How To Install Vinyl Siding Window.

Below are detailed steps on how to replace windows on a vinyl-sided home.

1. Removing Siding

You can easily remove sections of the vinyl with the right tools. Home supply stores offer inexpensive zip tools that you can use to remove the parts. The machines are used to slide into the locking edge of the vinyl siding and unhook it. Loosen the nails that secure the siding to the wall to remove the siding with a small pry bar. Insert the pry bar behind the pin only and not the siding to minimize damage to the siding that you might want to reuse later.

2. Inspecting Building Paper And Flashing

Vinyl siding does not create a waterproof barrier. Thus, building paper and flashing behind it is essential. The building paper should extend behind the window’s nailing fin. Once you have removed the siding, patch up any hole with house-wrap tape. The flashing along the bottom should extend past the corners of the window and overlap the nailing hem. Shooting along the sides should extend five inches from the edge, two inches past the top and overlap the bottom flashing by at least two inches.

3. Installing Molding

Trim the newly-installed window with J-channel or J-molding before the siding installation. The J-channel should overlap the window by two inches to allow for proper installation. Also, cut notches into the J-channels for the pieces to fit together. You can use underfill trim to create a tighter fit between the siding and the molding.

4. Cutting Siding

Cut vinyl siding with either tin snips or a utility knife.  Do not close the snips entirely to make a smoother cut. Mark and then cut the pieces of siding adjacent to the new window. Allow half an inch of space for expansion.

5. Installing The Siding

Once you have cut the siding, the next step is to install it. Each siding piece should slip into the J-channel, but leave half an inch for expansion in the J-channel. The locking edge at the bottom of the siding locks with the course below—hammer roofing nails into the center of the holes to hold it in place. Leave ¼ inch of the nail exposed to allow the sliding to move as it expands.