Caulking Tips Exterior Siding

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.

Caulking tips exterior siding.

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. On siding and trim dig out any loose paint caulk or other crud then sweep them with a dry paintbrush or better yet blast them with a compressor and an air nozzle. Caulking around windows doors eaves and trim edges gives added insurance that leaks will not occur. While paint does tend to somewhat glue these pieces together caulking them is never advised and can cause permanent damage.

White caulk on brick or concrete looks terrible. If you have any large gaps in the concrete consider using gray urethane or siliconized acrylic concrete caulking. Your house s siding naturally expands and contracts and caulking it all together prevents this movement. If the hole in the tube is too large you will find yourself removing an excessive amount of caulk.

Most other areas were caulk is necessary should be lightly smoothed with your finger. Also avoid caulking tongue and groove siding boards together. How to use a caulk gun. You may not get cracks completely clean but the cleaner the better.

Bottom of siding boards should not be caulked. Water is meant to exit through the bottom of each board. Caulking is a year round job. In the spring you caulk the exterior to get it ready for painting.

If you ride the middle or the rough surface siding the caulking will duplicate the bumps sometimes in an exaggerated way. Ride the tip on the smooth surface when one of the surfaces you re caulking is rougher than the other try to ride the tip on the smoother surface the brick mold in this case. Caulk won t stick well to dirty surfaces. Do not caulk the underside of your siding i e caulk each piece of siding to the one beneath it.

Brick concrete and stone may seem impervious to water but caulking anywhere wood siding meets the siding is critical. You can also use caulk to repair cracks in your siding. In the summer you re caulk tubs and showers that mildewed during the winter and spring. Start with a clean crack.