Check the house wrap on the sheathing if it has any.
Old house siding shingles.
Apply new house wrap if it needs it.
Then apply a breathing membrane on top of the house wrap.
In this video this old house general contractor tom silva explains how to repair shingle siding.
Asphalt building siding became a popular building renovation alternative to painting weathered or rotted wood clapboard or wood shingle siding as early as the 1930 s becoming popular in the 1940 s and the 1950 s in north america where it was used both for low cost housing and for covering the deteriorated exterior walls of older homes.
1 make a story pole from a straight 1x3.
2 use pitchfork to remove all damaged shingles from house.
This step is important.
Wood metal and tile roofing.
Roofing ornamentation such as finials weathervanes and chimney pots.
3 peel off any paper or housewrap.
Covering old asbestos shingles with new siding may seem like an option too but it s not easy to do safely.
Nail the shingles through everything.
The cedar shingles will absorb water.
Different styles and materials for siding shingles and roofing for old houses including clapboard dutch lap and novelty siding.
Let the siding dry then prime and paint with the best exterior latex you can find.
Usually it s just an adhesive.
Mark locations of shingle courses on pole.
Lead paint wasn t outlawed until 1978 so it s sure to be present on siding going back to the 1950s.