Caulking Vinyl Siding
I need to re-caulk the trim and vertical siding joint of our house as it's cracked and I believe rodents are entering the attic as a result.
I know I shouldn't caulk the bottom of the siding where it overlays the foundation or siding lap joints.
However, I'm wondering if I can and should caulk where the siding meets the soffit on an angle (in red).
There is what appears to be dirt on the siding from air leakage. It is also noticably cold in the room on the other side of the exterior wall.
Appreciate any input on the situation.
Edit: upon further inspection the siding is aluminum. It has a styrofoam backing so didn't have the same sound/feel as previous siding Ive had.
Posted Feb 15, 2022, 11:33 PM UTC · edited
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If that is vinyl siding you have no J-channel around the window or where it meets the brick work, and that install is fucked. And it certainly appears to be vinyl siding.
You don't caulk the F-channel where soffit resides against the house
They did a very crappy job that’s for sure. If it’s vinyl I would not calk it it can contract and expand up to an inch over 12 feet
There's no way an inch oover 12' is correct. A full wall would be expanding like 6" and be pulling out of the j channel.
1/2" over 12' 6" is what the VSI states. This is covered over longer lengths since you need to overlap your joints by at least 1".
Looks like aluminum which would explain the lack of channels.
Good point, I'm not at all familiar with aluminum siding. Never see it here.
It looks similar to my old aluminum siding minus the wood grain. I can tell because the aluminum is a much taller plank than vinyl.
You can get vinyl planks in many sizes, double and single.