Caulk The Siding Behind The J

Caulking your home s siding is a simple process but not necessarily a foolproof one.

Caulk the siding behind the j.

Inspect the area above the leak including both indoors and out. Siding caulk can be used on several different areas of your exterior siding to help prevent water damage and moisture buildup. Trim boards wood windows. Check to be sure weep holes are open along bottom of window openings.

And you generally don t have to caulk between the back of the j channel and the side of the window. And many homeowners over caulk applying caulk where it doesn t belong and potentially compromising the performance of their siding. Caulk is by necessity a sticky gooey substance and as such it smudges easily. We only caulk butt joints on cedar siding if previously caulked.

Caulking windows to give them a finished look inside and out and seal out leaks and drafts is a fairly common diy task. Some manufacturers do not require the metal flashing therefore we caulk the butt joint to keep the pieces together and also prevent moisture. But if done incorrectly it can lend a sloppy amateurish look. Sent from my iphone using tapatalk 07 14 2014 08 15 pm.

Fiber cement boards are caulked only when there is no metal flashing behind them. I know it looks like there s a big gap there but that s pretty typical. Many vinyl siding installers do not realize the importance of the house wrap and its job as the sole water barrier because many people incorrectly believe that vinyl siding keeps the water out. Leaking behind the siding down the house wrap till the water finds a nail and nail hole and then into the house.

If they need if it needed to be caulked they would have done that. Some of the most commonly caulked areas of siding include both corners and crevices as well as some butt joints and window and door trim boards. Caulking can be placed behind the j channel during installation sealing the seam between the j channel and the house wrap also sealing the seam between the j channel and the window itself.