DIY guideWindows

Renew the exterior caulking at windows, doors and trim

Cut out cracked caulk round your windows, doors and trim, clean the joint and run a new bead of exterior caulk, all from the ground.

8 steps

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Caulk needs a dry joint and mild weather to cure. The tube says which temperatures it works in.
Walk round the house and look where trim meets siding, and round each window and door, for cracks, gaps and caulk pulling away.
Work from the ground or a short step stool. Joints upstairs are a pro's job.
Run a utility knife along both edges of the old bead, then pull it out. Scrape off what's left with a putty knife.
Cut away from your hand. Older home with painted trim? Test the paint for lead before you scrape.
Brush out dust and loose bits, wipe the joint with a damp cloth, and let it dry fully.
Cut the tube's tip small and at an angle. Push the gun along the joint in one steady pass, filling the gap.
Run a wet finger or a smoothing tool along the bead to press it in. Wipe off any extra right away.
Keep rain and paint off it for the time the tube says.
The wood under the caulk is soft or rotten, water has got behind the trim, or the joint is out of reach from the ground: ask Handyman for a carpenter or a painter.

Handyman says: Soft wood? I'll find a carpenter.

Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.