Homes in Colorado get a lot of wear and tear over the course of a year because of the extreme weather here. This means if you have siding of any sort, especially wood siding, you need to know how to maintain it to keep your Breckenridge home looking beautiful.  Below we outlined some of the key components to maintaining your wood siding to protect it from the sometimes brutal seasons in Colorado.

Wood Siding Maintenance Tips

  1. Use a Top of the-Line Wood Sealer: Your wood siding will naturally expand and contract with seasonal changes. This makes the wood and paint chip, bend and crack. It is important, therefore, to use the right wood sealer and a quality one at that.  Be sure to seal at least once a year, and when choosing wood siding, get something rot-resistant like cypress or cedar.
  2. Clean Your Wood Siding Regularly: Every type of siding needs to be cleaned regularly, including wood. Cleaning wood is simple–just warm, soapy water and a soft brush. Do the cleaning in sections, and be sure to work top to bottom, so you don’t end up with drips marks or stains. This is a good time to apply a fungus-killing cleaning product too.
  3. Replace Missing Wood Pieces: Damage to wood siding is pretty common since it is a natural element. If you notice pieces missing, you may be able to replace it yourself with leftover wood siding pieces.  However, it’s probably better to have a professional come and repair the area.  They will be able to make it blend better, and they can inspect the underlying area for more extensive damage.
  4. Power Wash Sparingly–or Not at All: Wood siding doesn’t love water for obvious reasons–it rots the material. Too powerful of a wash will gouge the wood, warp the boards and could even strip paint or know the siding off completely.  Should you choose to power wash your siding yourself, don’t aim the pressure washer nozzle up at the siding because it will get deep under the siding. Instead, spray away from the surface in a sweeping motion.  This is also something better left to a professional siding contractor. 

For more information on wood siding maintenance for your Breckenridge’s wood-sided home, contact us today!