We have a small house built in 1933, the plaster is now coming away from the walls and the wiring is inadequate, on top of that the exterior (insulbrick) is in poor condition. We have begun to strip the Lathe and plaster from the walls, and plan to rewire, strip the insulbrick to a existing layer of cedar siding (beneath the insulbrick), paint the cedar, insulate the walls, and put up gyprock. The house is in Southern Ontario, Canada.

My questions are pretty simple… What products would you suggest (brand names please) to fill the nailholes and mend cracks in the siding (I don’t believe you can buy comparable siding anymore). Whatever you suggest should be able to handle temperature extremes (30 celcius in the summer, -20 celcius in the winter), be sandable, and a product suitable for exterior use.

Secondly, is it proper to put tyvek in each studbay?? There is existing tarpaper there now, but it is torn, thin, and in some places has been saturated with water through the years. How would you apply the tyvek if you would use it? Staple to the siding and studs, use an adhesive and attach it to the studs?? Other ideas??

Thanks for your ideas,

JAG