Caulking Wood Siding Before Painting

It is best to avoid a fast dry acrylic caulking for exteriors use.

Caulking wood siding before painting.

Water is meant to exit through the bottom of each board. While paint does tend to somewhat glue these pieces together caulking them is never advised and can cause permanent damage. The tiny hole lets out just enough caulk to fill typical small to medium size cracks. Particularly at the corners where they are mitered together.

If you are painting new surfaces prime first then caulk. Also any butt joints and joints at the peak of diagonal fascia boards. 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. When you re filling small cracks to prepare for painting cut the tip carefully to keep the hole tiny about 1 16 in.

Under normal circumstances you can apply caulk before priming. Unfortunately it will not stick well to stained surfaces. Caulk is a substance designed to seal a joint between two surfaces and to fill small holes. A common mistake is to cut off too much of the caulk tube tip leaving a hole that s way too big for most interior caulking work.

If you are working on finished wood do not apply caulk until after you ve primed. Caulking tips the time to caulk is after you have cleaned and repaired any damage to the walls and millwork. The next place would be the soffits or the plywood underneath. Also avoid caulking tongue and groove siding boards together.

Choose the right caulk for the job. These are fine for interior millwork but not the best for exterior jobs. John burbidge author of the book watching paint dry shows how to properly caulk windows doors and cornerboards on the exterior of a house prior to pain. Silicone acrylic latex solvent based elastomeric and butyl rubber to list the most common.

Bottom of siding boards should not be caulked. Caulk adheres very well to clean bare wood and vinyl. The places on the exterior of the house that need careful caulking before painting would be the fascia board joints of the overhang. Cracks and holes in any surface collect water which causes paint to peel.

When you take special care with caulking siding before painting you can count on your exterior paint job lasting longer.