Caulking Lap Siding

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.

Caulking lap siding.

The nails holding up the siding should not be caulked. And many homeowners over caulk applying caulk where it doesn t belong and potentially compromising the performance of their siding. Caulking around windows doors eaves and trim edges gives added insurance that leaks will not occur. It is generally not a good idea to use caulking on wood siding.

Is the old caulking removed before new coats are applied. If overused or incorrectly placed siding caulk can cause more damage to your exterior than good. When deciding how to use caulk on your siding however it is generally more important to consider where you should not use it. 25 4 mm on overlap no caulk figure 1.

Caulk is by necessity a sticky gooey substance and as such it smudges easily. When you try to restrict either it is at your peril. 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. James hardie also does not recommend applying caulk to the horizontal overlap between siding planks see figure 2.

It needs to move and breathe. The siding expands and contracts with temperature and humidity. In this instructional video we demonstrate how to use proper caulk techniques on lp smartside products pre finished with diamond kote which recommends dap. Caulking your home s siding is a simple process but not necessarily a foolproof one.

Similar to paint previous coats of. Joint flashing butt joint horizontal lap treatment june 2014 james hardie does not recommend caulking butt joints or the horizontal overlaps joint flashing 6 in. Think of a wood home as a living thing. 152 4 mm wide 1 in.