Caulking bottom of frieze board.

[rmc3inspection]

What is everyone's opinion of caulking the bottom of the frieze trim board where it overlaps a brick exterior wall? Or any exterior sided wall?

Thanks,
Reese

[Barry Adair]

Originally Posted by rmc3inspection

What is everyone's opinion of caulking the bottom of the frieze trim board where it overlaps a brick exterior wall? Or any exterior sided wall?

Thanks,
Reese

It's required as an EIFS/stucco industry standard and is required to be noted in an EIFS/Moisture Warranty report for the absence or presence of, type and condition of material http://www.eima.com/pdfs/EIMA%20CGuide%20final.pdf

and by many other siding manufactures.

I'll pass on the brick application unless it is manufacture specified, which I have not seen.

[Roy D. Cooke, Sr]

Originally Posted by rmc3inspection

What is everyone's opinion of caulking the bottom of the frieze trim board where it overlaps a brick exterior wall? Or any exterior sided wall?

Thanks,
Reese

I see no advantage to Caulking there and think uncaulked a small amount of air can go behind and tend to keep it dry if any condension arrives there.
..... Cookie

[Carl A. Brown]

And by caulking the bottom it can some times trap water in the wall!

Causeing more damage then the good they think it is doing! Imo

Kinda like tucking your rain coat into you pants.

[Emmanuel J. Scanlan]

A common practice to prevent pest intrusion. If decorative techniques are used at the top row of bricks, i.e. "Soldier Brick" pattern, The frieze board might not lay flat and can provide a gap for larger pests to enter, i.e. grasshoppers, crickets, large (non-wood boring) bees/wasps. If there is good attic ventilation, and proper spacing of brick from sheathing, then moisture problems should not occur. However, all frieze boards should be sample probed for rot, moisture, etc., problems. If these exist then you might want to mention the sealing of that space.

I also use caulked frieze boards to help determine if foundation movement, uplift, etc., may have occurred. They are good markers for where the frieze board may originally have been positioned before other problems occurred.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Good point, and in a situation such as this;



caulking could be added before the soffit material and finish trim is installed to prevent that.
JMO

Marcel

[rmc3inspection]

Marcel,
What are you referring to when you say "prevent that"?
Thanks,
Reese

[rmc3inspection]

Carl,
How would caulking the bottom of the frieze trap moisture? Wouldn't the moisture evaporate and/or vent out throught the top of the wall and out of the roof/attic ventilation system? And collected moisture would run down (with gravity) and out of the weep holes of the wall system.
Thanks for the discussion.
Reese

[Roy D. Cooke, Sr]

Originally Posted by rmc3inspection

Carl,
How would caulking the bottom of the frieze trap moisture? Wouldn't the moisture evaporate and/or vent out throught the top of the wall and out of the roof/attic ventilation system? And collected moisture would run down (with gravity) and out of the weep holes of the wall system.
Thanks for the discussion.
Reese

You need air in to get air out just like soffit vents to help roof vents.
How does the moisture get through the brick to drain out the weepers.
Weepers also usually allow air in to take the moisture out the top.
They also allow the balancing of pressure to help stop wind driven rain from penetrating into the wall cavity.
If I am wrong I am sure Carl will straighten us out ,but I think I am correct.
I find many times the owner has caulked the weep holes defeating what they are there for .

.....Cookie

[Carl A. Brown]

Well put Roy!

Just like a wooden column they need vents top and bottom or they will rot from the inside out!

Things are just built to tight and alot of it comes from sealants in the wrong places. Most often done by painters.

[Roy D. Cooke, Sr]

Originally Posted by cbrown1

Well put Roy!

Just like a wooden column they need vents top and bottom or they will rot from the inside out!

Things are just built to tight and alot of it comes from sealants in the wrong places. Most often done by painters.

Wooden Columns great reminder so often they get caulked at the bottom . Thanks....... Cookie

[Carl A. Brown]

Imo no matter how much this one is vented it is rotting away! One can never be sure of what the brick layers did or didn't do!

http://www.badstucco.com/bricks/bricks.html

[Marcel R. Cyr]

What I was indicateing earlier was the fact of installing a freize board on brick creates a lot of voids behind it due to some sloppy masonry work and could allow bugs, hornets, and what not, access to the attic.





The common procedure then would be to caulk the rough framing above it that might be anchored to that brick if the brick goes up that high. Then the trim freize board could be surface applied and not have to worry about the bugs in the attic.



I was basically agreeing in part with Emmanual Scanlan.

Depending on the construction of the soffit and trim detail at hand, it is conceivable that Builders could rough frame the soffit and a horizontal 2x
nailed to the underside in line with the brick facade and terminate the brick to the underside of that to provide a nailer to face nail the freize trim board to that which would eliminate haveing to anchor the board to the brick.
In this case no caulking would be nessecary at all.
Hopefully the trim has been well backprimed and will be able to breath as most are saying.

Hope this helps.

Marcel

[Peter C. Russell]

Cualk and paint make a carpenter what he ain't!!!

[jlybolt]

OK. I went to meeting that was given my a brick representative/ manufacturer and this specific question came up. Here is what the manufacturer said, the bottom of the frieze board should not be caulked. Air should be able to escape / ventilate here. He said unfortunately many homes are done incorrectly and its just become a standard regardless. He also mentioned the lack of flashing at brick ledges was another common error finding. I will try to find more on this tommorrow and will post.

For now try this website
http://www.bia.org/BIA/technotes/tindex.htm