Should the nail heads on newly installed clapboards be countersunk and puttied before staining?

will this just require more maintenance down the road?Should the nail heads on newly installed clapboards be countersunk and puttied before staining?
We're talking about clapboard siding on the exterior of the house, correct? And, I would imagine that it is wood siding. 1] you don't use finish nails to put on wood siding. You use siding nails, which have a small, but adequate head. 2] You don't countersink them. The siding is thin enough that you would most likely split the siding if you tried.


If you are ';blind nailing'; the siding (covering up the nails from the course below with the course above), you won't see the nails. If you are face nailing, you should simply stain or paint the heads of the nails, or cover them with a dab of color match caulking.Should the nail heads on newly installed clapboards be countersunk and puttied before staining?
Counter sink the heads about 1sixtenth in., and putty with a good grade of wood putty, let dry for a day, and then cover with stain. Will look much better than shinny nail heads.


Of corse your useing finishing nails,right.
Absolutely, countersink the nail heads, putty the holes, %26amp; stain them.


That's a key step in finish woodwork. In fact if anything, it'll reduce future maintenance as the nailheads grip the wood, %26amp; the putty also acts as a bonding agent.


Hope this helped, good luck!!