How to Seal a House With Caulk

Even the most well-built house isn't airtight until you caulk it. The exterior of a house has all kinds of ``joints'' (meaning, lines where one material meets another), and each of them should be caulked to prevent air from flowing through the walls. Joints to look for when caulking are the lines around windows and doors, under eaves and on all sides of any trim on the house.

Utility knife
Stiff wire brush
Caulk (exterior grade)
Caulk gun
3-inch nail

Instructions

- 1
  Cut out any old caulk, dirt or other obstructions from along the joint that you're going to caulk, using a utility knife. Scrub the line vigorously with a stiff wire brush to remove any remaining dirt or loose paint.
- 2
  Load a caulk gun with caulk. Use the utility knife to cut off the tip of the caulk tube at a 45-degree angle, about ¼ inch down from the end. The hole in the tip should be about ¼-inch wide.
- 3
  Jam a 3-inch nail into the hole to open the seal inside the tube and release the caulk. Test the gun by squeezing the trigger until caulk comes out the end and tipping the stop-latch at the end of the gun to stop the caulk flow.
- 4
  Set the tip onto the joint at one end. Tilt the gun back so the angled cut is almost flat against the joint. angled back at about 45 degrees. Squeeze the trigger, starting the caulk flow.
- 5
  Pull the gun slowly back along the joint, making a smooth line of caulk. Continue to the end and trip the stop-latch to stop the flow.
- 6
  Wet your thumb and run it over the newly laid bead of caulk, pressing gently so it just slightly smooths the caulk. Repeat for each joint to be caulked.

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