Caulking repairs on exterior of your home!

The caulking joints on the exterior of your home are fairly important to keep up on,they do a few

important things. They fill the joint and corners of trim to keep the appearance looking nice and smooth

And they provide a seal to keep water from getting behind your siding or windows.

Water intrusion is not good and can lead to rot and mold around windows, doors and trim.

Here are some questions that I frequently get asked about when it comes to caulking joints on your home

What to look for

Take a walk around your home every once in awhile and pay attention to the caulking joints around windows, doors and siding.

Look for caulking joints that have cracked or separated from the trim.

What to do if you find.

First off it is best to cut the failed caulking out with a knife or razor so you have a clean joint to start with. Then using a good exterior caulking fill the joint to even then use a wet rag or finger to press caulking into joint and to smooth the outside of it.

Give caulking time to dry a day or so; then come back and paint over joint so it blends in.

Here are a few tips before starting

#1 Buy good Exterior caulking to start with, the Urethane's are better caulking than the Acrylics for the most part as they have better adhesion and flexibility, although they are a little harder to apply because they are sticky. Also be sure you get a "Paintable Caulking" a lot of the silicone's you can not paint over.

#2. Use a good caulking gun and cut the tip of the caulking tube at an angle that is smallest opening that will work, most people cut end off to large and is hard to get a nice clean job that way. Practice a little on a piece of cardboard or something before hand until you feel comfortable.

#3 Have a damp rag handy when you start. You want to put enough caulking into gap to fill, but you want it to look nice when you are done. Take your time when smoothing it out so it looks nice and clean.

#4 If joint is over 1/4 inch wide you are better off using a small piece of backer rod to press into hole before caulking to help joint from cracking out again.

#5 Give it time to cure before you paint over it, look on back of tube for information on this.

Follow these tips, go slow and your job repairs will look great !

Good Luck

As always if anything we can do to help please let us know ##CHS Painting

CHS Painting

Office. 503-543-4875

e-mail. info@chspainting.com

www.chspainting.com

#Scappooose Painting contractors