By john white General Information • Tips and Tricks • • 0 Comments

Caulk, Caulk, Caulk!

That seems to be the theme for the week! Caulking

I had a store in Jeff City need it’s windows caulked … they noticed that the black stuff on the wall was growing and …hay! The floor is wet!

I repaired a shorting front door light switch that had mold growing out from under the wall plate by a 1/2″ … because the gutter just outside and above the window was not caulked properly and allowing water to pour down the wall and into the un-caulked cracks of the window… into the wall… into the electric box!

I had a person with water coming into the house… repeatedly making the carpet wet and …what’s that smell???? MOLD perhaps! Why Yes! So let’s caulk that window right outside … the one with the large gaps.

I repaired leaking gutters… seems the seams between two sections were not sealed well….I think the theme here is check around your doors and windows… every year in the fall and make sure that your sealed. No cracks, gaps in the caulk between the window and the wall, everything tight.

Don’t wait to do this until you have ruined carpet, mold growing, or wood rot! This should be part of your yearly maintenance regime on the house.

If you do need to caulk then: caulking impaired
1. I’d recommend pulling off the old stuff… so the new will stick well. (putting new caulk on top of old caulk gets the adhesion of the old caulk)
2. Use the right product for the job. There is a gutter seam seal for example. A good clear silicone will adhere very well to colored metal window and brick. A good latex caulk will work well when you have wood on wood.
3. Make sure everything is dry, clean, and the temp is over 50 degrees.
4. Remember that latex cleans up with water, silicone with paint thinner.
5. One smooth swipe with the tube, then smooth the bead in with your finger.
6. You can use a piece of blue tape to cover the tube tip, it will keep the tube fresh for a couple of weeks.

7. For the caulking impaired follow the steps in the picture…it’s not how I’d do it, but great for those DIY people with limited skills.