Siding Mounting Strip

Abstract

A siding mounting strip engageable on the upper longitudinal edge of a siding board provides an outturned guide and support for the lower edge of the next applied siding board thereabove and a longitudinal cushion between the siding board on which the device is applied and the wall surface supporting the same.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention:

This invention relates to frame constructions such as used in dwelling houses wherein horizontally extending lap siding is applied as an exterior wall surface and more specifically to means for sealing such siding with respect to the wall surface and providing a guide and mounting ledge for successive pieces of siding applied thereto.

2. Description of the Prior Art:

Prior structures of this type have largely related to clips for holding lap siding as in patent 3,173,229 and for forming lock seams as in patent 984,860.

This invention provides a continuous self-supporting seal between the upper edge of a piece of lap siding and the wall to which it is applied as well as forming a downwardly spaced support and guide for the next piece of siding to be applied thereover and extending thereabove.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A siding mounting strip such as inexpensively formed as a plastic extrusion of a suitable synthetic resin such as a styrene composition or the like is positioned in continuously extending sections on the longitudinal upper edges of lap siding boards or the like and includes spaced downwardly extending flanges one of which has a guide and support for the next applied siding board and the other of which forms a cushion seal between the siding board on which the device is applied and the wall to which it is secured so as to form sound and heat insulating air spaces behind the individual siding boards and position the siding boards in cushioned relation to the supporting structure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective elevation of a section of the siding mounting strip.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross section through a portion of a frame wall construction showing portions of two siding boards and the device of the invention in position therebetween.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the simplest form of the invention a plastic extrusion includes a transverse section 10 having a depending flange 11 on one side with a secondary outturned flange 12 along its lower edge. A second depending flange 13 is formed on the other longitudinal edge of the transverse section 10 and has a pair of longitudinal ribs 14 thereon and an upturned arcuate member 15 extending thereover and spaced with respect to the downturned flange 13.

The siding mounting strip is preferably formed as a plastic extrusion of a suitable semi-rigid synthetic resin composition such as the several styrene compounds that will occur to those skilled in the art.

In FIG. 2 of the drawings, a frame wall construction is shown which includes a studding 16, rock lath, 17 plaster 18 and sheathing 19 with a siding board 20 positioned in spaced relation to the sheathing 19 by a fastener 21 which extends through a second siding board 22. The siding mounting strip is illustrated in position on the upper longitudinal edge of the siding board 20 with the transverse section 10 lying on top of the upper edge of the siding 20 with the cushion formed by the arcuate flange 15 being positioned between the siding board 20 and the sheathing 19 and the downturned flange 11 being positioned between the siding board 20 and the siding board 22 with the lower edge of the siding board 22 being positioned on the outturned flange 12 thereof.

The fastener 21 is a siding nail positioned through the siding boards 22 and 20 respectively and through the sheathing 19 and into the studding 16 as customary in frame wall constructions. It will be observed that when the siding board 20 is applied to the wall it has a longitudinal section of the siding mounting strip as hereinbefore described positioned on its uppermost edge where it will be self-retaining. The siding board 20 is leveled and secured by fasteners as customary. The siding board 22 is then positioned with its lower edge on the outturned flange 12 of the siding mounting strip where it is automatically leveled and properly spaced for the desired overlap as customary in lap siding frame wall constructions. A nail 21 comprising a fastener is then positioned through the lower portion of the siding board 22, the upper portion of the siding board 20 and into the sheathing and studding construction of the wall to secure the assembly in the position shown.

The resulting construction includes a longitudinal air seal formed by the arcuate flange 15 and individual air spaces S behind each of the siding boards.

Those skilled in the art will observe that the air spaces S form sound and heat insulation between the siding and the wall and that the efficiency of the wall is thereby improved. It will also be observed that the cushioning effect created by the sealing action of the curved flange 15 enables the assembled wall to resist separation as would occur from expansion and contraction or warpage of the component parts. The irregularities in the plane of the wall surface are also overcome by positioning the fasteners at different locations so as to change the degree of compression of the curved sealing flange 15 and thus bring the finished siding surface into desired straight line arrangement.

Considerable insulating value is added to a wooden wall structure by utilizing the present invention as tests on a sample wall formed in accordance with the invention with an outside temperature of 170.degree.F. and an inside temperature of 70.degree.F. revealed that at the end of 1 hour the inside temperature had risen 1.degree. to 71.degree. at the end of three hours the temperature rise was 2 additional degrees to 73.degree..

A comparable test of the same components without the device of the invention starting with 170.degree.F. outside temperature and a 70.degree.F. inside temperature showed an 11.degree. inside temperature rise in 1 hour to 81.degree.. Tests with respect to time saved in applying siding utilizing the siding mounting strip indicate that approximately 20 percent of the time spent in applying lap siding is used in leveling, aligning and spacing the individual horizontally extending siding boards which actions are completely eliminated through the use of the present invention as the siding boards are automatically supported, aligned, leveled and conveniently held for fastening enabling a carpenter to apply considerably more lap siding in the same time than would otherwise be the case.

Although but one embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. An elongated lap siding mounting device having a transverse section with depending flanges on its longitudinal edges, one of said depending flanges being longer than the other, an outturned secondary flange on the lower edge of said longer depending flange and an arcuate seal and cushion forming configuration on the outer side of the other depending flange, said device arranged to be positioned on the upper longitudinal edge of one piece of lap siding with the seal and the cushion forming configuration between said piece of lap siding and the structure to which the lap siding is applied and the outturned secondary flange on the longer of said depending flanges of the device positioned beneath and in supporting and guiding relation to a second upwardly and outwardly disposed piece of lap siding.

2. The elongated lap siding mounting device of claim 1 wherein said arcuate seal and cushion forming configuration includes a pair of longitudinally extending ribs on said other depending flange and an arcuate third flange thereon curving thereover.

3. The elongated lap siding mounting device of claim 1 and wherein the seal and cushion forming configuration is positioned adjacent the transverse section of the device.

4. The elongated lap siding mounting device of claim 1 and wherein said outturned secondary flange is of a size sufficient to engage and hold the lower edge of a piece of lap siding positioned thereon.