Expert Advice
Maxwell: Window caulking takes patience
August 13, 2010
Steve Maxwell
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Q: Who should I hire to replace the exterior caulking around the windows of my 11-year-old house? Is a window installer the professional I need? Being a senior, I’m not crazy about working high up on a ladder myself, but I do want a neat, long-lasting job.
A: Window caulking replacement is one of those vitally important home maintenance jobs that few professionals want to tackle. The reason is that it takes so much time and patience to do good work. I’d seek the services of a detail-oriented home handy person (be sure to check references), then get very specific about how to do the job, beginning with the most important part — removal of the old caulking.
I don’t know of a better product to make this happen than Remov ( www.removcanada.com; 1-877-807-3668). It’s a clear, low-odour liquid that breaks the bond between all kinds of caulking and surrounding surfaces. Remov doesn’t dissolve the caulking, but it does help it to peel off. Squirt some on, let it sit for 10 minutes, work the area with a putty knife, then squirt on more and repeat until the area’s caulk-free.
Let the area dry for a couple of days, then get ready to apply new caulking. After trying many different formulations, I now only use polyurethane caulking. It’s flexible, paintable and extremely long lasting. Regardless of which caulking you choose, run strips of masking tape along each side of the joint, about ¼-inch away from the centre. It doesn’t matter if the surrounding surface is brick, stone, siding or wood. Masking tape keeps things neat. Dispense caulking into the open joint area between the pieces of tape, smear it with a gloved finger, and then immediately peel off the tape. You’ll be left with a very neat caulking job that will last many decades.
Q: Will pressure washing the cedar planking on the outside of our cottage shorten its life expectancy? I’d like to restore the appearance of new wood, and I’m hoping that a clear water seal product will do the job.
A: The short answer to your question is “it depends.” Cedar is a very soft wood, and it’s certainly easy to frazzle and gouge the surface with too much pressure from a pressure washer. Then there’s also the issue of driving water between and behind boards, causing mould and mildew problems. All this said, I still recommend pressure washing of cedar siding, you just need to be careful. Keep the tip of the washing wand 30 to 45 centimetres away from the wood, and direct the spray at an angle that minimizes the chance of water penetration. If there’s an old finish to remove, brush a deck stripping liquid onto the wood before washing.
Even with very gentle pressure washing, it’s possible that the wood surface will be left a little fuzzy after it dries. Don’t worry. It’s very quick work to remove the fuzz with a hand-held random orbit sander and an 80-grit abrasive. As fast as you can move the sander across the wood, the fuzz comes off.
Clear water repellent sealers do help preserve the look of new cedar, but only if they’re applied annually. Even with this treatment, the surface will darken over time from exposure to sunlight, so you may want to apply a deck brightener liquid every few years. It’s like a bleach for wood. Brush it on, then wash it off, leaving the wood at least as bright as new.
Steve Maxwell is Canada’s award-winning home improvement expert, technical editor of Canadian Home Workshop magazine and co-author of The Complete Root Cellar Book. Sign up for his free homeowner newsletter and pose your home renovation questions at www.stevemaxwell.ca. Steve will do his best to answer all queries, but letter volume sometimes prevents individual response.