Caulking House 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.

Caulking house siding.

Think of a wood home as a living thing. Caulking on the exterior siding joints at the corner board if done carefully does not need to be smoothed with a finger. The hole should be about 3 16 of an inch for most caulking joints. In the old days the builder would install the trim bring the siding up to it and caulk the corner.

It needs to move and breathe. On most new homes the trim goes up after the siding is installed which creates a large gap that should not be caulked. Trim boards that sit on top the siding. John burbidge author of the book watching paint dry shows how to properly caulk windows doors and cornerboards on the exterior of a house prior to pain.

Use around sinks tubs and showers. Paintable silicone caulk can be used around the outside of window units to properly seal the window and the siding edge or around the entire door unit. In my opinion caulking between the seams in any lapped siding either horizontal or vertical is not good practice but not just because of any potential vapor barrier effect. The siding expands and contracts with temperature and humidity.