Patching holes in Western Red Cedar Siding

[fredfighter]

I'll be repainting my Mom's house soon, probably with Sherwin Williams Duration. However first there are some holes that need to be patched.

Birds (I think they are mostly grossbeaks) have pecking/ chewing holes in the siding and stuffing grubs inside. Watching them closely, I am quite sure they are not woodpeckers and are not feeding on bugs that are already there. They are using the siding for a larder.

They are pecking the holes along the bottom edges of the shiplapped Western Red Cedar Siding. The biggest holes are big enough to stick your thumb in.

What is a good material to use to patch those holes? I'm thinking bondo might do the trick.

[RicodJour]

The wood will expand and contract with changes in humidity, the Bondo won't. Wood also moves with changes in temperature differently than Bondo (not as much of a factor as the humidity). On the bright side, it's easy enough to use and sets up quickly. Any spackling in a hole that big would take a long time to dry to the point where you could paint it.

R

[Mike]

2 years agoI used water putty . I mixed it with a little bit of primer and painted it the next day its still there. Concrete patching mix has been used for a looooong time

[fredfighter]

I'm surprised because cement retains moisture and commonly promotes rot in wood in contact with it. It would sure blunt their beaks though.

[Mike]

I tell ya the first time I heard it from a guy that sells siding I thaught he was bull shittin me. But Then another Contractor said the same thing. paint keeps the cement dry