The Bottom Of Exterior Wood Siding Should Be

Think of a wood home as a living thing.

The bottom of exterior wood siding should be.

When it is higher from the ground splashing water onto the wood is minimized. Both types are applied from the bottom of a structure to the top with each new layer overlapping the one below it. It needs to move and breathe. 1 32 inch are used to connect the brick to the house framing or the brick may be connected to a concrete or block wall with cement mortar.

If the screwdriver sinks into the wood you ve got a wood rot problem. If your exterior siding has sustained damage you can patch it with filler but it has to be the right kind of filler. Bottom of siding boards should not be caulked water is meant to exit through the bottom of each board. Any product intended for.

The siding expands and contracts with temperature and humidity. 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. Ideally you d want at least 6 inches of slab exposed between the bottom of the siding and the start of the soil.

The top side view is the wrong way to build. There should be a clearance of approximately inch between the fastener head and the vinyl siding panel. Six inches would not be too far. This is a very common form of siding made from solid pieces of wood that may be installed vertically horizontally diagonally or in any combination.

While paint does tend to somewhat glue these pieces together caulking them is never advised and can cause permanent damage. The bottom side view shows the proper exterior wall on slab placement. Most other areas were caulk is necessary should be lightly smoothed with your finger. The further the better.

Wood siding should be 4 or so from the ground whether that be soil or solid surface. Paint can hide wood rot so poke the siding with the tip of the screwdriver the wood should be firm and hard. This is what you see happening in the family handyman magazine cover. 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 layering of siding panels acts as a natural waterproofing that will allow precipitation to fall off naturally so caulking would stop the normal movement and function of your panels. Solid wood or lumber. Correct way to apply wood filler to exterior siding.