How to Caulk Windows Properly
Energy conservation is one among the main requirements of today’s world as our natural and energy resources are decreasing with the passage of time. As a result, the energy prices are on the rise all across the globe. The amount of energy saved today is a guarantee of a safe tomorrow. Therefore, it is really essential to keep a check on your house in order to ensure that heating or cooling budget isn’t being wasted. By detecting the air escapes around the windows of your house, you can keep in the treasured heat or cooling – keeping all the ever-increasing energy bills at bay.
Things you will need to caulk windows:
– Caulk tube
– Caulk gun
– Scissor or knife cutter
– Sandpaper
– Foam insulation
– Spoon
– Wet cloth or an ice cream stick
Instructions
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1
Load the caulk gun
Take a caulk tube and cut off its tip at an angle, using a sharp scissor or knife cutter. Now fit it into the caulk gun.
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2
Clean the area to be caulked
Use sandpaper to remove the dirt and paint chips from the areas of windows to be caulked. Press the trigger or handle in order to start the caulk flowing and release it when you want to stop the flow. Practice it few times in order to get used to it, if you haven’t handled a caulk gun before.
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3
Apply caulk to joints
Hold the caulk gun steady and seal all the exterior joints between the trim pieces of the specific windows.
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4
Apply caulk to siding
Apply the caulk to the joints between the sidings of the windows to cover the air spaces.
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5
Apply caulk to framings
Gently direct the caulk into the gaps of the framings all around the external side of windows to close them thoroughly.
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6
Fill deep gaps with foam
If the air gaps around the window are wider or deeper than half inch, then you cannot fill them with caulk. Therefore, cover the gaps with a foam insulation first and then finish then joins with caulk.
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7
Caulk inside
Pour some caulk into the gaps and cracks all around the joints, sidings and framings inside of the windows.
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8
Smooth the applied caulk
The moment you apply caulk to various gaps around the window, slightly wet your finger with water and smooth the applied bead of caulk to give it clean finishing touch and to press it down into the gaps.
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9
Clean the extra caulk
Clean the extra line or spots of caulk with wet cloth or an ice cream stick.
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10
Let the caulk dry
Leave the applied caulk for few hours or a whole day until the caulk dry completely.
