Caulk and wood siding

[PGG]

I've noticed light and drafts coming in my basement between the threshold between the foundation and the walls. On a whim I bought this caulk-like product that expands. I did the bottom edge of my wood siding (the edge between the bottom piece and the foundation).

However now I'm flipping through the notes I took while doing the home inspection, and I have written down "never caulk cracks in the wood siding".

Anybody know what he is talking about?

Was caulking between the bottom wood siding piece and the foundation bad?

[Joseph Meehan]

Maybe. Some people would disagree with the advice about not caulking cracks in wood siding. I would at least word it more carefully and I suggest not calking the overlap crack.

No matter what some moisture is going to find it's way behind the siding. You want a way for that moisture to escape and that is the crack where the horizontal rows of siding meet. This includes the last row.

Now the crack between the sill plate (the 2x4 sitting on the foundation) and the foundation should be sealed. I would generally suggest doing this as the house is built with a material made for the use, or if that was not done, with a product like you used from the inside, not the outside.

[PGG]

When you say "overlap crack", I guess you mean the horizontal overlap of every piece of siding and not just the bottom piece? I don't see an overlap crack in the rest of the siding as I move from the bottom to top of the house. It is all painted together.

Some of the last row is sufficiently separated that I did in fact seal between the 2x4 and the foundation. But in other parts, the last row of the wood siding piece was adjacent and I sealed between that. I think I'll take a screwdriver and remove the caulk from those areas.

What can I say. I messed up. It isn't that big of deal, right??

Thank you Joseph

[Joseph Meehan]

Well I would not worry about not seeing any, but I sure would not make a special effort to seal any.

I think I would make an effort to add some weep holes, but again I would not get too upset. Someone else who may have more experience or who may live in a area with different weather may have something to say however.

[Art]

How old of house? If it was painted with only latex paint, the siding will breath and you can caulk the bottom. You should certainly caulk from the inside of the basement any gap between the treated lumber plate and concrete wall.

[PGG]

50 years old. I'm trying to remove the caulk.

[Art]

I would still caught from inside the basment any gaps between the foundation wall and the sill plate.