Paintable silicone caulk over silicone caulk...can it be done?

Judy Looker
by Judy Looker
Had replacement windows installed before painting the woodwork. The contractor used silicone (unpaintable) caulk. Now we cannot paint the woodwork under the silicone caulk. Some of the wood underneath the caulk was unfinished. He also used his finger which left very uneven caulking. My thought is to caulk over this with paintable silicone caulk which I believe you can do, but I need advice before I begin.
  5 answers
  • Two options. Have the contractor come back and correct his install so you can paint the trims. He should have used paintable sealants. If not, you need to remove what he installed and replace with a latex paintable sealant. A sharp wood chisel, a good quality putty knife and a safety razor will do the trick. Using a heat gun, warm up the material and it should come off without to much difficulty.
  • Ronni crellin Ronni crellin on Nov 10, 2014
    hi there, i used to have my own caulking business, so i know alot when it comes to caulking. you can not caulk over silicone. it will not adhere. you must first remove the original silicone with a knife( olfa blade works nice) then procede with watever it is you're doing.. if you caulk over it , the joint will fail and thats how water damage starts.
  • Richard N Richard N on Nov 10, 2014
    Just remove it, - I'm sure there's a sealer that would stick to the original, but it's not easy to get. Since you're going to caulk it again anyway, there's no point in leaving the original.
  • Jen R Jen R on Nov 10, 2014
    I agree with @Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com, I would have the contractor come out and fix his error.
  • Barbara Burnham Barbara Burnham on Nov 10, 2014
    Don't do what you're thinking. It will just be a bigger mess to wind up with the same work: either Contractor or you remove existing caulk then recaulk with paintable silicone caulk.