Caulking Cedar Siding Joints

Think of a wood home as a living thing.

Caulking cedar siding joints.

Where two pieces of siding meet. Natural siding boards are designed to expand and contract with the elements and we do not want any adhesive to prevent their natural movement. A lot of moisture from rain snow misdirected sprinklers or exuberant water fights can get in there enough to do some serious and expensive damage. My question is limited to the seams in which the siding contacts vertical trim.

If i install a non finished product i usually go with a 3m paintable caulk. I m about to put up siding on a building enclosure that includes a wrb taped xps and furring strips. Siding caulk can be used on several different areas of your exterior siding to help prevent water damage and moisture buildup. The answer depends on the manufacturer and installation method used when the siding was first installed.

Caulk by its adhesive nature will try to limit this movement leading to widespread failure and cracking in the caulk over time. The hole should be about 3 16 of an inch for most caulking joints. I am in agreement with martin not to use caulking as it seems to cause more. All butt joints will be flashed.

If you re in the market for the best exterior caulk for cedar siding you will appreciate what the red devil 077010 has to offer. Caulking on the exterior siding joints at the corner board if done carefully does not need to be smoothed with a finger. 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. It dries in just an hour and serves for up to 35 years.

The siding expands and contracts with temperature and humidity. Should they always be caulked. If i am installing a prefinished product which i do mostly i use a color osi match caulk. It needs to move and breathe.

I m not a painter but i do install cedar siding and i always caulk all the joints. When you try to restrict either it is at your peril. Butt joints but not all butt joints. This is a high performance formula that comes in a 10 1 oz bottle.

Butt joints are a perfect example of poor joint design they re too small to accommodate a bond breaker so the caulk can t stretch properly once applied but they re also too large to simply leave alone.