As the seasons change and temperatures fluctuate, maintaining a comfortable and energy-efficient home becomes a priority for many homeowners. One often overlooked aspect of this is the condition of your windows. Unsealed or poorly sealed windows can lead to drafts, heat loss, and increased energy bills.
In this blog post, we'll explore the essential steps on how to seal a window from the inside, addressing common questions such as whether you should seal your windows, what type of sealant to use, and the best sealant for achieving a secure and efficient seal.
Should You Seal Your Windows From The Inside?
Absolutely! There are many reasons your windows should be sealed from the inside.
Here are key considerations:
Energy Efficiency: Unsealed windows contribute to energy loss, potentially leading to heightened heating or cooling expenses. If you observe drafts or notice variations in indoor temperature, sealing your windows can enhance energy efficiency and curb utility costs.
Comfort: Sealing windows can significantly improve the comfort of your living space by preventing drafts, reducing noise infiltration, and maintaining a consistent indoor temperature. This is especially crucial during extreme weather conditions.
Condensation Issues: The presence of condensation on your windows may signal inadequate insulation. Sealing windows helps mitigate condensation, preventing potential problems like mould growth and damage to window frames.
Age and Condition of Windows: Older windows or those with worn-out seals may benefit substantially from resealing. Over time, original seals can degrade, allowing air and moisture penetration. Sealing contributes to extended window lifespan and sustained functionality.
Aesthetic Enhancement: Beyond the functional benefits, a well-executed seal around the window can contribute to the overall aesthetic appeal of your home. A consistent, neat bead of sealant not only ensures efficiency but also adds a polished and pleasing finish, enhancing the visual aspect of your windows.
What Type Of Sealant Should You Use?
Selecting the appropriate sealant for your window sealing project is crucial, considering the diverse materials involved, such as timber, aluminium, or uPVC, along with the painted surfaces within the window reveal.
The ideal choice for this task is a neutral curing, low modulus silicone sealant due to its flexibility and strong adhesion properties across various surfaces.
What Is The Best Sealant For Inside Windows?
While there are many quality sealants on the market, our top recommendation for sealing windows from the inside is the Soudal Silirub LMN — a superior quality low modulus neutral cure silicone sealant.
This exceptional product offers a range of features that make it an ideal choice for your window sealing project.
Soudal Silirub LMN Features:
Superior Quality: Silirub LMN is known for its high-quality formulation, ensuring a reliable and long-lasting seal for your windows. It is designed to withstand various environmental conditions and deliver consistent performance over time.
Fast Skinning Time and Final Cure: The silicone sealant boasts an impressive fast skinning time, facilitating efficient application. Additionally, it undergoes a swift final cure, allowing you to enjoy the benefits of a sealed window in a shorter timeframe.
Thick-Bodied: The thick-bodied nature of Silirub LMN enhances its ease of application. Its viscosity ensures that the sealant adheres well to different surfaces, providing a secure and durable bond.
Excellent Toolability: This sealant offers excellent toolability, allowing for precise application and shaping. You can achieve a neat and professional finish, enhancing the overall aesthetics of your windows.
Primerless Adhesion: Silirub LMN excels in adhesion, offering primerless adhesion on all common construction materials. Whether your windows are made of glass, plastics,, metals, or wood, this sealant forms a robust bond without the need for a primer.
High Movement Capability: The sealant is engineered to accommodate high movement, making it suitable for use in areas prone to expansion and contraction, such as window joints. This ensures flexibility and durability in dynamic conditions.
Temperature Resistance: Whether facing high or low temperatures, Silirub LMN remains resilient. Its temperature resistance ensures the sealant's stability and performance in diverse climate conditions.
Massive Colour Range: Whether you are looking to match the colour of your window frames or the surrounding reveal, you can guarantee Soudal will have a sealant that will work to your taste.
How To Seal A Window From The Inside?
Sealing your windows is a straightforward process that you can do yourself with the right tools and materials.
Here's a step-by-step guide on how to seal a window from the inside.
Tools You'll Need:
Retractable window scraper
Silicone remover
Bottle of Methylated spirit
Sealant gun
Appropriate silicone sealant
Sealant smoothing tool
Stanley knife
Spray bottle of soapy water
Step 1) Remove Existing Sealant (If There Is Any)
Using the retractable window scraper or putty knife, simply run the blade up and down the wall into the silicone, moving along the wall with each up and down motion until you get to the end. Repeat the process along the edge of the window frame. This will ensure that each full line of silicone will come off in one long run.
Do not, and i repeat, DO NOT hack at the sealant with a Stanley knife. This will leave unsightly scratch marks on the window frame. Using the thin blade on a retractable scraper eliminates the risk of creating nasty scratches.
When you get to the corners run the blade in as far as you can. You may need to use the Stanley knife to pick out any stubborn bits that may not want to come out, especially in the corners.
Although it may seem like all the silicone has gone, it’s important to now remove any skin or existing sealant residue. If this is not done the new sealant will simply not adhere properly.
It’s worth spending another 20 minutes on this and the following steps to ensure the job is done properly, thus eliminating the risk of any future leaks.
Apply your sealant remover gel or spray to the areas where you removed the existing sealant.
Be generous when applying the remover. You want to make sure you hit every inch of the old sealant skin.
The gel of choice for us is the No Nonsense sealant remover which is readily available at any Screwfix. Apply this to the area with the brush provided then leave to work roughly 10 minutes.
To save more time though, we recommend using a spray. If you are able to get your hands on a can, i would suggest using a product called CT-1 Multisolve. It works in pretty much the same way as the gel, but it’s a hell of a lot quicker to apply.
Simply spray and leave for approximately 10 minutes to work.
As you will see, the existing sealant residue will start to dissolve and turn to mush. This can then be scraped and cleaned off. You are now ready for step 2.
Step 2) Clean And Degrease Window Frames
Using the methylated spirit and a cloth, wipe over the frame to ensure it's clean and dry.
This step is crucial as any dirt or water on the frame could effect the silicones ability to bond.
Tip: If you accidently peel some of the paint away from the reveal when removing any existing silicone. Touch up the paint before applying the new silicone. That way you will achieve a much neater finish.
Step 3) Prepare The Silicone
Using a Stanley knife, remove the top of the cartridge. Add the nozzle to the cartridge's top and trim the end at a slant (roughly a 45 degree angle).
For optimal results, match the size of the opening of the nozzle to the size of the joint you intend to seal. Insert the cartridge into the gun and squeeze until sealant starts to appear out of the tip of the nozzle.
Step 4) Apply Sealant Around The Window Perimeter
With the gun at a 45-degree angle, gently squeeze the trigger and move it steadily around the perimeter of the window. Apply a continuous bead of sealant, ensuring full coverage. Use a consistent speed to maintain an even line.
Step 5) Smooth Silicone
After applying the sealant, spray the bead with the soapy water, this stops the sealant from smearing or sticking to stuff it shouldn't when tooling. Then use a silicone tool to smooth and shape the bead.
This ensures an even, professional-looking finish.
DO NOT lick your finger and smooth the sealant. The bacteria in your mouth can transfer to the sealant and cause premature mould growth. Also, it's disgusting!
To smooth out any imperfections in the sealant bead once the tapes removed, spray both the silicone and your finger with the soapy solution. Then lightly caress the sealant until you are happy with the finish.
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