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If you are a fan of installing organic and natural siding on your home, look no further than wood siding. It is both versatile and eco-friendly. What makes wood siding so versatile is its availability in several designs and colors. You can also opt for vertical wood siding installation or horizontal wood installation, the choice is yours.
The most common types of wood used for siding are spruce, cedar, redwood, and pine. According to your taste, you can either use a wood stain for a more polished and enhanced look or leave it as it is (natural state).
Depending on your environment and climate, wood siding may need to be treated every 4 to 6 years (more or less). Wood siding is subject to weather more compared to vinyl siding, which is why it takes more maintenance. However, restoring it is an easy DIY project that you can complete in a weekend.
Moreover, if you have a good coating layered on your wood siding, you don’t need to worry much as it would easily withstand most elements quite well.
There is no such siding that is completely maintenance-free, even vinyl siding requires some cleaning and repairs.
Here are a few simple tips to avoid repairs that could break the bank:
Although there are a few drawbacks of wood siding, including warp, rot, and decay, the good news is that they can largely be avoided with a little bit of maintenance. This should be done in the fall months just before winter sets in.
The best way to prevent woodpeckers from pecking your wood siding is by hanging a suet feeder away from the house, for example, at the tree line. Woodpeckers peck because they are searching for wood-born insects, such as carpenter bees, termites, etc. Therefore, make sure your wood siding isn’t housing these insects. If you haven’t had your house inspected for termites in a while, now is the right time to do so.
There are a few other ways too to prevent woodpeckers from pecking your wood siding, such as providing alternate nesting sites for carpenter bees, hanging reflectors to scare the birds away, or installing nest boxes for the birds on a nearby tree.
Before fixing dry rot on your wood siding, you must understand what it actually is. Brown rot, often called “dry rot” because the surface of the wood looks dry, is a form of decay triggered by the combination of moisture and fungi. Brown-rot fungi destroy cellulose in the wood’s structure, which causes your siding to shrink, turn deep brown, and break into small cube-shaped bits.
Softwood siding that is damaged by dry rot is not salvageable, which means you should replace it as soon as possible to avoid the rot from spreading. On the other hand, if the wood siding is discolored but hasn’t got soft yet, you can try treating it. First, you will have to dry the wood by repairing leaks and/or using a dehumidifier. Once your wood siding is dry, you can easily apply a wood preservative that contains copper or borate.
However, you should still monitor your wood siding regularly even after treating it, because there is still an increased risk of rot in future.
Dry rot can be repaired to some extent, but it is not recommended if the areas that provide structural stability to your home are affected severely. In case the affected areas include beams and joints or flooring, you should replace the wood instead of repairing it.
In short, whether you replace or repair the wood, make sure to eliminate the conditions that allow the rot to thrive and coming back. Look out for the actual cause of moisture buildup by checking plumbing leaks, poor ventilation, roof leaks, or damaged gutters or downspouts. You may as well require the help of a professional to find the issue and fix it.
So, contact us today to get our professional services related to wood siding installation and wood siding repair!
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