For interior door, window and trim projects, acrylic latex caulk is usually a good bet. Use it for multiple projects, from installing wood paneling without nails to quickly filling in small drywall holes and cracks.
Alex Plus All Purpose Acrylic Latex Caulk Plus Silicone is an excellent choice for these projects. It has siliconized additives to provide outstanding flexibility and strong adhesion to a wide variety of surfaces without cracking or chalking.
With that as a builder & a remodeler, the trim should always be caulked (yes even on interior doors.) Why? Well because not only does it look better, but it also allows the paint to adhere better.
It's a rule. Caulk is for gaps. Wood filler is for holes. The reason is that wood filler is brittle, so that when there is movement the wood filler will just fall out. The caulk has some flex so it will withstand the movement. Stay away from cheap caulk like Alex because it will have less flex than the good stuff.
For sealing around the exterior of a door, or anywhere that could be exposed to water and harsh weather, choose a GE-branded 100% silicone sealant, like GE Supreme Silicone Window & Door sealant. This sealant is 100% weatherproof, permanently flexible and won't crack or shrink with temperature changes.
The best exterior caulks are silicone or silicone-latex. These products are excellent for caulking windows and doors. They can be used on trim and siding, as well.
Epoxy fillers are fantastic for filling voids as they don't shrink over time, and they are as flexible as wood. Once dried, they can be sanded for a smooth finish, painted, and even look great underwood oils and varnishes too. For us, Epoxy wood fillers are the most versatile filler on the market.
When installing trim in the bathroom, it's ideal to caulk it. You can get away with not caulking in some less humid areas of your home, but in the bathroom or kitchen, that extra seal that caulk provides can help keep water from getting behind your trim and causing mold growth.
Caulk should be used before painting as painting the area will hide the caulk. However, if it's a new area that you are going to prime and then paint, you can use caulk after priming the area. So, once you have repaired the area and cleaned any dust, you can caulk any cracks and gaps.
Quick answer: Don't caulk the weep holes, moving portions, or the tops of your windows. Only apply caulk to the joints of your windows after you remove old sealant.
No matter the age of your home or structure, movement and shifting over time is fairly normal. These cracks tend to occur in the weakest part of the wall. As mentioned before, cracks around door frames and windows are the most common.
The openings between the wall and the frames of doors are typically covered by mouldings. Since mouldings are not adequate to block sound transmission, caulking around the moulding can help a great deal to soundproof the doors and provide more privacy, both at your home and business.
DAP DYNAFLEX 230 Premium previously called DYNAFLEX 230 and before that Formula '230' is the best latex. It's an elastomeric latex sealant. It's more expensive but, it's better than all silicone-latex caulks and better than some pure silicones.
White BioSeal Waterproof 100% RTV Silicone Sealant Caulk Kitchen and Bath Grade, Low Odor No Color Change 10.1 Ounce Cartridge, White (Pack of 1)
We recommend using a latex-acrylic caulk with added silicone. Latex-Acrylic-Silicone caulk products are available in different colours to better match flooring or baseboard paint colour. They adhere well to wood, MDF, and composite baseboards and have enough flexibility to minimize cracking.
When installing new baseboards, there's a small gap between the baseboard and the wall. You should seal this gap with caulk before painting the baseboards to create a clean, professional-looking finish.
Tip. While caulk is sometimes used to fill nail holes in painted trim, caulk tends to be messier and shrinks more than wood filler. Plus, caulk cannot be sanded smooth like filler can.
Latex caulk that is water soluble: this will cover the gap. painter's tape: this will keep things neat.
- Hold the caulk gun at a 45-degree angle and apply a steady bead of caulk along the seam between the door frame and the wall. - Smooth the caulk with a caulk smoothing tool or a wet finger for a neat finish. - Wipe away any excess caulk with a damp cloth.
However, a plaster filler like Polyfilla or a powder filler are probably the best options for filling plaster cracks, as alternatives such as caulk are best used for other purposes, like sealing gaps around pipes or tiles.
Margins (sometimes also called “rebates”) are the spaces between the door and the door frame. These are often important if you're looking at issues with your hinge jamb. Again, these spaces can be broken down into specific types: the hinge margin, strike margin, top (header) margin, and bottom (sweep) margin.
Tighten screws or bolts on the door frame and strike plate
If they are loose, the strike plate will not be able to properly receive the bolt, and the door will not close securely. In addition, the screws or bolts that secure the door frame to the wall should also be checked periodically.