Caulking Clapboard Siding

Width is a matter of taste and proper proportion.

Caulking clapboard siding.

Caulk is a substance designed to seal a joint between two surfaces and. It seems that general practice is for the intersection of horizontal clapboards and corner boards to be caulked a bead of caulk over this intersection after siding installation. It is generally not a good idea to use caulking on wood siding. Or is it like horizontal clapboards which are left uncaulked at the laps to allow moisture to escape.

Corner boards are applied to the sheathing with siding fitting tightly against the narrow edge of the boards allowing for expansion and an adequate caulking bead. When deciding how to use caulk on your siding however it is generally more important to consider where you should not use it. Filling cracks and holes with caulk in your home s trim and siding before painting not only makes the paint job look better but also makes the paint last longer. Cracks and holes in any surface collect water which causes paint to peel.

A diyer or a novice painter might attempt to achieve a cleaner look by caulking the siding nails but the nail is guaranteed to push the caulking material out within a few months. First to help avoid any future insect damage back prime the cedar with oil based primer image 1. Is the old caulking removed before new coats are applied. Carefully slide the notched piece of siding into place.

Our instructor john is rather funny i. We used cedar siding to replace the rotted clapboards. The corner boards and the ends of the siding are nailed to the corner studs which anchors the wood for a maintenance free joint. Similar to paint previous coats of.

The nails holding up the siding should not be caulked. If more than one clapboard is needed to span a wall snap a chalk line between the marks on the corner boards on top of the course being overlapped. Re first a disclaimer. But i ve also seen advice about not doing this because the caulk can will fail and trap water.

Nail the clapboard to the studs. Before the siding can go up 1x4 starter strips of treated lumber should be nailed to the sill where the lower most course of siding will go up image 2. If overused or incorrectly placed siding caulk can cause more damage to your exterior than good.