Re-caulking around your windows and doors

Caulking

If you ever feel a draft around your windows or doors you should go outside and check out the existing caulking. If there isn’t any caulking then you need to add some. If there is older caulking then you should strip the old caulking off all the way around the window or door.

When you want to re-caulk windows or door s here is a list of things you need to remember;

·         Make sure that you are not caulking in the rain, water will not allow the caulking to bond where you want it to and it will leave gaps where water and air can penetrate later.

·         Do not caulk when it is below freezing. If you do you could end up with the caulking not bonding properly leaving gaps for air and water to penetrate later.

·         Clean the window where you plan to install the caulking. The area should be free of dirt, old caulking and any old or flaking paint.

·         Do not cut the hole in the end of the tube of caulking to large. You do not want too much caulking to come out at once. You want enough to make a nice consistent bead all the way around.

·         Always caulk from the top to the bottom. You want to also keep a consistent rhythm and speed. This will help the caulking line look nice and even when you are done.

·         Make sure that the top of the window or door where it meets the outside material of the wall has a healthy bead of caulking. A lot of the time water will sit and pool on top of a door or window.

·         If there are drain holes in the window located at the bottom, do not fill these, they are there by design.

·         You should also caulk the interior of the window or door. You do this by caulking the edges of your trim. This will help stop any airflow that does happen to get around the window or through the wall on the outside.

·         Do not try to fill large holes around windows with caulking. This will not work; the caulking will dry and shrink, leaving you with holes for water and air to penetrate.

·         Always buy caulking that is made for exterior windows or doors. It should say exterior right on the outside of the caulking tube.

·         Always buy interior caulking when you are caulking trim inside of the house. Exterior caulking can off gas and smell awful giving you headaches. Interior caulking has little to no off gas and is easier to apply.

·         Always have a rag handle to wipe the end of the caulking tube if it gets dirt on it or too much comes out at once.

·         Wet your finger with your own spit and use it to smooth out any caulking that you think requires smoothing. The water on your finger will be the only reason that the caulking doesn’t stick to you.

·         Buy quality caulking. If your caulking is good quality then it will go on easier and it will last longer too.

Re-caulking can save you a lot of money in your home heating and air conditioning bills. If you have a lot of windows and doors to do, I would suggest that you hire a contractor to do it. There are caulking contactors that do just caulking around windows and doors. They will know what type of caulking you will need and will be able to get the job done in timely manner.

There is also a safety issue for a homeowner that is 20 feet up a ladder trying to caulk around a window while hanging off the ladder. It’s just better to get a contractor.

There are other things a contractor can do to stop drafts but this is the simplest one to start with on the exterior of the home. An experienced contractor should be able to tell you if just caulking will stop the drafts on the inside of your home or if you need to have them remove the trim to see if spray foam insulation needs to be added around the window.

If you want your windows and doors fixed up feel free to call us at 877-866-3202.

Robert Abbott
Operations Manager

Village Builders Inc.