Installing vinyl siding requires only a few basic tools. With the ideal knowledge and some planning, a do-it-yourselfer can take on a plastic siding project. One place that will require some special considerations is the gable end. Here, you will have to install trim where the soffits meet the walls, and to cut back siding pieces at the ideal angle so the trim can receive it correctly.
Install J-channel trim running the gable end where the roof’s soffit fulfills the exterior wall. Nail the trim loosely during the nailing hem to allow for contraction and expansion.
Cut a bit of J-channel to fit the upper part of the gable end. Hold a part of J-channel against the corner, and hold a straight border vertically coming down in the corner. Mark the angle throughout the face and nailing hem of the J-channel. Cut across the mark together with tin snips.
Nail the cut J-channel into place. Insert the end of the uncut part of J-channel into the cut piece and nail it into place along the contrary soffit.
Put in your first course of shingles in the bottom of the gable. When you reach the soffit in your very first course, hold a complete piece of siding against the wall so its top corner touches the J-channel across the soffit. Hold a scrap piece of siding over the full piece, parallel with the angle of the soffit. Mark the complete piece along the bottom of the scrap piece. Cut together your mark with tin snips. Make sure that the cut siding currently fits properly into the J-channel, and install it. Save the angled part of siding that you cut off to use as a template.
Continue installing courses of siding, nailing them loosely to allow for contraction and expansion, and following the manufacturer’s directions for spacing. Use the part of shingles which you just cut to fit the gable as a template to mark and make cuts in extra courses.