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Siding · Glossary

Siding glossary

Plain-English definitions of 0 siding terms you will see on quotes and inspection reports.

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How to use this glossary

Find the word. Read the definition. Check the bid.

Quotes are written in trade shorthand, and the shorthand hides where the money and the risk are. If a quote mentions siding, trim, and a color but never mentions the barrier or flashing, the quote is describing the visible half of the job only.

Learn five terms and you can read almost any siding quote: square, water-resistive barrier, flashing (especially kickout flashing), rain screen, and exposure. The rest is product naming.

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Three rules for every term

  • Square 100 square feet of wall area. Material is ordered and priced by the square, so it's the unit that makes quotes comparable.
  • Water-resistive barrier (WRB) The housewrap or building paper behind the siding. This, not the siding, is the layer that keeps water out of your sheathing.
  • Flashing and kickout flashing Metal pieces that route water out of joints. Kickout flashing sits where a roof edge meets a wall and diverts runoff away - its absence is a classic cause of hidden rot.
0 definitions

A-Z siding dictionary

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Glossary terms for this industry are being written.

FAQ

Siding glossary questions

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Siding is the visible cladding. A rain screen is the drainage gap behind it. A siding job can be built with or without a rain screen gap; ask which you're getting.
No. A water-resistive barrier sheds liquid water while allowing vapor to pass. A vapor barrier restricts vapor movement and belongs in a different place in the wall depending on climate.
How much of each board shows, which changes both the look and how many boards are needed. It should be stated in the quote.
Because it's small, cheap, easy to omit, and its absence dumps a roof's worth of runoff into a wall. Ask specifically whether it's included where roofs meet walls.
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Who wrote and checked this

Written by

The HomeMatchup Content Team

Editorial
Reviewed by

Michael Thompson

Senior Home Improvement Reviewer · 20 years

Senior technical reviewer.

Team-written. Second-person reviewed. Sources dated. Report a correction.

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