It will have to withstand all the extremes that nature can dish out.
Caulking siding wall good vs bad.
Quad caulking is uv resistant and flexible and when it cures it shrinks about 30.
The selection in the caulk aisle at home centers is mind boggling but actually choosing the right one is pretty simple.
Choose a solvent based sealant.
As homeowners with this kind of siding know wood naturally expands and contracts with fluctuations in temperature and precipitation.
Most of the caulk on store shelves is basically one of four types.
A cartridge and caulk gun give a more continuous bead than a squeeze tube which is better for small projects.
Siding windows and doors.
After all the you want your caulk to have great adhesion and flexibility so it will seal things up for a long time.
Here s how to make the right choice.
It grabs on tenaciously which you might think is a good thing right.
Silicone wood bad news.
While paint does tend to somewhat glue these pieces together caulking them is never advised and can cause permanent damage.
For years quad caulking by lepage has been the standard hardie caulking in the edmonton market.
When used on bare wood silicone can be deadly and destructive.
Today s windows are designed to prevent leaks but all it takes is a small gap that s not adequately sealed with caulk for rain to seep through and saturate the wood in the wall beneath the.
Always remember to match the caulking to the colour of the siding never to the colour of the trim.
Elastomeric polyurethane latex or silicone.
Sealants hold up better in spaces that are prone to a lot of expansion and contraction.
Your goal is a neat looking seal over cracks and gaps.
Well just like everything silicone caulk has a lifespan.
Exterior caulking is a lot like interior caulking.
A cartridge or a squeeze tube.
For example the best caulk for windows is usually a sealant instead of a true caulk when choosing caulk vs.
Sealant for your project decide based on how much stress there might be on the sealed area.
But outdoor caulking deserves some extra attention.
Bottom of siding boards should not be caulked.
But if done incorrectly it can lend a sloppy amateurish look.
Caulk is more rigid than sealants when dry.
Caulking windows to give them a finished look inside and out and seal out leaks and drafts is a fairly common diy task.
Water is meant to exit through the bottom of each board.
Any caulk that lives on a roof is going to get hammered by the elements.
Caulk comes in two forms.
It is generally not a good idea to use caulking on wood siding.