Snowbird Open and Close
Two seasonal visits a year for absent owners. Open the house in October to December, close it in April or May.
Caulking and Sealing in Palm Beach County
Resealing the joints that let water and humid air into a South Florida home.
What is included
- Cutting out failed caulk at tubs, showers, and vanity backsplashes
- Resealing tub and shower joints with a mildew resistant sealant
- Window and slider perimeter sealing inside and out
- Exterior stucco control joints and trim seams
- Sealing around exterior wall penetrations and hose bibbs
- Baseboard and trim seams before painting
- Weatherstripping and door sweeps on entry doors
- Sealing screened patio frame joints
- Cleaning and prepping the joint so the new bead actually bonds
How the job runs
- Step 1
Walk the joints
We go around the property and mark what has failed: shrunk beads, split corners, black mildew lines in wet rooms, open joints at window perimeters. You get a list by location so you can decide whether to do all of it or just the joints that are letting water in.
- Step 2
Cut out and clean
Old sealant comes out completely rather than getting a new bead run over it. The joint gets cleaned and dried, which in a bathroom means letting it sit rather than sealing over damp. This step is why a resealed shower lasts years instead of months.
- Step 3
Bead, tool, and cure
New sealant matched to the location, wet rooms get a mildew resistant product, exterior joints get one that stays flexible in the heat. Every bead is tooled, not left as it came out of the tube. We tell you how long to stay out of the shower while it cures.
Why caulk fails faster in Palm Beach County
Sealant here works harder than it does almost anywhere else in the country. Daytime surface temperatures on a west facing stucco wall move a long way between afternoon and midnight, and the joint opens and closes with it. Ultraviolet exposure is constant. Interior wet rooms stay humid for hours after use because the outside air offers no relief. All three shorten a bead's life.
The result is that a five year sealant claim on a tube means something different on a screened patio in Jupiter than it does in a mild climate. We plan on resealing exterior joints on a cycle rather than pretending one application is permanent, and we tell you which joints we expect to see again.
The joints that matter before June 1
Storm season runs June 1 to November 30, and the water that gets into a South Florida home during it is almost never coming through the wall. It comes through an open joint. Window and slider perimeters, stucco control joints, the seams where trim meets wall, and the penetrations where something passes through the exterior are the usual paths.
Wind driven rain finds those joints at pressures a normal rainfall never generates, which is why an owner can go years without a problem and then get water on the floor during one band of a storm. Walking and resealing those joints in the spring is a small job that prevents a large one, and it is one of the most useful things a seasonal owner can have done before closing up in April or May.
Bathrooms, showers, and the black line nobody can scrub out
The dark line at the base of a shower or along a tub is mildew growing in and under the sealant, not on top of it. Scrubbing removes the surface and leaves the colony. The only real fix is cutting the bead out, cleaning the joint, letting it dry properly, and running a new mildew resistant bead.
In this county the drying step is the one people skip. A joint that feels dry to the hand in a bathroom that has been used that morning is not dry underneath, and sealing over it traps moisture and guarantees the line comes back within months. We would rather come back the next day to bead than seal a damp joint the same afternoon.
Condo units, catwalks, and shared walls
In older buildings with open catwalks, the joint between your unit's window frame and the wall is doing a lot of work, because the walkway funnels wind driven rain straight at it. Owners in these buildings often assume a leak at a window is the association's problem. Sometimes it is, and sometimes it is a failed perimeter bead that any owner can have handled.
We will tell you which one it looks like. If the water appears to be tracking from above or from common area, that is a management conversation and we will document it with photos so you have something to send. If it is your joint, we cut it out and reseal it, and we clear building access and insurance paperwork before the visit rather than at the front desk.
Sealing before painting, not after
Caulking is the step that decides how a paint job looks in year two. Interior trim seams that were not sealed open up as the frame moves, and the crack line shows against a fresh wall. On an exterior, an unsealed control joint lets water behind a brand new coat and lifts it from underneath.
So when we quote painting, sealing is part of the prep rather than an add on afterwards. If you already have a painter lined up, we can do the sealing work ahead of them and tell them what product went where so their topcoat is compatible with it.
Book it on a schedule
Packages that usually include this work.
Condo and HOA Program
A standing program for associations and management firms: unit turns, punch lists, painting, and lock work on one monthly invoice.
Rental Turnover
Punch list work between guests: locks reset, walls touched up, blinds and furniture repaired, photo report on completion.
Where we work
We cover 39 cities, villages, and towns in Palm Beach County. These are the seven largest.
See all 39 service areasQuestions about this work
The black line in my shower comes back every year. Why?
Because it is mildew growing inside the sealant, not on it, so scrubbing only takes the surface off. The fix is cutting the old bead out completely, cleaning the joint, letting it dry fully, then running a mildew resistant sealant. In humid Palm Beach County bathrooms, the drying step is the one that usually gets skipped.
When should I have exterior joints resealed?
Spring, before storm season opens on June 1. Wind driven rain finds open window perimeters and stucco control joints at pressures normal rain never reaches, so a joint that was fine all winter can let water in during one band. For seasonal owners it pairs naturally with the April or May close up visit.
Water came in around my condo window. Is that mine or the association's?
It depends where it is tracking from. A failed perimeter bead on your window is normally the owner's to handle. Water coming from above, from a shared wall, or from common area is a management conversation. We photograph what we find so you have something concrete to send your manager either way.
How long does new caulk last in South Florida?
Less than the tube claims, especially on exterior joints facing west or south, where heat cycling and ultraviolet exposure are constant. We treat exterior sealing as a cycle rather than a one time job and tell you which joints we expect to need attention again first, so you can budget it instead of being surprised.
Can you seal around my sliding patio door?
Yes, inside and out. Slider perimeters are one of the most common water paths in this county because the opening is large and the joint runs the full height on both sides. While we are there we usually check the track and the weatherstripping, since a slider that does not close tight is also letting humid air in all day.
Do I need to stay out of the shower after you reseal it?
Yes, and we will tell you exactly how long based on the product used, normally a full day. Using the shower before the bead has cured is the fastest way to undo the work. If the unit is empty, that timing is easy, which is one reason seasonal owners schedule this while they are away.
Get a quote for caulking and sealing
Tell us what you need done and roughly where in Palm Beach County you are. Photos help. We come back with a price, not a sales visit.