My garage was built quite a while ago, and the belly boards need some fixing. They are either seeping moisture into the garage or leaking from cracks. I'm wondering if people think I should replace the boards entirely or try to seal them up with more material over them?
Here are some shots for reference:
This side of the house the board is below the sidewalk a bit. The boards closer to the door (in the pictures above) have started to bulge, there are large gaps at the tongue and groove where they fit together. I sprayed some foam in the visible gaps to stop rats from getting in and prevent any leaks (the yellow foam can be seen in the shot, it's sort of faint). There is moisture seeping into the garage still though, when it rains hard, some new plywood siding I put up inside the garage is starting to look moist down towards the floor.
The other side of the house is worse I think. No visible gaps, but the boards are super worn. I recently cleared out a ton of brush on this side, there were two large butterfly bush trees wedged between the garage and fence that I took out. I think these boards are also seeping moisture into the garage (might start leaking more now that I took the trees out).
Should I for sure go to the trouble to replace the boards? Seems like it might be doable to seal them up with more material, and that the job would be easier.
Update 4/28/2020
I ended up purchasing some white aluminum siding and slid it up under the siding as recommended by Ed Beal, also sprayed a bleach solution as recommended by JACK beforehand. Thanks for the recommendations guys!
Best Answer
Seeping moisture or leaking from cracks, either one is not good. Yes, sealing and or patching will be much easier but it's something you'd have to do every year as the problem gets worse. If those boards have been exposed to moisture over the years, they are probably starting to rot from the insides.
Give them a good pressure cleaning and check them out more thoroughly. If they appear to be in good condition, I'd think about covering them with one of the many roofing membranes that are out there. If they show signs of rotting, then starting to replace them will be your best bet.