My neighbor the old timer told me to paint before caulking

When I bought my 1920s bungalow off Dekalb Ave, Mr. Henderson next door kept saying I should paint the trim before I ran a bead of caulk. I thought he was nuts, that's not how you do it. Well I did it his way on one window and my way on the other, and his side still looks clean three years later while mine is cracking and pulling away. Has anyone else gotten weird old school advice that actually worked better?

2 comments

2 Comments

campbell.david7d ago

I hear you on the "paint before caulk" thing. My grandpa told me the same thing when I was redoing my porch railing. I figured he was just old and set in his ways, but I tried it on one section anyway. That part still looks tight after four years, while the other sections I did the normal way are already peeling. Turns out the paint seals the wood first so the caulk has a solid surface to stick to, not a dusty one. Funny how the old timers had a point about stuff like that, even when it sounds backwards.

dylan_thompson6d ago

Maybe it's just me but does your caulk really need to last four years?