Caulking Lap Siding

And many homeowners over caulk applying caulk where it doesn t belong and potentially compromising the performance of their siding.

Caulking lap siding.

Caulk is by necessity a sticky gooey substance and as such it smudges easily. When to use caulk on exterior siding siding caulk can be used on several different areas of your exterior siding to help prevent water damage and moisture buildup. Bottom of siding boards should not be caulked 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.

Scrape the side of the window trim next to the siding and the immediate edge of the lap siding with a paint scraper. Slide a piece of metal sheeting behind the butt joint. Caulking at the horizontal overlaps is not recommended because it impedes these drainage and drying mechanisms inherent to lap siding. Caulking around windows doors eaves and trim edges gives added insurance that leaks will not occur.

Some of the most commonly caulked areas of siding include both corners and crevices as well as some butt joints and window and door trim boards. Pull the tip of the caulk tube slowly along the joint of the window trim and the siding holding the caulk gun at a. The siding expands and contracts with temperature and humidity. How to caulk the window trim on lap siding 1.

When james hardie siding products butt into wood based materials a 1 8 gap will allow for expansion and contraction of the wood based product. 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. Create a proper 3 16 space at minimum between the two pieces of siding. Caulking them is a mistake and the caulking is likely to fail prematurely.

Caulking your home s siding is a simple process but not necessarily a foolproof one. It needs to move and breathe.