Causes Of Rotting Wood Siding

Even if the roof has been properly flashed against the sidewall this one hasn t water can still run down the side of the house and behind the siding causing rot.

Causes of rotting wood siding.

If you can keep it dry you re leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of us. If your home has wood siding examine the siding around and beneath the windows for signs of swelling or discoloration. I have a serious black mold problem that has caused structural damage and i don t know where to begin. Understanding wood rot is the first step towards fighting it so take a minute to think about what causes wood to rot.

The intersection between a roof and a sidewall can be a rot problem waiting to happen. Both are recipes for disaster when it comes to wood rot. Many people delay getting new wood siding when one or two boards are rotted out because it can be hard to match new materials to the wood species and the same look of the existing siding. Paint can hide wood rot so poke the siding with the tip of the screwdriver.

However by waiting to replace the one or two rotten boards this problem can lead to more significant damage in time. Replacing wood siding is not a difficult process but it does involve different steps such as cutting off the rotten siding clearing out the old nails cutting the new siding to the required length fastening the siding and caulking it to make it watertight. Wood planks and shingles too close to the ground are more likely to swell warp or rot leaving your home with uneven looking contours. Yes the cause of rot is fungus but if you focus your energies on keeping the exterior surfaces of your house dry you ll stop it in its tracks.

It is actually fairly simple lingering moisture in wood creates an environment conducive to fungi growth which in turn causes the wood s fibers to deteriorate. If any of these steps are not done right you could cause damage to the existing. An exterior wall met a roof line and without proper flashing the water was able to leak under the vinyl siding thus rotting the material under the vinyl. Our crew removed and replaced the vinyl siding the rotted substrate material osb and rotted 2 4 framing.

Wood siding that is too close to the ground or that does not have a rain screen or some other form of protection is particularly prone to these issues. About two years ago i started noticing some small signs something was going on a small spot on a living room ceiling some black showing up on vinyl siding that looked like dirt where the. Wet shrubs directly against siding are a major cause of rot on many houses. Leaning these items up against the siding might trap water against the house and cause rot.

Causes of rotten wood.