Caulking Siding Before Painting

If you are painting new surfaces prime first then caulk.

Caulking siding before painting.

Be sure to work with a reputable and professional painting company in your area to complete this project. Acrylic and silicone are the types of caulk you re most likely to use on windows siding and outdoor trim because they are waterproof and flexible. Cracks and holes in any surface collect water which causes paint to peel. 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.

Caulking them is a mistake and the caulking is likely to fail prematurely. However if you re working on certain surfaces the caulk will not stick without a primer base coat. Caulking first under normal circumstances you can apply caulk before priming. With caulk on the paint you ll have to remove the caulk only and replace it with a new one when necessary.

Caulk has to cure before it becomes waterproof. Unfortunately it will not stick well to stained surfaces. With the benefits there are some drawbacks of this method as well. The places on the exterior of the house that need careful caulking before painting would be the fascia board joints of the overhang.

Bottom of siding boards should not be caulked water is meant to exit through the bottom of each board. Latex caulk is great for indoor projects it expands easily with temperature change can be painted comes in colors and easily cleans up with water. The next place would be the soffits or the plywood underneath. The tiny hole lets out just enough caulk to fill typical small to medium size cracks.

Particularly at the corners where they are mitered together. 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. While paint does tend to somewhat glue these pieces together caulking them is never advised and can cause permanent damage. Because you ve to remove paint first before the caulk.

So it is good to do the painting first and then caulking to ease future maintenance works. When you re filling small cracks to prepare for painting cut the tip carefully to keep the hole tiny about 1 16 in. The time to caulk is after you have cleaned and repaired any damage to the walls and millwork. Hardie plank butt joints and corner trim areas should be caulked to seal up any exposed joints.

Caulk is a substance designed to seal a joint between two surfaces and to fill small holes. Caulk adheres very well to clean bare wood and vinyl. 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.