The Adventures of Water and the Damage it Does

water-logged-siding

Most of us living in Colorado know that with our 4 seasons, the weather can be harsh on our homes.  During the winter seasons temperatures can reach far below freezing and then the summer heat can reach above 100.  Thats quite a difference between temps!

So, now you ask yourself, where am I going with this?  Well, all of those climate changes in our beautiful state of COLORado produce moisture.  This moisture can wreak havoc on your home and here's how.

When it rains, that rain falls on your home and around your home.  First it lands on the roof and the siding and then into the gutters, and off to the path of least resistance. When the water hits your home, you shouldn't have anything to worry about and in general, if your home is sealed well.  BUT if your home isnt sealed well then water will seep into joints and cracks that are exposed.  It gets in and behind places that you cant see from the outside.  Once it gets in it saturates into the wood surfaces that your home is built with. This siding and trim material that was used to build your home is made from MDF material, for the most part.  What is MDF?  Medium Density Fibreboard.  This material is basically wood particles compressed with glue to create a piece of what looks like wood.  Sometimes, the siding material is made with cementious fibers, which give it more durability and resistance to this water damage issue.  

Back to the MDF boards.  Once the water arrives at that material, if it isn't protected, then it will begin the rotting process.  Once the rotting process starts to happen, the MDF will, over time, rot to the point where paint will not stick to it.  Yes, this means that it needs to be replaced.  So as the adventure that the water has taken from falling from the sky, landing on your home, and then seeping into the un-protected wood on your home and rotting the wood out to the point of needing to be replaced, you've got to be asking yourself, isn't there a way to prevent this?

So glad you asked, but there's more!

Now its time to talk about the temperature and how it effects the water that has landed on your home and found its way behind the scenes.  Picture this, you have a break in your armor, water gets in, and then it freezes after it has soaked into the siding piece.  When the water freezes it expands, pushing the fibers of the wood apart.  Then once the water thaws and everything warms up, bacteria grows in there.  This bacteria decays the wood even further.  Then it all dies out, should be ok, right? Nope!  The dried out wood (MDF) is now brittle and crumbling, and when you touch it, it caves.  Can you paint it, Umm possibly, with some good primer and spackle and then good paint. Will that last? No! It will buy you some time, but eventually you will have ti replace it and seal it again properly.  The reason it wont last is because the seal with the primer and the paint wont bond to the decayed wood perfectly, leaving you with a "chink in your armor", a way for the water to come back in. 

Can this be prevented?

Yes there is a way to prevent this!  PAINT YOUR HOME!  

This is a classic example of why painting your home, the type of paint you choose and even the paint contractor you pick, is so very important.  Painting your home will come with prep work, or at least it should. Here is our process below

Our Process 

We start with a power wash to remove the debris.  Next is a complete caulk and seal method of caulking all the joints and seams on the house.  Especially around windows and doors as this is the most common area that we replace trim boards.  Once the caulking is complete, we then apply primer to areas of need and then begin the 2 coat paint process.  The 2 coats of paint is usually sprayed on the body of the house and then the trim is either rolled on or applied with a paint sprayer.  This complete process is a professional process in which to seal your home to protect against the harsh weather and damaging adventures of water.

 

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Friday, 29 March 2024

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