The present invention relates to the attachment of vinyl or metal siding to a building and in particular to a bracket for use in attaching siding to a building.
Metal and plastic siding are commonly used as an imitation and substitute for wooden lap siding. The metal and plastic siding provide the appearance of wood siding while generally having a longer life span and require less maintenance. Metal siding is typically formed of aluminum or steel while plastic siding is conventionally formed of extruded sections of thermoplastic polyvinyl chloride which is commonly referred to as vinyl siding. In both types of siding, the bottom margin of each panel is typically bent inwardly and then upwardly to form a longitudinal channel with an upstanding inner leg. The top portion of each panel is formed to provide an outwardly and downwardly projecting longitudinal lip corresponding to the channel running along the bottom of the panel positioned thereabove. A securement flange extends above the longitudinal lip of each panel. The panels are typically secured to a wall along their top portions utilizing fasteners driven through the securement flange extending along the top of each panel.
One problem common to both metal and vinyl siding is its tendency to expand and contract with changes in temperature. Because of this problem, it has been a practice to incorporate longitudinally extending nail slots along the securement flange through which nails may be driven. It is intended that the nails be driven into the slots a distance sufficient to support the siding but not far enough that the head of the nail would engage the siding pressing it against the side of the building and preventing slidable movement of the siding along the nail through expansion and contraction of the siding. The primary problem with such nail slots is the difficulty in driving a nail or other fastener through the nail slots without fastening the nail too tight thereby preventing slidable movement. This is particularly true when the fasteners are applied utilizing power tools.
Siding clips as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,435,933 and 5,150,555 have been developed to overcome the problem of nailing siding too tightly to the wall to which it is secured. Each of the clips generally includes an upper hanger portion which may be nailed to the wall to which the siding is to be secured and a lower portion shaped to receive the upper portion of the siding in a channel or slot while allowing the siding to freely slide laterally through expansion and contraction. One drawback to such clips is that in use it is generally time consuming to slide a large number of clips onto long sections of siding from the ends to provide the appropriate number of clips for supporting the siding. Further, it is then difficult to maneuver the siding with the clips secured thereto prior to securement to the building without having the clips slide off the end of the siding.
An additional problem associated with conventional methods for hanging siding which is not corrected through use of siding clips is the tendency of vinyl siding to conform to irregularities or bows of a wall. Because vinyl siding is extremely flexible, the siding will conform to the shape of the wall to which it is attached when it is secured thereto by nailing or through the use of the clips noted above. As a building settles and ages, movement of the foundation and warping, racking or twisting of wood framing members through weathering and natural drying processes results in irregularities and distortions of the wall surface of the building. The materials of construction of a wall to which siding is to be attached may present inherently irregular surfaces such as stucco walls, stone walls or other types of siding. In addition, other factors, such as sloppy construction may cause distortion of the wall surface of a building such that the surface is not flat and is wavy or undulates. Current fastening systems for siding are inadequate to prevent the siding from conforming to such irregularities in the shape of building walls.
Although metal siding tends to be more rigid than vinyl siding, sections of metal siding spanning inward bows on a wall on which it is hung are insufficiently rigid to prevent indentation and permanent deformation of the siding when pressure is exerted against the section of siding spanning such an inward bow. Existing siding attachment systems do not provide sufficient additional rigidity to prevent such permanent deformation.
Another drawback of existing siding attachment systems including nailing and the use of clips is uneven sagging. Over time the siding tends to sag. When nails or clips are use to support siding the nails or clips are generally driven into or secured to the framing studs spaced sixteen inches apart such that the siding panels are supported every sixteen inches but not therebetween. Over time the unsupported sections of the siding panel will droop or sag further than the supported sections resulting in an uneven, wavy appearance.