A siding year in Lakeland
In Lakeland, siding doesn't face freezing winters. It faces a long, wet, hot summer, insects that eat wood, and sprinklers that run most of the year. The calendar below follows Central Florida's two real seasons, the drier cool months and the rainy hot ones, and sets out what to check in each.
Dry season: November to April
This is the time for repairs and painting, when humidity is lower and rain is less frequent.
- Walk around the house and photograph each wall, so you have a record before storm season.
- Look for soft spots, swollen boards or paint that has bubbled. Moisture trapped behind the siding usually shows up there.
- Re-caulk joints around windows, doors, trim and the line where siding meets stucco or block.
- Paint or stain wood and fiber cement within the temperature and humidity range on the label.
- Replace damaged pieces before the rains start.
Termite checks
A University of Florida study published in February 2026 found that the invasive Formosan subterranean termite is now established in most of Florida's coastal counties and major urban centers, and that it and the Asian subterranean termite are still spreading.
- Look for mud tubes on the foundation, at the bottom of the siding and on wood trim.
- Keep mulch, soil and firewood away from the siding.
- If you see swarming insects or discarded wings indoors near windows, call a termite company before you call a siding contractor.
Rainy season: May to October
- Check shaded walls for mildew and clean them with a soft brush, a garden hose and a cleaner suited to the siding.
- Don't use a pressure washer; it can drive water behind the laps.
- Keep gutters clear so summer downpours don't sheet down the walls.
- Trim shrubs and trees back so the walls dry between storms.
Sprinklers and hard water
Lakeland's C. Wayne Combee Water Treatment Plant, built in 2005, draws on six Floridan aquifer wells. The city's analyses show the Combee plant's raw well water at about 218 mg/L of hardness and its finished water at about 108 mg/L. Water that hard leaves spots when it dries on a wall. Adjust sprinkler heads so they don't spray the siding, and check them again after any lawn work.
Hurricane season: June to November
- Before a storm, secure loose trim and move anything that could blow into the walls.
- After a storm, walk the house and photograph any damage before cleanup or repairs.
- If you file a claim and run into a dispute, Florida's Division of Consumer Services, in the Department of Financial Services, advocates for policyholders free of charge through its Insurance Consumer Helpline, 1-877-693-5236, and offers a free, non-binding mediation program for residential property insurance claim disputes.
Before hiring
Ask any siding contractor for their Florida license number and look it up with DBPR. Get the scope in writing, including what happens if they find rot or termite damage behind the old siding.
Keep a record
Keep the photos, termite reports, product names, paint colors and receipts together. The next contractor, the insurance adjuster or a buyer will want to know what's been done.