Preparing the Wall

• 1). Inspect each exterior wall for rotten wood. Pry any rotten panels off the house and replace them with a comparably sized piece of wood, usually a 1-by-4-inch board.
  
  
• 2). Inspect the side of the wall and mark any low spots or humps. It is not uncommon in an older house to have a wall that isn't perfectly straight.
  
  
• 3). Hang the foam on large low spots and on either side of humps. This will help even out the wall. If you leave any part of the wall uneven, the siding will reflect the imperfections.
  
  

Installation

• 1). Lay accessories first, including the corner posts, J channels, and starter strip. Use the level to ensure that each piece is horizontal (or vertical) before hanging any panels. Leave about 1/2 inch space between pieces of starter strip. Overlap corner posts top to bottom by about 1 inch.
  
  
• 2). Measure the walls for panel installation. Run the tape measure from edge to edge, then take off 1/2 inch for a final measurement.
  
  
• 3). Hang the panel. Snap the hook into the starter strip and ensure that it slides easily from side to side. Leaving a 1/4-inch gap at the edges of the panel, put a nail in the center of the panel, and about every ninth slot out to the edges. If the span of wall is longer than a panel, cut the appropriate length off another panel and lap the factory edges over each other by an inch. Nail the second piece in the same fashion, ensuring enough of a gap on each side to allow for expansion.
  
  
• 4). Shim the panels as you hang them if you still have small slow spots by sticking a wood shim behind the nail slot before you nail it. You can also use a cut piece of starter strip if a wood shim proves too large.