How To Seal Around Windows Outside

The Dos and Don'ts of Caulking Windows

Get clean, polish results when you lot "run a bead" of caulk around the windows of your home.

Photo: istockphoto.com

Caulking windows—to requite them a finished expect (inside and out) and seal out leaks and drafts—is a adequately common DIY task. But if done incorrectly, it can lend a sloppy, amateurish look. Caulk is non a design chemical element; information technology should blend in with the window and be unnoticeable. "Running a bead," as the process of caulking is known, requires applying a long, narrow strip along the entire length of the seam—and it takes a caste of skill. Proceed reading to learn the techniques and so you can caulk similar a pro.

RELATED: 10 Problems You Can Solve with Caulk

Exercise cull the correct caulk.

You'll find dozens of types of caulk at your local habitation comeback shop, and each type is intended for a specific situation.

• Exterior windows: To stand up to the elements, exterior caulk should be impervious to harsh sun rays, water, and fluctuating temperatures. The tube of caulk should specify it's intended for outside surfaces; we like Sashco Big Stretch Caulk (bachelor from Amazon).
• Interior windows: Caulk used on interior windows should not emit toxic fumes, and it should hold paint well. Loftier quality, paintable latex, such as White Lightning'due south Painter's Preferred Acrylic Latex Caulk (bachelor from Amazon), is a good choice for interior windows.
• Humid rooms: Caulking windows in a room with high humidity, such every bit a bath, calls for interior caulk that's both waterproof and mold-resistant. Kwik Seal Ultra (from The Home Depot) works well in steamy situations.
• Masonry siding: When caulking seams between windows and masonry siding, including basement windows and windows on stucco or brick homes, you lot'll need an outside caulk that's compatible with both the window and the masonry surface. General Electrical Max Flex Acrylic Urethane Caulk (available from Amazon) is a solid option for these types of uses.

DON'T caulk over old caulk.

If the existing caulk has hardened and is pulling away, running a bead over it is sure to be an exercise in futility. The erstwhile caulk will keep to pull away, taking the new caulk off with it—and before that happens you'll be faced with a thick, messy caulk line that detracts from the look of the window. Scrape off the old caulk with a steel putty knife, such as HYDE's one-1/ii" Flexible Stainless Putty Knife (available from Amazon).

Do utilize a caulking gun with a thumb release.

Inexpensive caulking guns come with a ratchet-style handle that must be twisted loose to release the pressure on the caulk in the tube. With this type of gun, caulk volition go along oozing out until you loosen the handle with your hand, resulting in excess caulk on the window. A better option is a caulking gun with a thumb release you tin press to instantly release the force per unit area on the caulk and so it stops flowing when you're done running a bead. We like Newborn's Superior E-Z Thrust Smooth Rod Caulking Gun (available from Amazon) for its convenient thumb release.

Photograph: Grand Taylor

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DON'T cutting as well much off the end of the caulk tube tip.

The plastic tip on a caulk tube narrows to a signal, and the more yous cutting off, the larger the bead of caulk will be. Some tubes come with measured cutting lines on the tip, allowing y'all to select the one that almost closely matches the width of the seam; others are unmarked. The all-time practise is to cutting off merely the terminate of the tip, so squeeze out some caulk to see the size of the bead. You lot tin ever cut off more, but if you cut off too much at kickoff, your bead will be too thick for the seam.

Photo: istockphoto.com

DO use both hands to run a bead.

It takes ii easily to control a caulking gun. Utilize your dominant hand to concur the gun and pull the trigger, and support the butt of the gun near the tip with your other hand. Also be sure to continue your wrists straight, moving your elbows and body when running a bead. For example, if caulking a vertical seam, start at the top and every bit you progress downward, bend your elbows—or knees—to caulk lower while maintaining your wrist position. Bending your wrists would modify the angle of the caulking gun, changing the appearance of the dewdrop.

DON'T run a continuous bead from the top to the bottom or from 1 side to the other.

By the fourth dimension yous reach the end of the dewdrop, you lot'll have to modify your grip on the caulk gun, which will bear on the uniformity of the bead. Rather, caulk from one stop to the middle of the seam and terminate. And so, kickoff at the other end and caulk to meet the outset bead. This will allow you to maintain a steady hand position, which volition result in a uniform dewdrop.

Do ride the smooth border when caulking a seam between a window and textured siding.

Siding is frequently textured, and if y'all slide the tip of the tube along the bumpy texture, the bead of caulk will also be bumpy. The solution is to allow the tip of the tube to slide, or "ride" as the pros say, only forth the smooth window border. Go on the tip from riding the textured siding as you're running the bead. The caulk will withal seal the seam and you'll take a amend-looking bead.

Photo: K Taylor

DON'T smooth the bead of caulk all the fashion from 1 finish to the other.

Later on running the bead, you'll want to shine it, either with a wet finger or caulk applicator, such HYDE's Caulk-Rite Pro Awarding Tool (available from Amazon). The best way to smoothen the bead is to start most 6 inches from the bottom and smooth that small section first. Then, move up another 6 inches and smoothen that section next, pulling downward toward the section you just smoothed. Amateurs often try to smooth the unabridged dewdrop at one time, which causes backlog caulk to build upwardly and overflow on the sides of the seam. Smoothing just a small department at a time will give you a professional look and preclude 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 polish in this manner.

Practise tape off your seams if you lot can't run a smoothen dewdrop.

If your hands are shaky or you just tin can't seem to move the caulking gun smoothly plenty to run a uniform bead, you lot can notwithstanding obtain good results by taping off the seam with painter'southward tape. Simply attach strips of painter's tape forth both edges of the seam, approximately 1/viii" away from the seam itself. So, run the bead of caulk and smooth it off equally described above. Equally soon every bit yous've smooth the bead, carefully pull off the painter's tape and you'll accept a perfect ane/4" caulk line.

DON'T use caulk as a filler for poorly trimmed-out windows.

Caulk is intended for use on relatively narrow seams, typically one/four" wide or tighter. If applied to large gaps, caulk can sag out of the gap and create an unattractive mess. If you accept gaps wider than 1/four″, the all-time practice is to fill up them offset with a cream backer rod, such every bit this C.R. Laurence Airtight Cell Capitalist Rod (available from Amazon) and so run your bead of caulk.

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Source: https://www.bobvila.com/articles/caulking-windows/

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