Read More. Introduction Caulking and weatherstripping your windows and doors is a perfect example of a task that serves a dual purpose of both maintenance and energy conservation. Step by step An annual inspection should be completed of all areas. Now work on identifying what caulk needs to be replaced. Look for cracks and splits. Also use your fingers to feel if the caulk is pliable or hard and brittle. Take care not to damage good caulk while inspecting it.
If it is in good shape, leave well enough alone! Remove the Old Caulk Start by removing the old caulk if it damaged. This is best accomplished with a putty knife or utility knife. Always be careful when cutting with a utility knife and make sure that cutting strokes are made away from you. Use your wire brush to clean out small remnants of old caulk and finish up with a handheld brush and rag to thoroughly clean the area.
Make sure it is dry before applying new caulk. Apply New Caulk Be sure to use a good quality caulks. We recommend clear silicone based exterior caulk for most applications. Silicone based caulk expands and contracts better than acrylic based caulks, leading to longer life and durability. A good quality exterior caulk is suggested in the materials section.
Note: Exterior and interior caulks are designed differently. Exterior also tends to have a strong smell due to off-gassing so only use exterior caulk outside and interior caulk inside.
Load up the caulk tube in your caulk gun. Cut the tip at an angle, starting with a small whole and only increasing it if needed. Less is more! Some prefer to push the gun away from them while others pull it toward them. While there are special tools for this, few are better than your own finger.
Run your finger down the seam to press and smooth the caulk. Remember what we said about less is more? Wipe any excess on a rag. Repeat for all Window Exteriors Check and correct all your windows and doors from the outside. Start by closing all the windows, doors, and fireplace flues tightly and turning on your kitchen and bath exhaust fans.
This will cause the home to draw a slight negative pressure in relation to the exterior and draw outside air in through any leaks. Now use a lit incense stick to pass slowly around the perimeter of all windows, doors, and exterior penetrations.
These areas might include pipes, electrical wires, air conditioning lines, or dryer ducts. For example, if caulking a vertical seam, start at the top and as you progress downward, bend your elbows—or knees—to caulk lower while maintaining your wrist position. Bending your wrists would alter the angle of the caulking gun, changing the appearance of the bead. Rather, caulk from one end to the middle of the seam and stop. Then, start at the other end and caulk to meet the first bead.
This will allow you to maintain a steady hand position, which will result in a uniform bead. Siding is often textured, and if you slide the tip of the tube along the bumpy texture, the bead of caulk will also be bumpy.
The best way to smooth the bead is to start about six inches from the bottom and smooth that small section first. Then, move up another six inches and smooth that section next, pulling downward toward the section you just smoothed.
Amateurs often try to smooth the entire bead at one time, which causes excess caulk to build up and overflow on the sides of the seam. Smoothing just a small section at a time will give you a professional look and prevent a mess of excess caulk on the sides of the seam.
It takes caulk a couple of hours to start drying, so you should have ample time to smooth in this manner. Then, run the bead of caulk and smooth it off as described above. If applied to large gaps, caulk can sag out of the gap and create an unattractive mess.
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