# What am I doing wrong with caulking? And which joints to glue?



## BenWAA (Sep 1, 2018)

I have two questions - first about caulking:

My caulk joints don't seem to hold up well over time. They split/crack/bubble/separate after just a few months of installing new trim. I do live in the northeast where temperatures and humidity fluctuations make wood move a lot, but I feel like the caulk joints should hold up better than they do nonetheless. Any tips on what I'm doing wrong? A couple of photos attached for reference.

Second question is which joints should I be gluing in my trim and which should be left to move? I glue mitered corners for casing and I glue scarf joints but that's about it. Should I also glue casing to door jambs? Should I glue layers of multi stage crown to each other? 

Thanks for any tips!


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

I would ask what type/brand of caulk are you using ??

I have used Loctite Polyseamseal for years with next to no issues.
but of course, everyone has their favorite - this just happens to be mine.

.

.


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## Dark_Lightning (Dec 1, 2019)

There are many grades of caulk. Cheap painter's caulk can start to shrink after a few years, and yield less than optimum results. One of my sons works for a high-end contractor who uses Sashco's Big Stretch caulk, which shrinks less than many brands. The difference in cost is meaningless, if you don't have to go back and supply much more expensive labor to eat a warranty problem.


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## BenWAA (Sep 1, 2018)

I'm using DAP Alex Plus or whatever's it is from Home Cheapo.


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