Caulking Clapboard Siding

It seems that general practice is for the intersection of horizontal clapboards and corner boards to be caulked a bead of caulk over this intersection after siding installation.

Caulking clapboard siding.

Is the old caulking removed before new coats are applied. Caulk is a substance designed to seal a joint between two surfaces and. We used cedar siding to replace the rotted clapboards. 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.

The corner boards and the ends of the siding are nailed to the corner studs which anchors the wood for a maintenance free joint. 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. If overused or incorrectly placed siding caulk can cause more damage to your exterior than good. The nails holding up the siding should not be caulked.

Before the siding can go up 1x4 starter strips of treated lumber should be nailed to the sill where the lower most course of siding will go up image 2. Or is it like horizontal clapboards which are left uncaulked at the laps to allow moisture to escape. Cracks and holes in any surface collect water which causes paint to peel. But i ve also seen advice about not doing this because the caulk can will fail and trap water.

Width is a matter of taste and proper proportion. First to help avoid any future insect damage back prime the cedar with oil based primer image 1. Carefully slide the notched piece of siding into place. Nail the clapboard to the studs.

After notching the siding to fit around the bottom of the window apply sealant under and around the windowsill. 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. Our instructor john is rather funny i. It is generally not a good idea to use caulking on wood siding.

Similar to paint previous coats of. Re first a disclaimer. If more than one clapboard is needed to span a wall snap a chalk line between the marks on the corner boards on top of the course being overlapped.