How To Remove Caulk From Outside Windows

The Dos and Don'ts of Caulking Windows

Get make clean, shine results when you lot "run a dewdrop" of caulk around the windows of your home.

Photograph: istockphoto.com

Caulking windows—to give them a finished look (within and out) and seal out leaks and drafts—is a adequately common DIY task. But if done incorrectly, it can lend a sloppy, non-expert look. Caulk is not a blueprint 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 degree of skill. Go along reading to learn the techniques so you can caulk like a pro.

RELATED: 10 Issues You Can Solve with Caulk

DO choose the correct caulk.

You'll discover dozens of types of caulk at your local home 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 sunday rays, water, and fluctuating temperatures. The tube of caulk should specify it's intended for exterior surfaces; nosotros like Sashco Big Stretch Caulk (available from Amazon).
• Interior windows: Caulk used on interior windows should not emit toxic fumes, and information technology should concur pigment well. High quality, paintable latex, such every bit White Lightning'south Painter's Preferred Acrylic Latex Caulk (available from Amazon), is a skillful option for interior windows.
• Humid rooms: Caulking windows in a room with loftier humidity, such as a bathroom, 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 betwixt windows and masonry siding, including basement windows and windows on stucco or brick homes, you'll need an exterior caulk that's compatible with both the window and the masonry surface. General Electric 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 dewdrop over it is sure to be an exercise in futility. The erstwhile caulk will go along to pull away, taking the new caulk off with it—and before that happens you'll exist faced with a thick, messy caulk line that detracts from the look of the window. Scrape off the quondam caulk with a steel putty pocketknife, such as HYDE's i-i/2" Flexible Stainless Putty Knife (bachelor from Amazon).

Practise use a caulking gun with a thumb release.

Cheap caulking guns come with a ratchet-mode handle that must be twisted loose to release the pressure on the caulk in the tube. With this type of gun, caulk will continue oozing out until you loosen the handle with your hand, resulting in excess caulk on the window. A better selection is a caulking gun with a thumb release yous can printing to instantly release the pressure on the caulk so it stops flowing when y'all're done running a bead. We like Newborn's Superior East-Z Thrust Shine Rod Caulking Gun (bachelor from Amazon) for its user-friendly thumb release.

Photo: Chiliad Taylor

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DON'T cut too much off the end of the caulk tube tip.

The plastic tip on a caulk tube narrows to a point, and the more you cut off, the larger the bead of caulk will be. Some tubes come up with measured cut lines on the tip, allowing yous to select the one that most closely matches the width of the seam; others are unmarked. The best practice is to cut off just the terminate of the tip, and then clasp out some caulk to see the size of the bead. You can always cutting off more, but if yous cut off also much at outset, your bead will be as well thick for the seam.

Photo: istockphoto.com

Practise apply both hands to run a bead.

Information technology takes two hands to control a caulking gun. Use your dominant paw to concord the gun and pull the trigger, and back up the barrel of the gun nigh the tip with your other hand. As well be sure to keep your wrists straight, moving your elbows and body when running a bead. For example, if caulking a vertical seam, kickoff at the peak and equally yous progress downwards, curve your elbows—or knees—to caulk lower while maintaining your wrist position. Bending your wrists would alter the angle of the caulking gun, irresolute the appearance of the bead.

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

Past the time you reach the end of the bead, you'll accept to alter your grip on the caulk gun, which will affect the uniformity of the bead. Rather, caulk from one end to the middle of the seam and stop. And then, start at the other terminate and caulk to meet the outset bead. This will allow you to maintain a steady hand position, which will consequence in a uniform bead.

DO ride the smoothen edge when caulking a seam between a window and textured siding.

Siding is often textured, and if yous 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 along the smooth window border. Go along the tip from riding the textured siding as you're running the bead. The caulk volition still seal the seam and you'll have a better-looking dewdrop.

Photo: 1000 Taylor

DON'T smooth the bead of caulk all the way from one terminate to the other.

Later on running the dewdrop, you'll want to smoothen it, either with a moisture finger or caulk applicator, such HYDE's Caulk-Rite Pro Awarding Tool (available from Amazon). The all-time way to smooth the bead is to start about six inches from the bottom and smooth that small section commencement. Then, move upwards another six inches and shine that section adjacent, pulling downward toward the department you just smoothed. Amateurs often try to smooth the unabridged dewdrop at one time, which causes excess caulk to build upwardly and overflow on the sides of the seam. Smoothing just a minor section at a fourth dimension will give you a professional wait and prevent a mess of excess caulk on the sides of the seam. It takes caulk a couple of hours to first drying, so you lot should have ample fourth dimension to smooth in this style.

Exercise tape off your seams if y'all tin can't run a smooth bead.

If your hands are shaky or you lot just can't seem to move the caulking gun smoothly enough to run a compatible dewdrop, you tin can still obtain good results by taping off the seam with painter's record. Only attach strips of painter'due south record along both edges of the seam, approximately ane/8" away from the seam itself. Then, run the dewdrop of caulk and smoothen it off every bit described to a higher place. Every bit soon every bit yous've smooth the bead, carefully pull off the painter's tape and you'll have a perfect one/4" caulk line.

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

Caulk is intended for utilize on relatively narrow seams, typically ane/four" wide or tighter. If applied to large gaps, caulk tin sag out of the gap and create an unattractive mess. If you have gaps wider than ane/4″, the best do is to fill them first with a foam backer rod, such equally this C.R. Laurence Closed Jail cell Backer Rod (bachelor from Amazon) and and then run your bead of caulk.

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

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