Caulking Old Cedar Siding

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Caulking old cedar siding. It seals the spaces thereby protecting your home from invasion by pests and keeping the moisture and cold outside. The nails holding up the siding should not be caulked. The wood s structural integrity will remain unless the wood is exposed to excessive moisture which can cause curling cracking and wood rot. When you try to restrict either it is at your peril.

Caulking windows to give them a finished look inside and out and seal out leaks and drafts is a fairly common diy task. The siding expands and contracts with temperature and humidity. I m not a painter but i do install cedar siding and i always caulk all the joints. If your house has siding on the exteriors caulk is a product you might want to install.

Similar to paint previous coats of. But if done incorrectly it can lend a sloppy amateurish look. It needs to move and breathe. Think of a wood home as a living thing.

If you re shopping for the best caulk for cedar siding here is what to look out for. Is the old caulking removed before new coats are applied. Recommendations for caulks are located on page 10. If i am installing a prefinished product which i do mostly i use a color osi match caulk.

Caulk comes in two forms. If overused or incorrectly placed siding caulk can cause more damage to your exterior than good. Basic maintenance repair and painting of cedar wood siding using gardner flex n fill and behr premium plus exterior paint. Left unstained cedar s red hue will fade to gray within about a year.

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. Other technical resources can be found elsewhere on their website. It is generally not a good idea to use caulking on wood siding. When deciding how to use caulk on your siding however it is generally more important to consider where you should not use it.

Below is a link to their installation guide. While cedar stands up to the elements fairly well on its own putting a seal or a coat of paint on it can enhance the color and protect the wood from inclement weather.