Sealant or Not? (Soffit Boards)

[Barney12]

Hi All

 

I'm being indecisive (heck whats new ) and would like the views of others.

 

My Alutec facia's and soffit are now on! Hurrah!!

We have a very small overhang (by design) so the soffit is nothing more than a 40mm infill piece.

They are fitted to a OSB backer so are darn sturdy. The walls were painted and rendered before they were fitted.

So I have a small gap (2-3mm max) where the soffit panel meets the render, which is pretty much invisible from the ground.

 

So to my question. Should I apply sealant/mastic/silicone (choose your preferred word) to this joint? There isn't really an aesthetic reason to do so, in fact it might look worse (less sharp). Its separated from the render so a crack wont be visible (the joint is between the OSB and render which is hidden by the panel). I cant see that the water is ever going to get in there and rot the OSB.

 

The only thing I can think of is maybe insect infestation in the gap?

 

Hopefully these photo's show what I'm referring to:

 

 

 

[Onoff]

I'd run a bead up there. I've got all sorts of wasps, social bees etc. They get in through gaps smaller than you think.

[Dudda]

I wouldn't bother and I'm struggling to see the gap in the photos. It's a continuous sheet of OSB behind I presume so no room for any wasps or bees to make a nest IF they can even get in. In a vented cold roof the vents and grills are circa 3mm wide and you don't get wasps or bees making nests behind them.

 

I'm sure you've a million and one other jobs so I'd skip this and move onto the next.

[Barney12]

17 minutes ago, Dudda said:

I wouldn't bother and I'm struggling to see the gap in the photos. It's a continuous sheet of OSB behind I presume so no room for any wasps or bees to make a nest IF they can even get in. In a vented cold roof the vents and grills are circa 3mm wide and you don't get wasps or bees making nests behind them.

 

I'm sure you've a million and one other jobs so I'd skip this and move onto the next.

 

Thats correct there is no void. The render is over the OSB so the gap is 4mm deep which is the depth of the Alutec panel.

 

Yes, I’ll be honest. I’m trying to reduce the number of jobs as the days are ticking before the scaffold comes down  

[Declan52]

Let your house sit for 18 months and it will have shrunk and expanded all it's ever going to move. If after that there is any gaps then fill away if not one less job to worry about.

[Barney12]

6 hours ago, Declan52 said:

Let your house sit for 18 months and it will have shrunk and expanded all it's ever going to move. If after that there is any gaps then fill away if not one less job to worry about.

 

Thats a very good point.