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PaintHome RepairExterior
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Gap sealing and painting of replaced weatherboards

Rob
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago

Hi there,

I have a couple of questions about gap sealing and touching up the paint on some recently replaced and painted weatherboards.
Earlier this year I posted about my weatherboards being in a pretty bad condition - see here After taking all advice on board and obtaining a few quotes for different cladding replacement/repair options, I opted to have the damaged boards replaced with new timber boards and then have the house repainted. All up around half of the original boards needed replacing. The stops were also replaced.
I'm fairly happy with how the final job looks from afar, however on closer inspection I have noticed some areas which I'm concerned may lead to future weather damage.

***I'm having issues with uploading images to Houzz so have posted the images on Imgur*** - https://imgur.com/a/RSgtQbK


My main areas of concern are:

  • Does the gap between the weatherboard stops and the brickwork need to be filled with something like Selleys No More Gaps Exterior and Weatherboard? Will rain get in here potentially leading to water damage in my walls if this is not filled?
  • There is no gap sealing where the boards butt up to the window frames, leaving the unpainted ends of the boards potentially exposed. I questioned the painter about this at the time and he said it was normal to not seal around the windows to allow for air circulation. Will this not lead to the ends of the boards slowly being damaged by moisture, even though they are partially protected by being behind the window frames?
  • The painter did not paint behind the downpipes and so the only coating these parts of the boards have is the transport primer. Would it be best for me to remove the downpipes and paint this section of the boards? Are the boards at risk of weather damage if this is not painted?
  • The paint job was carried out about 4-5 months ago and I now notice some of the boards have moved/dropped slightly. I assume this is due to the normal movement of the house and settling of the new boards? I also assume it would be wise for me to paint these exposed sections?

Many thanks for reading and I will appreciate any and all advice.

Thanks

Comments (3)

  • oklouise
    4 years ago

    pending some expert advice my choice would be to paint every part of the raw timber with several coats of paint including removing the downpipes and painting all unpainted edges and gap filling anywhere water can penetrate but check with Selleys or similar products' customer service to identify the best product for the specific application as you will need something extra flexible

    Rob thanked oklouise
  • PRO
    User
    4 years ago

    Hi Rob

    As you've correctly identified, the water proofing of the work is directly related to it's longevity.

    • Re the gap in the brickwork and the stop, it would depend on what is behind the stop end ie was there any flashing. If there is (and there should be) then the stop is simply providing a neat way to finish off the boards up against an uneven surface and applying a coloured caulk will highlight the uneven nature, so no unless there is a waterproofing issue I would leave it.
    • The window is more of a design issue. You cannot eliminate gaps in this type of finish and it should have had a small stop end/trim all around the frame to clean it up and provide a neat finish for the boards to butt up against.
    • We paint the walls before the downpipes go on so yes, I would take them off and get it touched up.
    • There shouldn't be a huge amount of movement unless there is expansion and contraction of the structure itself or the boards were green (high moisture content). The photo's don't show enough extent to really comment.


    Rob thanked User
  • Rob
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    Thank you kindly for your detailed response, your feedback is much appreciated.

    • Re the gap between brickwork and stop, I'm somewhat sure there will be flashing behind this so will leave as is as suggested.
    • Re the window frames, it's unfortunate that both when the house was built, and again when I had a builder recently replace many of the boards, that a stop was not installed. I suppose my best bet is to just ensure as much of the exposed timber as possible is painted.
    • Will remove and paint behind the downpipes as suggested.
    • Thankfully there are not too many boards that are showing this slight unpainted line between boards. It may also be that the painter used gap seal between every board, which I know is not recommended by many painters. I suppose I'll sand, clean and repaint these small sections.

    Once again, thank you for taking the time to look at the photos and provide your feedback.

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