Caulking Lap Siding Bottom Edge

The panel siding tends to do better than the lap siding because there is no drip edge for water to cling to.

Caulking lap siding bottom edge.

Designed to let water out of your windows these small openings should never be. Wherever hardie siding meets a trim board the company recommends you leave a 1 8 gap between the siding and the trim and apply a 3 8 bead of approved caulking to protect and seal the edge of the siding. The worst failure we have seen yet. All penetrations such as over driven fasteners and site cut edges of siding need to be sealed with caulk and paint.

It needs to move and breathe. Lp siding products also come in sheets in when water runs down the face of the siding it tends to hang on the bottom edge wicking up and causing the bottom edges to swell and delaminate. Garage door panels should not be caulked. The bottom edge of lp lap siding is where the failure is first evident.

Window weep hole should not be caulked. One way to prolong the useful life of the siding is to keep it well maintained. Caulking at hardieplank lap siding butt joints is not recommended for colorplus for aesthetic reasons as the caulking and colorplus will weather differently. The corner boards and the ends of the siding are nailed to the corner studs which anchors the wood for a maintenance free joint.

Trim boards that sit on top the siding. For the same reason do not caulk exposed nail heads. Caulk across the top edge of the siding where it meets the top of the wall around windows and doors across the bottom edge of the siding where it meets the foundation and any other area where gaps exist. 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.

While a diyer or a novice painter might attempt to produce a cleaner look by. Think of a wood home as a living thing.