KennyG
Elite Member
I'm going to replace the siding on my pole barn and have a few decisions to make. It currently has no base trim which is probably part of the reason it's all rusted out at the bottom. I'm going to replace the bottom grade boards and add a base. The supplier I'm looking at offers a rat guard (with an angle trim) and a base trim which is just an angle with a slight drip edge. It's the same trim used as a drip edge over doors and windows. It looks like either would be functionally the same. Is there any advantage to the rat guard other than a little more strength if something was to press down on the horizontal surface?
The other unique area I have is a small area where a swimming pool deck was added after the pole barn was built. The pool deck is 6 inches higher than the pole barn floor. As a result, they just poured concrete against the siding in one area and added a planting area by piling dirt against the siding next to it. Needless to say, there isn't any metal left in this area. My thought is to excavate the soil area down to the pole barn floor, get some tar paper or foam against the poles in this area and pour/grout concrete to make a solid concrete surface, then put a grade board over that. Does that sound like a permanent solution?
Final question - is it still recommended to put tar paper between treated lumber and any metal?
Thanks for any help.
The other unique area I have is a small area where a swimming pool deck was added after the pole barn was built. The pool deck is 6 inches higher than the pole barn floor. As a result, they just poured concrete against the siding in one area and added a planting area by piling dirt against the siding next to it. Needless to say, there isn't any metal left in this area. My thought is to excavate the soil area down to the pole barn floor, get some tar paper or foam against the poles in this area and pour/grout concrete to make a solid concrete surface, then put a grade board over that. Does that sound like a permanent solution?
Final question - is it still recommended to put tar paper between treated lumber and any metal?
Thanks for any help.