Caulking Old Wood Siding

Carefully use a pry bar to remove the siding.

Caulking old wood siding.

Remove the old siding. It is generally not a good idea to use caulking on wood siding. Sometimes the old caulk in the siding joint is cracked and you need to cut the old caulk out with a razor knife. When it comes to things like old windows traditional glazing putty is a much better choice.

The siding expands and contracts with temperature and humidity. Painting and repairing old wood siding step by step. Elastomeric polyurethane latex or silicone. If the siding joint is so tight that the caulk only bridges the gap it may split again.

Score the calk on the edges as the ends split easily. Siding windows and doors. Apply an epoxy consolidant to soft wood and coat the rest with. Trim boards that sit on top the siding.

Pull out loose nails and renail using stainless steel siding nails. Removing all the silicone is difficult to accomplish as there is almost always some residue and when you remove it from wood it inevitably grips onto the wood fibers and pulls them with it resulting in a mutilated work piece that requires lots of repair. Caulk by its adhesive nature will try to limit this movement leading to widespread failure and cracking in the caulk over time. It needs to move and breathe.

Most of the caulk on store shelves is basically one of four types. As homeowners with this kind of siding know wood naturally expands and contracts with fluctuations in temperature and precipitation. Think of a wood home as a living thing. Fill any dents and holes with either a wood or epoxy filler.

When you try to restrict either it is at your peril. In the old days the builder would install the trim bring the siding up to it and caulk the corner. The selection in the caulk aisle at home centers is mind boggling but actually choosing the right one is pretty simple. These siding joints can be caulked successfully if the gap is wide enough for the caulk to get into the crack.

Placing caulk over large portions of wood siding prohibits the natural movement of the wooden panels and can cause extensive damage to the exterior. On most new homes the trim goes up after the siding is installed which creates a large gap that should not be caulked. Here are the step by step procedures as discussed in our painting and stripping old wood siding overview page. Be sure to remove any caulk where the siding overlaps as old houses need to breathe.