Causes Of Rotting Wood Siding

Wood can and will absorb moisture over time.

Causes of rotting wood siding.

Yes the cause of rot is fungus but if you focus your energies on keeping the exterior surfaces of your house dry you ll stop it in its tracks. Depending on what type of fungi claim your wood products you might have one of three different types of wood rot in your home. This wood often falls victim to the fungus that causes dry rot. If you can keep it dry you re leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of us.

The major reason that wood tends to rot is because of moisture. The first type is brown rot more commonly known as dry rot in wood. Several reasons for damage to wood siding can be. Here are several common reasons for damage.

If this moisture becomes trapped or if the wood is exposed to moisture for long stretches of time it will begin to soften and rot or it may begin to grow and harbor mold colonies. Age of the wood siding panels also another factor why it might be warping and drying out is just the age of the siding panels check out the video. After you identify a wood rot problem area it s time to address the root cause of the damage and to replace the rotten wood or repair the damage with wood putty. So when water contacts an unprotected wood surface for a long enough period of time the wood begins to rot.

It is actually fairly simple lingering moisture in wood creates an environment conducive to fungi growth which in turn causes the wood s fibers to deteriorate. They won t last forever no matter what type of maintenance schedule since it is not a man made product. Wet shrubs directly against siding are a major cause of rot on many houses. Woodpecker poking holes to get at the insects lurking underneath pests such as termites rodents and other animals missing ring shank nails that popped out due to age or movement worn cracked or missing caulking allowing moisture to penetrate normal.

Often called dry rot because the surface of the wood appears dry brown rot fungi targets cellulose in the. Durability issues for wood siding go hand in hand with its need for maintenance. If wood takes on a whitish or light yellow shade and feels spongy it s probably white rot.