Fiber
cement siding offers a lot of advantages versus wood,
but if you've ever handled it before, you know you
wouldn't try to install it alone. Harbor Springs,
Mich.-based Bear Cub Industries Inc. has a solution, The
Bear Clip™ system is designed to make installing fiber
cement siding so easy that one person can do it.
According to the manufacturer, the Bear Clip reduces
installation labor by 40% - and considering that the
Bear Cub's president, Michael Walda, is a former siding
installer, he ought to know, "The problem with
installing fiber cement siding is that it's tedious
because the boards have to be perfectly level all the
time," explains Walda. "The Bear Clip takes all of the
challenges out of installing fiber cement siding." The
clip hooks onto the top edge of each row and supports
the board above - level, hands-free, and at an exact
1-1/4" overlap while the installer nails it in place.
After the board is nailed, the exposed portion of the
clip is snapped away at an engineered fracture point,
leaving the hidden portion behind. That little piece of
plastic acts as a spacer to ensure proper drainage
behind the siding. The Bear Clip is manufactured to a
.002" tolerance which means that, if the starter strip
is level, the siding will be perfectly level as well.
Bear Clips come in various depths to accommodate a
variety of siding thickness, and so far, builders appear
to be sold. Says one, "We aren't going to do another
Hardie job without them." The Bear Clip comes in boxes
of 1,000. Each box is enough for approximately 15 sq.
of 7-1/4" or 20 sq. of 8-1/4" siding.
