Exterior Caulking
Caulking compound helps keep air, moisture, and insects out of your house and costly heated and cooled air in-side. But caulking eventually dries out and requires renewal, so always check for cracked, loose, or missing caulking as part of your spring and autumn maintenance inspections.
The different types of caulking compound, the areas around your house that require caulking, and the
application techniques are discussed below.
Types of caulking. The five basic types of exterior caulking are elas-tomers, butyl rubber, ऐक्रेलिक लाटेकस, non-
ऐक्रेलिक लाटेकस, and oil base. The chart on page 25 lists the characteristics of each. When making your choice,
weigh price against each compound’s expected lifetime and consider the kinds of materials to which the caulking must adhere.
Caulking comes in four forms: as disposable cartridges for use with a half-barrel caulking gun, in a can for
application with a full-barrel caulking gun or a putty knife, in a small squeeze tube, and as rope caulk. The
half-barrel caulking gun fitted with a cartridge is the most popular dis-penser, since it’s the easiest to use for applying an even bead of compound. Use rope caulk as a temporary filler for very wide cracks or jointsit may not adhere for very long.
CAUTION: Before you buy any caulking, read the label; Some types won’t work in cracks or joints less than
1/4 inch wide; others work well only in narrow cracks. Take note of any pre-cautions and follow the directions when you’re using the product. Where to caulk. Generally you’ll need to caulk in areas where different sur-faces meet. Here are some of the places requiring caulking:
On the roof where one flashing meets another flashing, between flashing and a roof or dormer sur-
face, and where a chimney flue, plumbing or electrical pipe, attic fan, or skylight protrudes through the roof surface.
On the siding where the siding and .trim meet at corners; around window and door frames; between badly fitting pieces of siding; where pipes, framing members, and other pro-trusions pass through the siding;
and where the siding meets the foun-dation, patio or deck, or any other different part of the house. It’s also a good idea to examine interior window and door frames, es-pecially between sliding door or win-dow tracks and the sill or jamb.
Applying caulking. Before you can apply new caulking, you’ll have to re-move the old or damaged sections.
First, dig out or chip off all of the old caulking with a putty knife, old screw-driver, or scraper. Then brush the area with a wire brush to remove debris and wipe the surface with a cloth soaked in the appropriate solvent for the type of caulking you’re removing. Before applying the new caulking, check the label to see if you need to prime the surface. Plan to caulk on a warm, dry day when the temperature is between 50? and 70?F In hotter weather, refrigerate the caulking for an hour or two before use so the com-pound won’t run.
Directions for using a half-barrel caulking gun appear below. It may take a bit of practice to get the bead of caulking to flow evenly Start by holding the gun at a 45? angle to the surface; then, moving the gun across the surface, squeeze the trigger to keep the caulking flowing smoothly Make sure the compound fills the crack completely and overlaps adjoining surfaces evenly If the crack is deep, apply two beads. If you’re using rope caulk, simply unroll the amount you need and use your fingers to stuff it into the crack.
Using A Half-Barrel Caulking Gun
Controlling Moisture In A Basement
The most common basement prob-lem a homeowner faces is water. The problem can range In seriousness
from damp walls and floors to water gushing out of a crack. The source may be simply humid air condensing on cool surfaces or ground water finding its way through your basement’s walls or floor. Before you can correct the problem, you’ll need to determine the source of the water.
Where’s the water coming from? If you can see water flowing out of a crack in a wall or floor, you know that the source is ground water. In the absence of such obvious evidence, you’ll have to make a test to deter-
mine whether the dampness In your basement is caused by condensation or water from the ground.
Cut two 12-inch squares of plastic sheeting or aluminum foil. Tape one to the inside of an outside wall and one to the basement floor (make sure the surfaces are thoroughly dry). After two or three days, remove the plastic or foil and examine the surface that was next to the wall or floor. If it’s dry, the culprit is condensation; if it’s wet, it’s a sign that ground water is seeping through the wall or floor.
Reducing condensation
When the basement air is humid, the moisture in the air may condense on cool surfaces, such as cold water
pipes, concrete or masonry walls, or a concrete floor.
Though you can apply a coating (see facing page) to reduce conden-sation, it’s best to lower the air’s humidity, using these suggestions:
Improve ventilation by opening basement windows or installing an exhaust fan (page 185) In the
basement.
Raise the temperature in the basement.
Vent moist air from a clothes dryer to the outside.
Install a dehumidifier in the base-ment area.
Insulate cold water pipes and basement walls.
Common Causes Of A Wet Basement
Controlling ground water
When water collects next to a founda-tion wall or when the water table (the water level under your property) is higher than your basement floor, hydrostatic pressure can force water through joints, cracks, and porous areas in concrete walls and floors and through cracked or crumbling mortar joints in masonry walls. Poor con-struction practices clogged or non-existent footing drains, poorly applied or nonexistent waterproofing on the foundation, through-the-wall cracks, and improper grading often are the cause.
Correcting any of these problems is a major job that requires digging out the foundation to the bottom of
the footings. Though this may well be the most permanent repair, first try the remedies that follow. If they don’t work, then you’ll have to contact a foundation engineer or contractor for a more lasting solution.
CAUTION: If you see horizontal cracks in a wall that’s bowing inward, long, vertical cracks wider than 1/4
inch, or a crack that’s getting wider (measure it periodically), you have a structural problem. Contact a soils or foundation engineer at once. Exterior remedies. Roof and surface water collecting next to the foundation
may be causing the dampness in your basement. Make a careful inspection outside, using the following checklist, and correct any problems you find.
Gutters and downspouts should be clear and should direct water away from the foundation. To clean gutters and improve drainage at downspouts, see pages 36-37.
Proper grading around the house the ground should drop 1 inch per foot for the first 10 feet away from the foundation walls is essential to ensure good surface drainage.
Planting beds next to the foundation should not allow water to collect or pool there.
Window wells around basement windows should be free of debris, have good drainage, and be prop-
erly sealed at the wall. Interior remedies. These simple inte-rior repairs may alleviate or cure your water problems:
Apply a coating to the wall. Most coatings are painted on, though some are plastered on with a trowel.
Except for epoxy coatings, all are cement-base products with various additives. Epoxy does the best job. Look for coatings at home improvement or masonry supply centers.
Patch cracks in walls and floors with Portland or hydraulic cement patching compound. Hydraulic cement expands and dries quickly, even in wet conditions. Cracks wider than 1/8 inch should be undercut chiseled out so the bot-tom of the crack is wider than the top (see illustration at top left). This will prevent water pressure from popping out the patch.
Chisel out a groove along the wall if water is entering through a floor/wall joint. Fill the groove with
hydraulic or epoxy cement and cove (form in a concave shape) as shown below.
Chisel out cracked mortar joints in masonry walls and fill them with hydraulic or epoxy cement. Water that comes through cracks in a concrete floor or through the joint between the floor and wall is caused by hydrostatic pressure. In addition to those described above, remedies in-clude installing drains under the floor, adding a sump pump, or laying a new floor over a waterproof membrane placed on the old floorall jobs for professionals.
Patching A Crack
Patching A Floor/Foundation Joint
