Caulking Cedar Siding Joints

I am in agreement with martin not to use caulking as it seems to cause more.

Caulking cedar siding joints.

The siding expands and contracts with temperature and humidity. Where two pieces of siding meet. When you try to restrict either it is at your peril. If i install a non finished product i usually go with a 3m paintable caulk.

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. Think of a wood home as a living thing. Natural siding boards are designed to expand and contract with the elements and we do not want any adhesive to prevent their natural movement. 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.

If i am installing a prefinished product which i do mostly i use a color osi match caulk. Generally we do not recommend caulking butt joints on cedar siding. Caulking on the exterior siding joints at the corner board if done carefully does not need to be smoothed with a finger. It needs to move and breathe.

I m not a painter but i do install cedar siding and i always caulk all the joints. Should they always be caulked. The answer depends on the manufacturer and installation method used when the siding was first installed. Butt joints but not all butt joints.

Caulk by its adhesive nature will try to limit this movement leading to widespread failure and cracking in the caulk over time. Siding caulk can be used on several different areas of your exterior siding to help prevent water damage and moisture buildup. All butt joints will be flashed. 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. The siding will be a combination of lap wood siding front and colorplus hardie plank the rest. The hole should be about 3 16 of an inch for most caulking joints. My question is limited to the seams in which the siding contacts vertical trim.

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.