Caulking Wood Siding Before Painting

Unfortunately it will not stick well to stained surfaces.

Caulking wood siding before painting.

Under normal circumstances you can apply caulk before priming. 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. If you are working on finished wood do not apply caulk until after you ve primed. Silicone acrylic latex solvent based elastomeric and butyl rubber to list the most common.

Cracks and holes in any surface collect water which causes paint to peel. 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. The places on the exterior of the house that need careful caulking before painting would be the fascia board joints of the overhang. These are fine for interior millwork but not the best for exterior jobs.

Hardie plank butt joints and corner trim areas should be caulked to seal up any exposed joints. The next place would be the soffits or the plywood underneath. Water is meant to exit through the bottom of each board. It is best to avoid a fast dry acrylic caulking for exteriors use.

While paint does tend to somewhat glue these pieces together caulking them is never advised and can cause permanent damage. Also any butt joints and joints at the peak of diagonal fascia boards. 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.

Choose the right caulk for the job. When you take special care with caulking siding before painting you can count on your exterior paint job lasting longer. Caulk adheres very well to clean bare wood and vinyl. Be sure to work with a reputable and professional painting company in your area to complete this project.

However if you re working on certain surfaces the caulk will not stick without a primer base coat. Bottom of siding boards should not be caulked. Particularly at the corners where they are mitered together. 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.

Caulk is a substance designed to seal a joint between two surfaces and to fill small holes.