It’s like playing whack-a-mole with water.
Ain’t that the truth. I swear, every time I fix one leak, another one pops up two feet over. I had a window in my own place that dripped every time it rained sideways. Tried caulk—worked for a season, then the wood swelled and cracked it right open again. Ended up doing a combo of weather stripping and caulk, and that held up… until last spring, when a squirrel decided to chew through the corner (don’t even get me started).
Honestly, I’m convinced windows just have a grudge against staying sealed. Weather stripping is great if you’ve got drafts, but for actual leaks, sometimes you gotta pull the trim and see what’s lurking underneath. Not always fun, but beats soggy drywall and mystery mushrooms growing behind the curtains.
Anyway, I keep a caulk gun in the truck at all times. It’s basically my security blanket at this point.
I’m starting to think my windows are out to get me too. First rain after I moved in, I found a puddle under the living room sill—just sitting there, like it belonged. Tried caulking, but it only lasted through one winter before peeling up. I thought about weather stripping, but that felt more like a bandaid for drafts than an actual fix for water. Eventually, I pulled off the trim and found a gap big enough for a mouse to squeeze through. Not sure if I fixed it for good, but at least I haven’t had to mop up any more puddles... yet.
- Had almost the same thing happen when I moved in—first storm, and suddenly the floor’s got its own little lake.
- Tried caulking too, but it cracked after a cold snap. Guess I didn’t realize how much windows shift with the seasons.
- Weather stripping helped with drafts, but yeah, water just finds its own way in if there’s a real gap.
- Ended up pulling off some trim like you did and found a weird gap near the corner. Packed it with backer rod before re-caulking—seems to be holding up so far, fingers crossed.
- Noticed that cheap caulk from the hardware store doesn’t last—switched to a “window & door” specific one and it’s been way better.
- If you still see water after storms, maybe check outside for missing flashing or gaps in siding? That was my next project... not fun, but at least now my living room rug isn’t soaked.
Noticed that cheap caulk from the hardware store doesn’t last—switched to a “window & door” specific one and it’s been way better.
Funny thing—I’ve seen even the “window & door” labeled stuff give up after a couple seasons if the prep wasn’t spot-on. Folks sometimes forget to really clean out all the old gunk or dry the area, and then even expensive caulk peels right off. I learned that one the hard way, scraping off a year-old bead with my thumbnail. Sometimes, if your window’s older or installed funky, the real fix is just pulling it and re-flashing... which is a pain, but at least you’re not chasing leaks every spring.
Yeah, prep makes all the difference. I’ve definitely been guilty of thinking “eh, close enough” when cleaning out old caulk, then regretted it when water found its way back in. Sometimes I wonder if weather stripping is the better fix for certain leaks—especially if the window moves a bit or isn’t sitting perfectly square. Anyone ever have luck just beefing up the weather stripping instead of fighting with caulk every year?
Weather stripping’s the way to go if your window moves or isn’t square—caulk just cracks or pulls away again. I swapped out old foam strips on my draftiest window last fall and it made a noticeable difference, both for leaks and for winter heating bills. Caulk’s fine if the gaps are small and the frame’s solid, but for anything that shifts, flexible weather stripping saves a lot of hassle. Just don’t cheap out on the material or it’ll flatten out fast.
Just don’t cheap out on the material or it’ll flatten out fast.
That’s been my experience too. I tried those bargain foam strips from the hardware store one year—big mistake. They compressed in a couple months and the draft came right back. Ended up switching to silicone-backed weather stripping, which held up way better, even with my old wood windows that shift a bit in the frame. Caulk only worked for me where the frame was rock solid, otherwise it just separated when the temps changed. If you’ve got any movement at all, flexible’s the way to go.
I hear you on the bargain foam strips… I fell for those too, thinking I was being thrifty, but they barely made it through one winter. The silicone stuff costs a bit more up front, but I swear it’s worth every penny if your windows have even a tiny bit of wiggle. Caulk just doesn’t cut it with older frames that shift—learned that the hard way during a big storm last fall. It’s wild how much difference the right material makes.
Totally get what you mean about the foam strips… I tried those too, thinking it’d be a quick fix, but they just crumbled after a few months. Honestly, silicone weather stripping has been a game changer for my drafty old windows. It flexes with the frame, which is key since mine seem to move every time the temp swings. Caulk is great for filling the big gaps, but if your window shifts at all, it just cracks and you’re back to square one. Spent a little more upfront, but my heating bill definitely thanked me.
- Totally agree on the foam strips—mine barely made it through one winter.
- Silicone weather stripping really does handle shifting frames better. My 1950s windows swell and shrink like crazy, and the silicone’s held up where caulk just split.
- Only thing I’d add: if there’s a big gap, sometimes I’ll do a thin bead of flexible caulk first, then layer the weather stripping. Kind of a belt-and-suspenders approach.
- Costs a bit more, but yeah, my last heating bill was way less painful.
- Curious—did you notice any condensation issues after sealing yours? That’s been my only hiccup so far.