This month’s Red Hot Buys is full of Flex products that you can use to seal, bond, caulk, and repair items all over your home, inside and out! If you’ve never caulked your home before, it may sound intimidating, but this is actually a project that you can do yourself, especially with the ease that Flex Shot® provides.

What does caulking do?

Caulking creates a seal between small gaps in your home, preventing water or cold air from entering. It’s important to fill these gaps to prevent water damage, mold, and mildew. Caulking is very inexpensive compared to the costs of having to make repairs after water damage has already occurred. Over time, caulking can crack or peel, so it does need to be redone every five years or so.

Bathroom Caulking

With showers, sinks, and toilets, bathrooms are going to get wet. Caulk around any joints and seams in the bathroom such as around the sink, where your tub meets the wall and floor, around the toilet, where plumbing goes through the floor, etc. Your kitchen has similar needs to a bathroom, so check the caulk around countertops, sinks, and plumbing.

Outdoor Caulking

The exterior of your home also has needs for caulking. Here, weather can come into gaps and cause blistered paint, wood rot, allow drafts, and more. Snow, rain, ice, and wind can all cause damages if given access to the small gaps you might otherwise not think twice about. Start by sealing around window and door frames, gutter corners and seams, gaps around vent ducts or air conditioners, etc. However, do not caulk the undersides of window or door trim. If water is trapped inside, leaving the bottom open will provide moisture with a way out. Please be sure to read the instructions about when to apply based on acceptable temperature range. Manufacturers will always include the acceptable range when to apply and not to apply.

How to replace caulk

Before you can replace the caulk in your home, you will need to remove the old caulk. Then, make sure the surface is clean and free of any dirt and soap scum, as this can cause gaps in the seal. Lay down newspapers to keep the floor clean. You can use painter’s tape to mask off areas and create a cleaner seal.

What materials do I need to caulk?

Caulks are not all created equal. Right now (until January 31, 2020) our Flex Shot® sealant is only $12.99 (SKU 6266985). But you can also choose from polymer, silicone, and rubber caulks depending on what you are sealing. A few other helpful tools include a utility knife to remove old caulk, painter’s tape, a caulk gun, and cleaning cloths. Purchase all of these tools at Ace Hardware of Fort Collins, located at 1001 Harmony Rd. If you’re unsure about what caulk is best for your project, ask any of our friendly associates! We would love to answer your questions.