Caulking Old Cedar Siding

Left unstained cedar s red hue will fade to gray within about a year.

Caulking old cedar siding.

It needs to move and breathe. Caulking windows to give them a finished look inside and out and seal out leaks and drafts is a fairly common diy task. Basic maintenance repair and painting of cedar wood siding using gardner flex n fill and behr premium plus exterior paint. If overused or incorrectly placed siding caulk can cause more damage to your exterior than good.

I m not a painter but i do install cedar siding and i always caulk all the joints. The nails holding up the siding should not be caulked. It seals the spaces thereby protecting your home from invasion by pests and keeping the moisture and cold outside. Caulk comes in two forms.

Similar to paint previous coats of. It is generally not a good idea to use caulking on wood siding. Think of a wood home as a living thing. Other technical resources can be found elsewhere on their website.

When you try to restrict either it is at your peril. Grumpy chicago gutters. The wood s structural integrity will remain unless the wood is exposed to excessive moisture which can cause curling cracking and wood rot. Recommendations for caulks are located on page 10.

When deciding how to use caulk on your siding however it is generally more important to consider where you should not use it. The western red cedar lumber association publishes a number of downloadable booklets concerning the design installation and finishing of cedar siding. If i install a non finished product i usually go with a 3m paintable caulk. If your house has siding on the exteriors caulk is a product you might want to install.

If i am installing a prefinished product which i do mostly i use a color osi match caulk. 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. But if done incorrectly it can lend a sloppy amateurish look. If you re shopping for the best caulk for cedar siding here is what to look out for.

Below is a link to their installation guide. 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.