reuse brittle old hardwood cladding

**RuffJArt** · 20th December 2012, 04:33 PM

My Dad's old dairy is falling apart. It is timber framed and timber cladding on three sides - from maybe 1920's. Many if not all nails have rusted and a few (six or seven small pieces) of the cladding timbers have fallen off, with many nails protruding from the rest. I guess the rust has reduced the circumference of the nails but the original hole size is static.

I want to reattach what I can, and secure what might be ready to fall off in the near future. The cladding is brittle and some pieces have warped just a little so I can see I need to be as careful as possible.

Would you recommend screwing through current nail holes rather than nailing?
Would you recommend any other timber preparation - eg I'm wondering if maybe some lubricant would be helpful in maximising the future of the frame/cladding relationship?

**chambezio** · 20th December 2012, 05:35 PM

I would use Galvanised Bullet Head Nails to reattach the siding. You will have to drill the siding if you can't reuse the existing holes. The frame will be hard to nail into but you will have to persevere. A lubricant as you mentioned will not be compatible with your future surface finish (paint)What you could do is have a piece if wax (candle would do) and give the nail a light rub with the wax then drive it in. But remember to drill the siding so it won't split while nailing.

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