Help with My House Siding: What's Going On and What Should I Do?
Asked by CuriousHouseHunter42
I recently got some siding on my new house, and I think it might be MDF, but I'm not entirely sure. It seems to be bowing, warping, and even crumbling in some spots. I've posted a couple of pictures to give a better idea of the situation. I bought this place at an auction for a good price, but I'm wondering if I can leave the siding as is for now or if I need to replace it right away since I plan to gut a lot of the interior soon.
Answers
It looks like your siding is some kind of faux cedar shake, probably made of cement board. The damage at the bottom of those shakes shouldn't be too big of a problem since there's still siding underneath. Just be careful about any water getting in through the exposed nails; consider brushing off any loose bits and sealing those nails with a paintable silicone until you figure out your next steps. Just keep an eye on it!
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Looks like it's Masonite, which was a popular material back in the '80s. It can start failing badly over time. If you're in a milder climate, I'd recommend switching to Hardy siding. But if you deal with extreme freeze-thaw cycles, go for LP instead as it holds up better in those conditions.
SidingSavvy: LP? What's that exactly?
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CuriousHouseHunter42: So just the nails you want me to cover with silicone? Should I pull out any loose nails and reattach them?