# Repairing exterior wall plugs after insulation.



## Brinybay (Nov 22, 2013)

We recently had blow-in insulation installed in our walls from the exterior.  They drilled 2-inch holes and after blowing in the insulation, plugged them with wooden plugs and plastered them over.  I understood that it's my responsibility to sand the plugs and repaint them.

My question is the best way to do this.  How much sanding is needed, and what  type of sandpaper should I use?  Some of the siding planks looked like they were cracked in the process, should those be replaced, or are they ok?  The house is double-sided, so there's another layer of siding underneath.  Also, the plaster in one of the plugs is still soft to the touch after almost a week, should that be a concern?


----------



## inspectorD (Nov 22, 2013)

My opinion, 
Those pieces of siding should have been removed, and then the holes drilled through the sheathing boards underneath. This is not, the usual install.
What you need to do now, is to slide a piece of metal flashing under the holes in the siding from underneath, then you can put some filler in to seal the holes, or cut those plugs down to a thinner size.Those plugs they put in work, but only when they are installed in the holes under the siding.
Hope this makes sense, 
Sorry you got a sub par job,Good luck


----------



## Brinybay (Nov 23, 2013)

inspectorD said:


> My opinion,
> Those pieces of siding should have been removed, and then the holes drilled through the sheathing boards underneath. This is not, the usual install.
> What you need to do now, is to slide a piece of metal flashing under the holes in the siding from underneath, then you can put some filler in to seal the holes, or cut those plugs down to a thinner size.Those plugs they put in work, but only when they are installed in the holes under the siding.
> Hope this makes sense,
> Sorry you got a sub par job,Good luck



Hmm, quotes from 2 insulation companies (both of otherwise good reput) indicated they were going to drill through both layers of siding.  I made it clear there were 2 layers, the original siding and the current siding that was installed over it (long before we owned the house).

I'm not much of a handyman, so I'm wondering how difficult it is to do the fix you mentioned.  I would rather hire somebody who knows what they're doing and have it done right rather than risk screwing it up and getting frustrated.  We had our bathroom remodeled just last August, I could ask the contractor to come give me a bid on fixing this.


----------



## inspectorD (Nov 23, 2013)

Just because they say they are reputable...doesn't fix your future wet insulation you paid good money for. 
A good idea would be to contact a real contractor that does siding repairs like the ones I suggested. 
I just see so many installs done wrong to start...it's hard to keep up somedays.


----------



## Brinybay (Nov 24, 2013)

inspectorD said:


> Just because they say they are reputable...doesn't fix your future wet insulation you paid good money for.
> A good idea would be to contact a real contractor that does siding repairs like the ones I suggested.
> I just see so many installs done wrong to start...it's hard to keep up somedays.



They had good grades on Angie's List, so now I question that source.  I've found a contractor who does siding, I'll run it by him.


----------



## oldognewtrick (Nov 24, 2013)

I'm in the roofing business and it's surprising, some of the local contractors that get good reviews from Angie's list and even the better business bureau are the ones who have troublemaker paying their bills at the supply house and have a multitude of problems with workmanship issues. I always suggest to customers to check references with installations and also call the supply house where they get material and see how they pay their bills. 

Just my :2cents:


----------



## Drywallinfo (Nov 24, 2013)

I would use a random orbit sander, like the one made by Makita - see pic at http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/4138wheT0pL._SX425_.jpg 
I had a bunch of repairs on hardboard siding when I had to retrofit in some old with new. I used a sandable water-based exterior wood filler as well to fill in any grooves or cracks and sanded level with this type of sander. Then I primed with an oil based exterior primer and painted with exterior latex. Looks like you will have to do a bunch more filling to get this surface level - better get an extra large container of wood filler.


----------



## nealtw (Nov 24, 2013)

Siding hardly ever stops all the water from getting in, the house wrap or tar paper are there as a secondery water stop and in this case with another siding behind there was three items to stop the water. Now that he has drilled thru all layers of protection, any water getting in this area will have no trouble finding it's way into the structure. As was mentioned this peice of siding should just be replaced and it should have been removed in the first place.


----------



## Brinybay (Nov 25, 2013)

Drywallinfo said:


> I would use a random orbit sander, like the one made by Makita - see pic at http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/4138wheT0pL._SX425_.jpg
> I had a bunch of repairs on hardboard siding when I had to retrofit in some old with new. I used a sandable water-based exterior wood filler as well to fill in any grooves or cracks and sanded level with this type of sander. Then I primed with an oil based exterior primer and painted with exterior latex. Looks like you will have to do a bunch more filling to get this surface level - better get an extra large container of wood filler.



