Concrete block wall construction - siding techniques

[Stephen Camardo]

Hi - I'm looking at 2 properties to re-hab which are concrete block exterior walls (in one case 2 story, the other 1 story). One of them has stucco siding, which is "dated" in New England - the other is vinyl.

Question - what is the property "construction technique" for applying either say wood clapboard or cedar shingles over concrete - do you "strap" the concrete with wood - or, are say "concrete nails" sufficient" - also - what is standard for the interior walls - screwing a 2 X 4 against the wall (at 16" intervals) and then sheet-rocking over that? looking for some ideas to make construction estimates.

[Michael Woodward]

@Stephen Camardo , You're on the right track with your suggestion to strip the walls. Most block walls have imperfections and chunks of mortar that will make it difficult or impossible to attach directly to the wall. The typical methods I've seen (and used myself) on both interior and exterior block walls is to anchor vertical strips along the wall with Tapcon screws or masonry nails. Then you can use the "standard" nails or screws to attach your siding or drywall.

If the wall is uneven, the wood strips give you the opportunity to add shims under the strips to make the wall nice and flat. The wood strips also give you the opportunity to add foam insulation (between the strips) if you want.

This makes the installation of siding or drywall much quicker and leaves a better finish. Good luck!