Repairing/replacing siding?

LesterSleepsIn · « **on:** 13 Oct 2017, 11:04 pm »

Can someone advise please? I have a board of damaged siding on a house built in 1995, as below. Should I just replace the damaged board or is there a way to reinforce it to extend it's useful life for a few more years, i.e., caulk, plastic wood, other? A boatd has a slight crack and a section of the board is soft in the middle but not so soft that you can poke your finger through it, if that makes sense.

My thanks in advance,
Lester

Peter J · « **Reply #1 on:** 13 Oct 2017, 11:31 pm »

You could shmear some OSI Quad caulk and paint on it for a stop gap but you'll have to replace eventually. Lap siding is usually blind nailed and you should really use hot dipped galvanized or stainless nails places where you face nail don't look rusty like that. Excising one clap is fun because the nails holding it on are under the tail of the one above. Easiest is to pry the one being replaced up enough that you can slip a hacksaw blade in and cut the nails. You just about have to face nail the replacement as they were installed bottom to top like shingles.

The rusty nails surprise me some. Are you coastal?

ArthurDent · « **Reply #2 on:** 13 Oct 2017, 11:45 pm »

fwiw Lester, if you go to replace be advised good cedar siding is not cheap. I've used the caulk solution with pretty good success. It's cheap & easy vs swapping out boards.

LesterSleepsIn · « **Reply #3 on:** 14 Oct 2017, 04:38 pm »

Thanks Peter and Arthur, very helpful and much appreciated. Yes this house is on the NC coast. I'll definitely try the OSI Quad caulk before going the replacement route. Should I just use the caulk on the center of the board with the soft area - I guess due to an imperfection in the board and not to dry rot - or should I use some type of filler first as reinforcement. Btw, that's the only board damaged, the others seem fine.

Cheers,
Richard aka Lester

The soft section of the board below:

ArthurDent · « **Reply #4 on:** 14 Oct 2017, 04:47 pm »

Wha ?

Your not really Lester, Lester ? If memory serves Peter is a pro, so he should have the best advise on an approach. Don't remember which caulk I used, but my advisor was/is a HS school friend who's been a pro painter for 35+ years. Happy repairing.

JD

LesterSleepsIn · « **Reply #5 on:** 14 Oct 2017, 05:12 pm »

Right you are AD. I'll correct that. Thanks.

Cheers, Lester

Don_S · « **Reply #6 on:** 14 Oct 2017, 05:17 pm »

Those cracks show some black areas. Is there mold or fungus growing? I would be tempted to dig out any soft area, treat with a liquid copper compound specifically designed for wood treatment, then fill with outdoor rated spackling. I notice a lot of visible grain on the boards and rusty (exposed) nail heads. If it was my house I would put a good paint job on as preventative maintenance.

I had my T-111 siding home painted last November and my neighbors have remarked on the quality of the paint job. I have to bite my tongue to not tell them "yes, you cheap b_____d, I put extra paint on". I went for protection not just a cheap cleanup. My painter said it did not take much additional work to put on extra paint once everything was masked and covered. He said if I bought extra paint he would put it on. I did and he did. The results are obviously even to the untrained. My house is the best preserved on the block because that is the way I treated it for 30 years. It is also the reason I just moved into a brand new home. The homes around my old home were sliding in upkeep and appearance. The owner-occupants and landlords did not realize the importance of maintaining their expensive investments.

Peter J · « **Reply #7 on:** 14 Oct 2017, 11:14 pm »

Quote from: LesterSleepsIn on 14 Oct 2017, 04:38 pm

Thanks Peter and Arthur, very helpful and much appreciated. Yes this house is on the NC coast. I'll definitely try the OSI Quad caulk before going the replacement route. Should I just use the caulk on the center of the board with the soft area - I guess due to an imperfection in the board and not to dry rot - or should I use some type of filler first as reinforcement. Btw, that's the only board damaged, the others seem fine.

Cheers,
Richard aka Lester

The soft section of the board below:

Cedar can have pithy spots, it's a tree after all! Dig around with a screwdriver or chisel (crude I know, but this a kludge) and remove any really loose stuff. Hopefully that's not a whole lot of material.

You'll want gloves for the Quad...gloves you intend to dedicate to the task, but tougher that latex/nitrile surgical glove. If there's someplace you don't want caulk, that's where it seems to gravitate toward. Gun it onto void, shmear it with your gloved finger until you've got it kinda sorta filled. Then take a rag you don't care about and swipe at it with the grain. It should look like a kid did it. Walk away. Through the rag away. Don't putz around too long trying to get it perfect, it'll just get worse. That's your grain simulation...trust me. Give it a few days to cure and then paint. The rough nature of the claps make this blend in pretty well.

It's not a permanent repair but will get you through a couple years, maybe more.