The boards that are cracked like the one in the picture I may just have replaced, there's only a couple of them that are like that.  Maybe Santa will bring me an orbit sander.


----------



## bud16415 (Nov 25, 2013)

I agree with what Drywallinfo suggests and I bought a (mouse sander) a couple years ago and really love it for this kind of work also. It&#8217;s more aggressive than I thought it would be. You might want to check them out also on your Xmas list. The nose lets you work in corners pretty well. 

Both types are nice tools and maybe one of each this year with the money you will save doing it DIY. 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/10779765?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=3


----------



## Brinybay (Nov 25, 2013)

nealtw said:


> Siding hardly ever stops all the water from getting in, the house wrap or tar paper are there as a secondery water stop and in this case with another siding behind there was three items to stop the water. Now that he has drilled thru all layers of protection, any water getting in this area will have no trouble finding it's way into the structure. As was mentioned this peice of siding should just be replaced and it should have been removed in the first place.



Ok, that helps.  I did a walk-around this morning, there are more than just a couple of them that look like that.


----------



## nealtw (Nov 25, 2013)

In you photo the plug is just below a joint in the board above, so you know water will get in there. It appears that they drilled in the middle of the stud bay, I would have thought the holes would be at the top near the next floor or ceiling.


----------



## Brinybay (Nov 26, 2013)

nealtw said:


> In you photo the plug is just below a joint in the board above, so you know water will get in there. It appears that they drilled in the middle of the stud bay, I would have thought the holes would be at the top near the next floor or ceiling.



I wondered about that too.  I think it had something to do with a cold air return being at that spot inside the house.  First thing the lead guy asked was where the cold air returns were along the outside wall.


----------



## nealtw (Nov 26, 2013)

A better way is to just call it return air as it is still warm when it returns, he should have strongly suggested moving the return before insulation was installed.


----------



## Brinybay (Jan 7, 2014)

nealtw said:


> A better way is to just call it return air as it is still warm when it returns, he should have strongly suggested moving the return before insulation was installed.



Doesn't answer my original question, nor does it make any sense.  Do some major restructuring of duct work (with all the expense and hassle that involves), just to install some insulation?  And where would you move it?  It's not a piece of furniture that can be pushed aside.  

I've already got the info I need on sanding and repainting the plugs (but it wasn't from here).  Siding has been repaired properly.


----------



## nealtw (Jan 7, 2014)

Air, conditioned or return should never be against the outside wall and was put there because it was the best the guy could likely find and yes moving it would likely be a real pain in the ,,,
and maybe can't be done. Glad to here you have solved the problem with the siding. If you did it in a way that wasn't suggested here maybe you could educate us a little.


----------



## GBR (Jan 7, 2014)

Brinybay said:


> We recently had blow-in insulation installed in our walls from the exterior.  They drilled 2-inch holes and after blowing in the insulation, plugged them with wooden plugs and plastered them over.  I understood that it's my responsibility to sand the plugs and repaint them.
> 
> My question is the best way to do this.  How much sanding is needed, and what  type of sandpaper should I use?  Some of the siding planks looked like they were cracked in the process, should those be replaced, or are they ok?  The house is double-sided, so there's another layer of siding underneath.  Also, the plaster in one of the plugs is still soft to the touch after almost a week, should that be a concern?



They should have been back-charged for splitting the board, they require replacement. The siding should have been removed and drill through second siding, as said, no excuse. The patch appears to be caulking- impossible to sand, should have remove board. Wood cedar lap siding does not repair due to looks. (Hack job). Sandpaper will gum up and repair will always be noticeable. Replace them all, back charge them if not paid in full. It is not dry due to excessive thickness, you can even see where the drill caught and removed a wood chunk which they caulked between the two left holes. 

One hole at the top or two holes, or one at bottom (if they want to save time with ladder) is normal, under the siding; http://www.karg.com/pdf/Presentations/Dense_Pack_Cellulose_Insulation.pdf

That is- IF they dense-packed it, not with a box store blower; http://www.karg.com/pdf/Insulaton_density/Dense_packing_Allwein_and_Biddle.pdf

Sorry you got taken. Welcome to the forums, neighbor!

Gary
PS. Made #4; http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/published-articles/pa-built-wrong-from-start


----------

