FANCY CUTS® SHINGLE

application instructions

1. Laying Out A Design.
Estimating the shingles you'll need:

A carton of 96 Fancy Cuts shingles will cover 25 sq. ft. if your rows are 7-1/2" deep, and 33-1/3 sq. ft. if they are 10" deep. If your layout has rows that are less than 7-1/2" deep, your coverage will be less than 25 sq. ft. The safest way to estimate is to do a layout and make an exact count of the individual shingles required.

If you plan a decorative effect, combining two or more Fancy Cuts shingle patterns, with different row spacings, you should prepare a sketch layout in advance. Use graph paper ruled in a 1/4" grid. Since Fancy Cuts shingles are approximately 4-15/16" wide, a scale of 1/4" = 2-1/2" is usually satisfactory. Then each square represents an area 2-1/2" x 2-1/2" of the actual job.

Divide the height of the area to be covered by the length of shingle that will show in each row. Example: 80" divided by 7-1/2" = 10 rows plus an extra 5". The extra, narrow row will be placed at the bottom of the wall, making it your starter row.

5"	7-1/2"	10"
Coverage Approximate coverage of one carton (96 pieces) at the following exposures.
16-2/3 sq.ft.	25 sq.ft.	33-1/3 sq.ft.

Measure up the wall and mark off the depth of each row. Mark the depth of your narrow starter row at the bottom, then continue with your regular spacing. Repeat the measurements and markings every 4 feet along the wall to be covered.

Corners: If your job goes around an outside corner, be sure to line up your courses at the corner. At inside corners, run a piece of cedar 2" x 2" up the height of the corner, and butt the edges of the shingles to it.

Width: If the width of your area is not an exact multiple of 5", you will need to take extra care to get a balanced effect.

Divide the width by 5 to get the number of full-width shingles required. If there is extra width, divide that by 2. You will need narrow strips of shingle this width at the ends of some rows; on the ends of the alternate rows you will need pieces that are this width plus 2-1/2".

Example: Width 63", divided by 5 = 12 plus 3; divided by 2 = 1-1/2". Thus, some rows will have 12 shingles across, plus 1-1/2" wide pieces at each end. The alternate rows will have 11 full shingles across, plus 4" (2-1/2 + 1-1/2) pieces at each end.

If this extra width is 1" wide or less, you may prefer to space your shingles slightly further apart to eliminate the need for using very narrow end strips.

2. Wall Preparation.

Fancy Cuts decorative shingles shall be applied to nailable sheathing, solid or spaced, in conformance with local building code requirements. Apply a suitable weather-resistive barrier, such as type 15 felt or better, over the sheathing. A minimum two-inch head lap and six-inch end lap is required when fastening the building paper or weather barrier.

3. Fasteners.

Use a 5D hot-dipped galvanized box nail or equivalent rust-resistant fastener. Fasteners shall penetrate the sheathing a minimum of 1/2".

4. Putting Up The Fancy Cuts.

Important! Install your Fancy Cuts carefully. An attractive finished job depends on the accurate placement of these precisely cut shingles. Put the high quality sanded side of the shingle out.

Fancy Cuts shingles must be placed approximately 1/8" apart to maintain uniform 5" centering. Use the end of a wooden matchstick or a piece of cardboard or other thin material 1/8" thick as a guide.

Each shingle must be exactly centered on the crack between the two shingles below it. Each piece must be truly vertical; crooked lines will spoil the finished look.

Take enough Fancy Cuts shingles to go across one row, and cut them in two crosswise, to the length needed for the top row. Set these pieces to one side.

Install your starter row, at the bottom of your job, using the square pieces cut off as described in the previous paragraph.

Use two nails per shingle, placed 3/4" in from the edge and 1" above subsequent course shingle butts. To avoid splitting narrow pieces, you can drill a pilot hole for the nail. If your job requires narrow end pieces, start using them in this bottom row.

Measure up the starter shingles the distance you have chosen for the bottom course, remembering that this may be your only narrow course. Mark with pencil at 4-foot intervals. Tack a straight length of 1" x 2" or plywood along this line as a guide, with the top edge at the pencil marks.

This guide must be level, even if it is not parallel to the floor. If the floor is uneven and you use it for a guide, your finished Fancy Cuts job might look crooked.

Place the shaped ends of your Fancy Cuts against this guide strip as you nail your second row in place, again nailing into the next strip up from the bottom of the shingles.

Continue in this manner up the wall, raising your guide strip for each row, and nailing only into the next higher furring strip. Check frequently for squareness and precise centering.

Every other row will have a half shingle at each end. Cut your end pieces carefully up the center of the shingle, drawing a straight line for your saw to follow. Use a crosscut or fine toothed saw.

The pieces for the top row have already been cut (see 4th paragraph of #4) but they may require some trimming to provide a snug fit. The easiest way to finish at the top is to make a rough fit, nailing as high as possible, and then trim off with a strip of molding at the ceiling line. If you can't use molding, use colored nails or small headed nails, for maximum concealment.

If Fancy Cuts shingles are to go around an outside corner, they must be mitered. The alternative is to place vertical cedar boards at the corner, and bring the shingles flush with them. Corner boards must be installed first, and their width deducted in calculating the width of your Fancy Cuts rows.

5. Sidewalls and Mansards.

Do not exceed 7-1/2" exposure. Wider exposure will not give adequate weather protection.

6. Roofs.

Use a 5" exposure. Do not apply on a slope less than 4/12.

7. Interior Application.

Use a maximum 10" exposure. 1" x 4" wood nailing strips should be applied horizontally across walls, spaced for proper nailing.

8. Finishing.

Western Red Cedar is a very durable and weather-resistant wood, and your Fancy Cuts shingles may be left unfinished. They will darken or change color at different rates, depending on the amount of direct sun they receive. On an interior wall, any section exposed to sunlight will change color, just as wood furniture, wallpaper or paint will. Shakertown recommends finishing with a quality oil-based stain to maximize the product life in outdoor sidewall applications. (Refer to Technical Bulletin 4001, Stains and Finishes.)

If you have any questions regarding this or any other topic, please call Shakertown toll free: 1-800-426-8970.

SHAKERTOWN 1992, Inc.
P.O. Box 400, 1200 Kerron Street.
Winlock, WA 98596