Subject: will your product work on my siding problem
Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2001

My home has stucco finished concrete block 8' high, with a pressed hardboard type siding above that. The pressed material fiber looks very similar to the stuff used in place of plywood on roofs -- large pieces of pressed wood fibers. The siding is installed vertically so that the end of the siding is down. The bottom edge (about 2 to 4 inches up from the bottom) of the siding has gotten soft in some places from moisture entry at the unsealed bottom edge of the siding. In a few places, some of the siding has deteriorated to the point that small amounts of it is missing. I would like to know if your products can be used to repair the missing areas and seal the edges that are soft. There is some layer separation in the soft areas -- can these be sealed and/or filled successfully with your products?

Ken,

Yes, what you are experiencing is a pretty common problem. Basically the repair sequence goes like this: Wait until the siding is dry, and then use our CPES (Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer) to saturate the deteriorated areas. Pay particular attention to the bottom edge. The CPES will flow into all soft portions of the siding, sterilize the material and harden it. It will also waterproof the area so this problem will not recur. You must dab it on slowly and allow the material to absorb all that it will. It will take it 4-5 days to cure, and you can test it then for solidity and if it is not to your satisfaction then you can apply another coating. The second coating will use much less of the CPES.

CPES is very thin and penetrates deeply. It has some bonding activity, but if there are layer separations you may want to consider taking a little of our Layup & Laminating Resin -- after the CPES treatment has cured -- and applying it to the separating areas. You can then clamp or brace them closed and in 24 hours they will be bonded together.

Our Fill-It Epoxy Filler can be used to fill missing or vacant portions of the siding, if required. It also should be applied after the CPES treatment, and it cures hard in 24 hours. It can be sanded.

These products all bond together at the molecular level and produce a repair that is very strong and waterproof. Paint can be applied directly over them without the need for a primer.

It's kind of hard to predict exactly how much of the CPES you will need, but I would guess about a pint of mixed product for every 6-10 linear feet. The Layup & Laminating Epoxy will not require much to make the bond...it is just spread lightly on each surface before they are pushed together. And of course the Epoxy Filler is strictly an issue of sufficient volume to fill.

Lacquer thinner is a good clean-up solvent.

Hope this is helpful, and please feel free to come back with additional questions.

Doc