Should You Caulk Next To Vinyl Siding
Once the caulk is fully cured which could be several days depending on the type trim it even with the siding with a razor blade.
Should you caulk next to vinyl siding. Siding nails should not be caulked another item that needs room to play is siding boards themselves. A diyer or a novice painter might attempt to achieve a cleaner look by caulking the siding nails but the nail is guaranteed to push the caulking material out within a few months. It is not advisable to paint vinyl siding because the paint doesn t adhere well so you may opt for a caulk that has the same color as the siding. Flashing acts as a waterproofing layer for this type of siding and caulking will prevent the flashing from doing its job.
The nails holding up the siding should not be caulked. On the bottom of all siding you will see weep holes there to allow moisture to escape. Hopefully whatever is behind the siding has sufficient water repellency to shed water. Water will find its way behind either by blowing winds or just moisture build up.
Whether you are repainting replacing a window or replacing the siding on your house the caulking around the window trim is a very important element to get right especially with lap siding. To avoid making holes use vinyl siding clips instead of fasteners to hang. Roger ness and sandy leroy of. You have the most color choices with latex or siliconized acrylic caulk both of which are easy to apply and clean up.
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.