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Crack between window sill and window frame in all windows

Crack between window sill and window frame in all windows


  #1  
Old 01-04-14, 11:44 AM
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Crack between window sill and window frame in all windows

Hello potential person with more home improvement knowledge than me!

I am trying to confirm the best way to repair cracks in my window sills around the window itself. Just about every single one of my windows has these cracks from the weather change and I was planning on gouging out the old caulk and recaulking the area. I just want to ensure that I am not going to have to keep doing this each winter. Any thoughts or advice?

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Thanks,

Matt
 
  #2  
Old 01-04-14, 01:30 PM
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The best thing you could do is caulk it and then cover the caulk with a piece of wood trim, like quarter round or door stop.

If the caulking is a big gross bead, the trim won't sit nice and square in the corner. In that case, you'd want to run the quarter round through a table saw, and cut a small 45° on the back corner so that it creates a void that will allow the trim to not rock on the blobs of caulking.
 
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Old 01-04-14, 02:05 PM
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There is a big difference between brands/lines of caulking, do you know what caulk was used? Running your HVAC year round helps too as humidity changes affect the caulking the most. Personally, I'd either remove the old caulk and recaulk using a siliconized acrylic latex caulk [or maybe a polyurethane if you can find it] or go all out and install a wood jamb/sill and casing.
 
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Old 01-04-14, 02:11 PM
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It's a vinyl window, so very few types of caulk will stick to it permanently as it expands and contracts, which is probably why it has cracked in the first place. (they shrink in the winter when its cold) I'd go with the recommendation to use a polyurethane (like OSI Quad).

It actually looks like the caulk has stuck to the window but not to the drywall. Which is why the trim is a good idea. I think you could caulk this every year and it will do the same thing.
 
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Old 01-05-14, 02:20 PM
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Thank you for the advice and feedback! I don't know what type of caulk was originally used, but I suspect it was the original caulk from the home builder because the house is only ~5 years old. I was planning on using Dap's Alex Plus latex caulk so that I can paint it on the sill (since I am no professional, my first attempt was a little sloppy and need paint touch-up to look good). However, I may experiment with using the trim on one of my windows and get some better caulking to go beneath it. All my floor trim is doing the same thing and cracking away from the walls, so I have a feeling this winter will be full of recaulking. Hopefully by spring I'll be a pro at caulking! If it just cracks again next year, and I decide to not go with the trim covering, then I may just have to learn to live with this cosmetic issue.

Thanks again,

Matt
 
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Old 01-06-14, 03:21 AM
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The better you apply the caulking, the easier and better looking the job will be .... but that takes practice/experience. Keeping a wet rag/sponge handy can help you smooth out the caulk, clean up the edges and keep your fingers cleaner

I've not had the best of luck with DAP caulking so I switched to the White Lightning brand decades ago, but there are those that swear by DAP and it's possible their caulking has improved since I used it last.
 
 

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