Caulking Wood Siding Before Painting

The next place would be the soffits or the plywood underneath.

Caulking wood siding before painting.

Unfortunately it will not stick well to stained surfaces. Caulk adheres very well to clean bare wood and vinyl. The places on the exterior of the house that need careful caulking before painting would be the fascia board joints of the overhang. However if you re working on certain surfaces the caulk will not stick without a primer base coat.

Also avoid caulking tongue and groove siding boards together. When you re filling small cracks to prepare for painting cut the tip carefully to keep the hole tiny about 1 16 in. Particularly at the corners where they are mitered together. These are fine for interior millwork but not the best for exterior jobs.

Choose the right caulk for the job. It is best to avoid a fast dry acrylic caulking for exteriors use. The tiny hole lets out just enough caulk to fill typical small to medium size cracks. Under normal circumstances you can apply caulk before priming.

Cracks and holes in any surface collect water which causes paint to peel. Hardie plank butt joints and corner trim areas should be caulked to seal up any exposed joints. When you take special care with caulking siding before painting you can count on your exterior paint job lasting longer. Be sure to work with a reputable and professional painting company in your area to complete this project.

Bottom of siding boards should not be caulked. Caulking tips the time to caulk is after you have cleaned and repaired any damage to the walls and millwork. Silicone acrylic latex solvent based elastomeric and butyl rubber to list the most common. If you are painting new surfaces prime first then caulk.

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. Filling cracks and holes with caulk in your home s trim and siding before painting not only makes the paint job look better but also makes the paint last longer. A common mistake is to cut off too much of the caulk tube tip leaving a hole that s way too big for most interior caulking work. Water is meant to exit through the bottom of each board.

If you are working on finished wood do not apply caulk until after you ve primed.