We're trying to replace 25 year old light fixtures on our home.

Whoever installed the first set of exterior light fixtures gunked caulking around the fixtures to keep water out. It looked terrible, and we'd like to do better.

Someone at a local home improvement store told us about "blocks" that can be installed and then the light fixture is mounted to that.

Are these supposed to be mounted UNDER the vinyl? We tried mounting one and there is still quite a gap between the lighting fixture and the house that would require something to keep the moisture out.

We are open to any and all suggestions of better ways that look nice AND protect the house from moisture.

Thank you in advance.

 

The blocks ultimately cover the outside. Post a picture of what you have there.
How-to-insert-pictures.

 

Is this what you need to see of it?

 

You would remove that light and clean off the caulking. Remove 2 rows of siding... the one above and around your existing fixture. (Use a Malco Sideswiper to unlock and rehook the siding) Then install something like this.

https://www.supplyhouse.com/Arlingto...IaAvbgEALw_wcB

It has an electrical box that you will run your Romex through, and it comes with a NM cable connector. The flange gets nailed to the house and then you can seal it to your WRB with window flashing tape. You then reinstall your siding, cutting it to fit around the box, leaving approximately 3/8" for expansion and contraction. Then you snap on the mounting plate. It has cutout marks on it for the type of fixture you will be using. Yours will be 4" round, so cut on those marks, the snap it on. Then mount your fixture to that large flat mounting plate.

 

We've read your post and thank you for your answer. We trust your expertise. What we don't trust is ourselves! We have four of these to do, and they are on the front of our house. We're concerned that we might damage the 24 year old siding as we're removing the siding or cutting it to fit.


My husband found this today and wanted to know if you thought it would work.

https://www.eslsupply.com/arlington-...ll-description


I think I can paint it to match pretty closely to the siding, and my husband thinks he can take the electrical box out and replace it with this.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Thanks in advance.

 

It will work as long as it matches the profile of your siding. They are a bit uglier since you still usually want to caulk the perimeter of the block. They can also cause the siding to buckle if the siding happens to get pinned in two places. But they would likely be easier.

 

" It will work as long as it matches the profile of your siding."
Do you mean how far the siding sticks out from the house? Is there anything we could ask the company before we buy it that would help us determine this?

"They are a bit uglier since you still usually want to caulk the perimeter of the block."
Understood, but it was so hideously gunked on before that a nice bead of caulk will be better than what we had.

"They can also cause the siding to buckle if the siding happens to get pinned in two places. "
What do you mean by this?

Thanks so much for your quick reply and all of your help.

 

How far it sticks out (1/2") and how far it is between each lap. (4")

http://www.aimedia.co/media/line-drawings/8141DBL.pdf

Vinyl siding is supposed to be free to expand and contract. It slides back and forth when the roofing nails that it's hanging from are in the center of each slot in the nailing fin. (You have no way of knowing how your siding was nailed unless you unzip it). But this type of mount will pin the siding at the electrical box, since it gets screwed back tight. If there happens to be anything else pinning that same piece of siding to the wall (either a roofing nail that is not in the center of a slot, or another fastener that has been driven through the siding- such as a downspout screw, or similar) the siding will not be able to expand and contract freely, which can make it ripple or buckle if it needs to expand. Vinyl moves considerably depending on if it's cold or hot... in direct sunlight or not. What I'm saying is that with this type of mount, that may or may not be a problem... you have no way of knowing.

 

Okay, thank you for your help and explanation.