Caulking Cement Siding

The last one was quad.

Caulking cement siding.

When james hardie siding products butt into wood based materials a 1 8 gap will allow for expansion and contraction of the wood based product. The best exterior caulk for roofing construction and repairs since it can withstand extreme temperatures and creates a strong insulating and water tight seal. The following information is adapted expanded a bit from certainteed corporations installation instructions for the company s fiber cement siding products as this is the most comprehensive guide we could find for caulking clearance instructions when installing fiber cement siding. Good for gutters siding and concrete.

Metal flashing or any metal to wood joint should not be caulked another water exit pathway that should never be sealed. Siding nails should not be caulked another item that needs room to play is siding boards themselves. Dap alex plus 12 pack 10 1 oz white paintable latex caulk. Well i ve got cement board siding and occasionally a crack appears.

Item 157140 model 11532. Many professionals like those at james hardie also agree that you should not use caulk on fiber cement siding unless there is no metal flashing underneath. Once painted it looks almost identical to wood. Flashing acts as a waterproofing layer for this type of siding and caulking will prevent the flashing from doing its job.

Cleanup can be difficult if you get this caulk on clothing gloves shoes or skin. Also avoid caulking tongue and groove siding boards together. And it just kind of swells and shrinks with the weather and it shows after you paint it. Caulking around windows doors eaves and trim edges gives added insurance that leaks will not occur.

And i m wondering i ve tried a couple different caulks. The nails holding up the siding should not be caulked. Fiberglass cement siding is a composite made of portland cement silica and wood fiber.