Think of a wood home as a living thing.
Caulking siding wall good or bad.
Cracks and holes in any surface collect water which causes paint to peel.
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.
It needs to move and breathe.
The nails holding up the siding should not be caulked.
Silicone caulk is expensive but worth the cost due to its flexibility and long life.
When one of the surfaces you re caulking is rougher than the other try to ride the tip on the smoother surface the brick mold in this case.
Generally siding must be cut 1 4 to 3 8 short from any objects.
But here the main problem is people usually don t find the right type of caulk for their works.
Cleanup can be difficult if you get this caulk on clothing gloves shoes or skin.
Metal flashing or any metal to wood joint should not be caulked another water exit pathway that should never be sealed.
The siding expands and contracts with temperature and humidity.
The best exterior caulk for roofing construction and repairs since it can withstand extreme temperatures and creates a strong insulating and water tight seal.
The gaps in the siding inside of j channels do not look to bad but hard to tell from the angle of the pictures.
I don t like caulking siding j to windows because i think it looks really bad and most guys and manufactures do not recommend it that i have ever seen.
Most formulas are mildew resistant and have inhibitors to slow discoloration but all caulk gets ugly over time.
Placing caulk over large portions of wood siding prohibits the natural movement of the wooden panels and can cause extensive damage to the exterior of your home.
Exterior caulking is a lot like interior caulking.
As homeowners with this kind of siding know wood naturally expands and contracts with fluctuations in temperature and precipitation.
It will have to withstand all the extremes that nature can dish out.
Good for gutters siding and concrete.
Your goal is a neat looking seal over cracks and gaps.
Caulk is a substance designed to seal a joint between two surfaces and to fill small holes.
If you ride the middle or the rough surface siding the caulking will duplicate the bumps sometimes in an exaggerated way.
And when an outdoor seal fails water gets in and serious trouble follows.
Also avoid caulking tongue and groove siding boards together.
If you use sashco s acrylic latex caulking sealant you can have any interior or exterior as good as new.
It is generally not a good idea to use caulking on wood siding.
The only big downside is that it s not paintable.
Siding nails should not be caulked another item that needs room to play is siding boards themselves.
In my opinion caulking between the seams in any lapped siding either horizontal or vertical is not good practice but not just because of any potential vapor barrier effect.
