# Removing lap siding without damaging it



## elbee (Apr 18, 2008)

Hi there,
I have a piece of wood lap siding that I want to remove. The problem is that I want to remove the piece and put it back with minimal damage to the piece or any of the pieces that contact it. What would be the best way to go about doing this? What sort of tools do I need? The piece I want to remove is marked with the orange arrow.

Thanks so much!!


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## HFC Homes (May 5, 2009)

flat pry bar and a nail puller


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Find the nails!*

Either pry gently to find them, prying too hard will crack the board, use a metal detector, keen eyesight.... Sawzall the nails off up from the bottom, break the caulking and paint with a sharp knife, lift out the piece......:thumbsup: bill


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## elbee (Apr 18, 2008)

Is there a trick for getting the pry bar between two pieces without causing damage?


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## elbee (Apr 18, 2008)

woodnthings said:


> Either pry gently to find them, prying too hard will crack the board, use a metal detector, keen eyesight.... Sawzall the nails off up from the bottom, break the caulking and paint with a sharp knife, lift out the piece......:thumbsup: bill


I know where the nails are because the boards haven't been puttied, caulked or painted yet (luckily!). I'm just nervous about the prying step. If I don't have a sawzall is there another way to remove the nails? 

Thanks!!


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Tape around a hacksaw blade*

I just went though this prosess when I built a new garage addition. It worked sweet with a sawzall, but I cracked a few boards that I "gently" pryed on, so use caution...
And sometimes the nail heads pop off :furious:
bill


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## HFC Homes (May 5, 2009)

elbee said:


> Is there a trick for getting the pry bar between two pieces without causing damage?


get a small thin flat bar. I have one that is about six inches long and thin... as for the trick hammer it up directly under the nail


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## supershingler (Apr 28, 2009)

if you have small heads on the nails(like a finish nail) you can take a nail set and drive the nail through also.

most of the time if the nail heads are big, i use an old wood chisel and a shim to protect the siding underneath and use it to pry the siding out a little and use a sawzall or even a hacksaw blade to cut out the nails.

take a uility knife and cut all the caulk and also cut along the bottom of the siding to break the paint joint.

good luck

kendall


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

Use a thin "magic bar", tap it up under the bottom of the board, and pry very gently. Work your way along the board until you have some clearance under it. Then push the board back in, and hope the nail heads stay out. Pull the nails out, and then do the same on the board above. If the nails won't stick out enough use a nail puller. This will leave some dents in the board, but as you are going to repaint any way, you can fill the dents before painting. The big trick is to be very patient. The top edges of the boards are very thin and easily cracked.

I just salvaged a whole bunch of siding this way, so I know it works.

Gerry


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

Along with what everyone else has said, a 5 in 1 painters tool works well for starting to pry on something without damage. It has a thin edge on it. I also use a 2 1/2" wide putty knife with a fairly rigid blade to start prying so I don't leave an indentation in the wood. Just curious, why are you taking this board off anyway, and also if you did break it, why couldn't you get a piece like it to replace it?
Mike Hawkins


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## elbee (Apr 18, 2008)

Thanks everyone! I will attempt to do this over the weekend. The reason why I want to take out this board might seem a little bit anal, but when the boards were originally put in, the person that did the job, shimmed the area under the boards. He used three shims (one along each edge and one in the middle). The problem is that the shim in the middle is longer than the shim on the edges (I know because I watched him do it) and as a consequence the board at the top is bowed in the middle. At the time I didn't realize that having shims of various lengths would affect the boards this way otherwise I would have stopped him. I just want to cut down the shims so that they all match in height and reinstall the boards. Anal I know, but it bothers me. I hope I explained that ok. It is a little bit difficult to describe.


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

elbee said:


> Thanks everyone! I will attempt to do this over the weekend. The reason why I want to take out this board might seem a little bit anal, but when the boards were originally put in, the person that did the job, shimmed the area under the boards. He used three shims (one along each edge and one in the middle). The problem is that the shim in the middle is longer than the shim on the edges (I know because I watched him do it) and as a consequence the board at the top is bowed in the middle. At the time I didn't realize that having shims of various lengths would affect the boards this way otherwise I would have stopped him. I just want to cut down the shims so that they all match in height and reinstall the boards. Anal I know, but it bothers me. I hope I explained that ok. It is a little bit difficult to describe.


Isn't it amazing how some little things just piss you right off until you fix them? I totally understand.:thumbsup:

Gerry


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## elbee (Apr 18, 2008)

Gerry KIERNAN said:


> Isn't it amazing how some little things just piss you right off until you fix them? I totally understand.:thumbsup:
> 
> Gerry


I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking this way. I was almost afraid to admit why I wanted to do this.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

If this is a new project than it may not matter if there is damage to the board(s). Just check the board source and see if they are still available.

G


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## elbee (Apr 18, 2008)

GeorgeC said:


> If this is a new project than it may not matter if there is damage to the board(s). Just check the board source and see if they are still available.
> 
> G


I have some spare pieces, so I should be ok if I damage them. But, I wanted to try an preserve them, if possible and save my spare pieces for another time when I might really need them.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

elbee said:


> I have some spare pieces, so I should be ok if I damage them. But, I wanted to try an preserve them, if possible and save my spare pieces for another time when I might really need them.


If they are like the spare pieces that I keep of everything from wood to carpet they will never get used.

Acutally I guess that is good.

G


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## Lilty (Dec 20, 2006)

If you know where the nails are why don't you try driving them all the way thru.

Lilty


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## elbee (Apr 18, 2008)

Lilty said:


> If you know where the nails are why don't you try driving them all the way thru.
> 
> Lilty


I'm going to try that! Thanks!!


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