How to repair or replace weatherboards?

[brent0n]

Hi, unsure if I should attempt repair or replacement of these weatherboards. It would appear it wasn't sealed when it was installed.

[Dave-1]

Good Evening @brent0n 

Id like to saw "Howdy" and offer a warm welcome to the Bunnings community My favorite house cladding is actually weatherboard tho I ended up with a brick house

A question first but id say repairable easily enough

Can you push a flat blade screwdriver into ant of the weatherboards?

I would remove that flashing strip to assess properly with the screwdriver. If it passes the test I would fill the cracks with an external putty, sand smooth and then repaint. I would put back the flashing and seal the edges with new silastic.

Polyfilla 450g Exterior Timber Filler 

Sika 310ml White Sikaflex Pro+ Polyurethane Sealant - 310ml White (I admit I did look up types of sealant for metal flashing to weatherboard and it suggested a polyurethane sealant ) This one comes in a variety of colours and is paintable.

Dave

[brent0n]

Thanks for the quick response Dave. The weatherboard don't appear to be soft anywhere but there are cracks I can easily fit the tip of flat screwdriver into.

[Dave-1]

Morning @brent0n 

Thats good news No rot is definently a good place to have caught the issue. The sanding the surface, using the external woodfiller and the going through the steps of paint and resealing the flashing are the next steps.

With age and being exposed to elemenents cracks do appear on timber, your timber isnt unusual, it just needs a touch of bodyshop time The blade into the crack is just showing how close you caught the issue before it expanded to something else

Dave

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @brent0n. It's terrific to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about weatherboards.

I'd agree with @Dave-1's approach. Sand the area back to a smooth sound surface, fill the cracks and sand smooth. You can then prime and add a top coat of paint. This is all best done with the flashing remove to get behind it. Once your paint has dried you can re-install the flashing. Once installed, run a bead of Sikaflex between the wall and it to prevent water getting behind the flashing. 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell