OSB will rot on anything... it sure seems like a waste of time and money to cover with osb just to side... check with your block distributor about fastening to the nailers... screwing (or possibly nailing) the siding would still be the better option..

Why will siding installation be easier? Once you go through all the cost and labor it will be more difficult. With ICF you can see your ties perfectly for nailing and with the minimal foam covering you can stick your siding nail into the foam and start the nail in without even holding the nail. You have attachment points every 6" - 8" in most conventional blocks, and in areas coming into a window or corner Windloc makes a great product which works excellent for these applications called "Arrow tacs".

I know it is crayzy to think about OSB on ICF . It defeats purpuse of using ICF but my siding subs very good on plywood walls and they were hesitant to do my last house even I offer premium. I had to do my self, and I secrewed all the siding on ICfs. This year i have lot more one my plate and trying to find easy way to install vinyl siding.

Walltech, fjohnson;

What kind nail Would you use, to install vinyl siding?

thanks

Frank

fturkdal,

I have to agree with my colleagues. Vinyl should be very easy to apply over your ICF depending on your reveal and the block you chose to use.

If you choose to put OSB on your ICF you will need to apply a nonlinear drain shield behind you OSB and then a house wrap over it. The reason is where the dew point of your wall will be. Since your you have an exterior thermal break, your dew point will be in the somewhere in the foam to under your siding. This will lead to a build up of moisture in this area and you will have to create a way for this moisture to escape. Since you are adding a product prone to swelling and degrading when exposed to moisture you will need to protect it if you want your siding to last.

ICF Contractor

I did screw my steel siding onto my icf.. it was in my siding contract.  the crew tried to talk me into nails the day they showed up.. and showed me that it would work.. just regular old roofing nails.  I said go ahead, use nails.. but if there is trouble years down the road, with screws in the contract......., they weren't ready to take that step.  I did use a small ring shank nail with plastic washer to fasten the metal lath at the ground level.. seems to not be a problem.  If my supplier would have said fastening the siding with roofing nails was fine, I would have gone ahead.. I just never asked and always planned to use screws.

I'm not sold on nails into the plastic flange, mind you I have not installed Vinyl Siding on ICF either, but a lot of stucco. I met a stucco contractor who had an approved detail from one particular ICF manufacturer allowing staples!! Needless to say the job did not work well, when he went over my work he did screw the lathe off and has not an issue with it, other than screwing is much more time consuming, but less time consuming than a repair.

Chris

That is what exactly I am affraid for. Using nails and don't work. Using OSB on icf and rots. more likely to i have to do my self and screw on. Unless I can fin d two man crew and pay them premium price and they can take their time and do it rigth.

Frank

If you do a search for other threads about this, you'll find different opinions.

I use rs siding nails for hardiplank and have no issues. In fact, I first used Hardiplank on my own home in 96, and Hardi at that time had me used ring shank roofing nails. The requirement for screwing siding on is overblown, except it should be reviewed logically in areas where high wind requirements are part of the local code!

The osb or adding a layer of plywood is not a realistic application. We have installed vertical 1x strapping for vinyl siding before, and it works fine. In that case we spot nail the vertical straps, then with an auto-feed screw gun complete the attachment as we go up the wall. The siding is installed either by hand or with a siding stapler(for vinyl siding). There is no reason to use strapping for Hardi cement siding, and as mentioned, before you go the route of vinyl, compare all the steps necessary to using HardiPalnk siding. The issue of waterproofing around windows is of utmost concern when using vinyl!

Ive used ring-shank 7d coil nails on hardie installs with no problems. I think the whole nailing factor depends on the block your using. Some manufacturers webs are more 'friendly' to nails then others which tend to crack. Screws would definitly be easier then adding sheets of osb and more cost effective.

The biggest issue with cracking is if the weather is too cold!

I am going to do some test. I am going to drive 100 nails in to diffrent location of the webs and strip foam out to see what happen underneath.

Frank

you can shoot a couple hundred nails into polysteel metal furring strips, if they fit...
you'll end up with a porcupine...
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I just had vinyl siding installed using the newly offered screws that Certainteed has in their catalog. Worked great.