposed without flashing, since it sits 1/4 inch above the flashing any way?


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

The flashing will shed water away from the seam and the 1/4" gap allows for any moisture to air-dry quickly rather sit in the crevice and rot the wood.


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## rock16 (May 14, 2010)

Good replies:thumbup:

I would go with a wider band board. This would allow you to cut out a couple of inches of the bad siding, leaving you with (hopefully good) siding that you can prime the raw edge and finish the rest of the way in the manner Kwikfisheron described.


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

Briandl said:


> I've never understood the benefit of z flashing. I know it's used, and should have known beforehand that would be the recommendation because another home I'm working on has it as well. I also understand the siding should sit 1/4 inch off the bottom, how exactly is this better than say having the bottom edge exposed without flashing, since it sits 1/4 inch above the flashing any way?


One important little 'feature' of water is "wicking". If you don't have any space between the siding and the flashing or trim, any water that sits on the top edge will wick up into the wood.

The z-trim helps prevent water from getting behind the siding. Of course, the right way would be z-trim...then tar paper on top of the nail edge and going up to the top of the wall. That way, any water that makes it behind the siding just runs down the tar paper, hits the z-trim and goes out.

Side note....here in California, stucco is one of the most common siding materials to use. They 'used' to run the stucco all the way down below grade.....but they found out that stucco is not that water proof...and a combination of rain and 'sweating' would cause water to run down the tar paper until it hit the edge of the foundation....where it would sit....and water being the lazy bugger it is, finds a hole...usually into the house where it does its damage.

Now, you have to have a weep screed at the bottom where the shear wall meets the footing....no stucco below that point.


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