While the advent of polymer building products has greatly eased the installation of roofing, siding and trim components, drawbacks remain.
To facilitate their installation, polymer building products, such as, for example, siding, roofing, J-blocks, gable vents, etc., are usually characterized by a plurality of fastener apertures each comprising an elongate slot of constant width bounded by a peripheral wall defining the slot. In these regards, the disclosure of the applicant's own prior-published application, US Pub. No. 20080083186, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, is exemplary. In installation, a fastener, such as a nail, for instance, is driven through each slot and into a substrate to thus secure the building product in place. The slots are elongate so that once a fastener is positioned therein and secured to the underlying substrate, the building products can slide relative to the fasteners as the polymer material expands and contracts due to changing ambient temperatures.
Necessarily, the fasteners must be positioned approximately in the middle of each slot in order to permit the unfettered relative movement of the building products in either direction so as to accommodate both contraction and expansion of the building products. Unfortunately, hasty installation can lead to the misplacement of fasteners too close to one or the other end of these slots. When this occurs, the slot end confronts the fastener prematurely during its relative movement, leading to unwanted buckling of the building product.
Another common occurrence during installation of polymer building products is for fasteners to be driven too deeply into the substrate, such that the building product is effectively fixed in position and unable to move relative to the fastener in response to changes in the ambient temperature. As with misplacement of the fastener within the slot, this installation error can lead to unwanted buckling of the building product.
Still a further problem in the installation of polymer siding and roofing panels is the need to ensure proper alignment of vertically adjacent rows of siding or roofing panels as they are “stacked” one on top of the other. With conventional polymer roofing and siding panels, it is possible to misalign vertically successive panels relative to the preceding, vertically lower one, unless due care is taken by the installer. However, such due care can slow the installation process.
A further drawback of polymer siding is that the necessity, in some installation methods, of leaving a slight gap between horizontally adjacent panels (to ensure sufficient room for the panels to expand and contract due to changes in ambient temperature) creates an unsightly aesthetic to the thus-finished building. While siding-joints are known as a satisfactory means for concealing such gaps, the conventional forms of these joints are difficult to install.