Sealing Up Your House for Fall and Winter
We may still be in the throes of summer, but fall is coming, and it’s a good time to start sealing up your home for cooler weather.
This post is sponsored by Titebond
There are several benefits to sealing up your home with Titebond WeatherMaster Sealant. In addition to helping with temperature control inside the house, it also helps to keep insects from invading your home. It helps to protect the exterior from rotting and degradation, and even improves the curb appeal of your home. One tube went a long way to sealing up many spots in my home!
Begin by identifying the spots in your home that need to be resealed. For me, this included the seams in my siding, the trim above my garage, and a few spots on some windows and doors.
Prep time! Clear any old caulk or sealant still left in those spots, and clean away any dirt or mildew from the area. Use the spray cleaner of your choice (perhaps bleach or another mildew remover), and use an Exacto knife or box cutter to cut out old sealant.
In areas where you want a nice clean line (such as a window), use masking tape to mark the space.
To open the Titebond WeatherMaster Sealant, unscrew the applicator tip and pierce the opening with something sharp. Replace the applicator, then cut the tip at a 45 degree angle. Place the tub into a caulking gun, and pull the trigger until it is tight against the bottom of the tube.
Before you get started, grab some gloves and paper towels! This next part gets a little messy.
Run a bead of sealant into the area, and smooth it with your finger. (There are tools you can buy for this, but I find it a lot easier just to use my fingers.) Wipe away any excess until the area is properly filled. A moistened paper towel can be helpful here.
Larger gaps may take a couple of passes with the sealant to completely fill.
Titebond WeatherMaster Sealant is paintable in approximately one hour. (This also allows enough time to remove any tape you may have used.) Be sure to pull the tape away from the sealant so that you get a nice, clean line and you don’t pull any of that sealant out of place.
A NOTE ABOUT CLEAN UP: Isopropyl alcohol or acetone will clean off excess residue on surfaces that has not yet cured. Use an Exacto knife or razor blade to clean excess off of windows or metal surfaces.
If it has been a long time since the exterior of your home was painted, be careful when touching up the paint as it might not match perfectly due to fading. Perhaps use a small art paintbrush instead of a standard latex brush to blend the paint a little better.
Titebond WeatherMaster Sealant is available in over 200 colors! So, if you don’t want to paint over it, you might not have to!
And the job is done! It’s not a drastic difference from a visual perspective, but it will go a long way towards the health and beauty of your home, and even increase your curb appeal!
Resources for this project:
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Thanks for the tips! I was putting reflective film on windows that face the west and realized the windows I have are only in place because of the caulking. So, I’m finishing the inside with caulking and will do the outside when cooler. Great job you did too! And remember you’re never too old. I’m 72 and female. 😁
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Thanks for the tips!!!
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
How would you do a second story window? Could you seal those from the inside for blocking cold air and not worry about curb appeal up there anyway?
What about sealing around bricks? Can I use the same thing?