Caulking House Siding

Is the old caulking removed before new coats are applied.

Caulking house siding.

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. Your house s siding naturally expands and contracts and caulking it all together prevents this movement. Exterior caulking is a lot like interior caulking. Where window and door frames meet wood siding on an exterior wall.

So here are some tips for caulking that lasts. Your goal is a neat looking seal over cracks and gaps. The nails holding up the siding should not be caulked. But don t caulk vinyl siding to the channel on vinyl trim pieces.

When deciding how to use caulk on your siding however it is generally more important to consider where you should not use it. And when an outdoor seal fails water gets in and serious trouble follows. Paintable silicone caulk can be used around the outside of window units to properly seal the window and the siding edge or around the entire door unit. It might make things look super neat but never caulk the bottom edge of siding.

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. Those small openings are there to help moisture escape which prevents mold mildew rot peeling paint and frustration. It will have to withstand all the extremes that nature can dish out. Use around sinks tubs and showers.

Use when installing bath fixtures to seal gaps between shower tiles between sinks and counters and around the base of the toilet. Yes that means that learning how to caulk siding can be an exercise in restraint. These frames are made from vertical and horizontal pieces that many need caulking where they meet. Where wood siding forms corner joints or meets corner trim caulking can fill any gaps.

It is generally not a good idea to use caulking on wood siding. But outdoor caulking deserves some extra attention. If overused or incorrectly placed siding caulk can cause more damage to your exterior than good.