Q&A / 

Installing vinyl siding can be done by a determined homeowner. Paying attention to details is important when working with vinyl siding. Upgrading your exterior insulation, air infiltration and weather barriers prior to vinyl siding installation is also a consideration.

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Cleaning vinyl siding is no different than washing a car. It is that simple. The only hard part about cleaning vinyl siding is that you might need ladders or have to work around landscaping. Other than that, this is a job just about anyone can do.

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House siding, including vinyl siding, is not maintenance free. Mildew and algae can grow on vinyl siding, as well as wood siding. Try using oxygen bleach to clean your house siding instead of using a pressure washer.

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Tar paper has been time-tested as a weather barrier. Normally used on roofs, tar paper makes a great barrier for the exterior walls of your housing, building or shed. Tar paper keeps the wood beneath it dry.

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Wood stains or stains on wood finishes are unsightly. A stain can be caused by mildew, natural extractive wood preservatives, and even cement and mortar. Follow these recipes for mildew remover and extractive wood stains...but avoid splattering redwood with the lime from cement or mortar! These wood stains are impossible to eliminate.

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Brown Stains on Side of House TIPS Below Brown Stains on House TIPS: Cedar has natural preservative chemicals that dissolve in water Stains originate just above metal z-flashing Weather conditions before stain appeared are critical Carpenters installed z-flashing wrong Cedar was not painted on back and edges CLICK HERE to subscribe to Tim's FREE newsletter […]

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DEAR TIM: How can I match the stucco finish on my eighty-year-old front porch? I tried using white Portland cement and buff sand, but as you can see in my photo, the results are atrocious. I added some dry cement pigment to try to get a match and it just didn’t work. I noticed the […]

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Faith James has a nice home in Dallas, Texas. But now there are some ugly dark stains coming down from the roof onto her stucco. Here's what she sent me: "Hi, Tim, After snow and rain I noticed black streaks down the front of my stucco home, coming from either the roof or the gutters. Please […]

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Jim Carter, no relation to me, lives about an hour's drive north of Sacramento, CA. He thinks he wants to replace the wood siding on his house because it looks bad. But he's worried about the cost and his tight budget. Here's his story: "Hi Tim, When we moved into our house, it needed the […]

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