Each month, starting right now, I am going to be bringing my readers new Homeowner Tips! This month our subject is the wonders you can do with the material, caulk. Caulk, in all of its forms, can be used for a wide variety of inexpensive home repair and maintenance tasks that can prevent future, possibly expensive, problems down the road. I’ve assembled a list of cost-effective fixes and touch ups that you can do with this amazing material.
1. Keep Your Air and Heat Where They Belong
One of the best ways to cut down on heating and electric bills is to make sure your air and heat are staying where they belong, in your home. A great way to do that is by filling in small gaps in window frames and door frames that occur over time and let in unwanted heat or drafts. You can seal those gaps up with either acrylic latex caulk or vinyl latex caulk, depending on your climate. Acrylic latex does well in drier climates, while vinyl does best in humid climates.
2. Bugs Bugging You?
While our first tip was about sealing your house so that nothing gets out, this next one is about making sure no unwanted visitors get in. If you’ve seen some unwanted pests in your home, or you just want to make sure that you never see any, I would recommend using a concrete and mortar caulk to fix small holes on the exterior of your home.
3. Keep Those Shining Whites, White!
We all know how unsightly our kitchen and bathroom tiles can get over time. A practical and easy solution is to touch up and fill-in the small gaps that can attract mildew and mold between the tiles. A silicone-based caulk is recommended for this task because of its waterproofing capabilities.
4. Create a Great Canvas
Make sure your walls are ready for a new coat of paint by filling in the small cracks that can happen over time. A filling of painter’s caulk ensures that you are creating the perfect smooth and blank canvas for a new color.
5. Seamless Woodwork
If you’ve ever taken to task installing baseboards and moldings to your home, you know that small spaces between your wood is inevitable. Those pesky corners! A small filling of acrylic latex caulk, tha matches the color of your chosen wood, will create seamless corners and edges.
6. Keep Your Moldings Mounted
To build onto our last tip, if you’ve ever experienced your moldings becoming unmounted then you might be interested in this tip. You can reutilize that acrylic latex caulk from our previous tip to glue your moldings securely back to your wall.
7. Wallpaper That Won’t Stay Put
Keep your wallpaper on your walls with a layer of adhesive caulk. Applying a layer behind curling or falling wallpaper can keep your wallpaper looking like it was freshly installed. Following that up with another layer of caulk towards the very edges will really make sure it stays on your wall, where it belongs.
8. Save Your Siding
If your vinyl siding has been damaged by harsh winds or debris you can use the same techniques from our previous tips to keep your siding on your home. You can apply a layer of exterior caulk that matches the color of your siding, which will make small holes disappear. For larger areas you can use an adhesive caulk as a glue to patch up the hole with another piece of siding.
We hope that you have found these inexpensive but effective tips and tricks for caulk useful for maintaining and repairing your home. Stay tuned for more upcoming Homeowner Tips coming soon.
About Gerardo Zavala
There is a true passion for connecting people with real estate that makes me fall in love with my career over and over again. While my title says, REALTOR® I think I am much more than that. For example, I am present and actively listening to my clients needs, on the spot when things are urgent, and by your side to say “congratulations.” Most of my clients will say that I am a connection away from support no matter the situation, day or time. In my opinion, customer service, educating the client on progress and next steps, and overall satisfaction are my top priorities. How can I help you?