It’s probably time to repair the joint caulking on your commercial building

Scenario… Your tenant keeps complaining of a water leak and cold drafts, but you’ve already called the glazers and the roofing manufacturer (which also lead to the HVAC contractor coming out *eye rolls*). They all turned up squeaky clean. Sound familiar? The dreaded reality: you need to replace all the vertical caulking joints around the building’s exterior. The good news, we can help!

Why is joint caulking so important?

Whether your building is pre-cast, tilt-up or has differing materials coming together, you need to keep an eye on your caulking. By sealing holes and gaps in the expansion joints, you drastically lower the risk of incurring water damage. It not only protects the exterior of the building, it also protects the interior. By making sure your building’s envelope is sealed tight, you mitigate heftier costs down the road

Signs that joint caulking needs repaired or replaced?

Like most building components, joint caulking will need to be repaired and eventually replaced over time. There are a couple early warning signs to watch out for, before your preventative maintenance becomes reactionary. Once the caulking has failed, it’ll no longer be able to keep your building airtight and can lead to significant water damage. Typically, joint caulking will need to be replaced every 10 years. 

Other systems that might fail and need waterproofing..

This isn’t an uncommon scenario either. In todays construction, you’d never use materials to fix to different runs together that weren’t spec’d for the thermal expansion and seismic movements that might be encountered. While building practices change over time, we still have to come up with solutions for existing buildings, your investments. We haven’t run into an issue that we haven’t been able to come up with a solution for yet.

When to call a profession

When your caulking joints are suspected to have issues, it’s time to call a professional. If you’re not sure when you should re-caulk, keep in mind that it’s significantly less expensive to be proactive. A minor repair now will likely save you from major repairs, expenses and headaches later on.

At Diamondback Roofing & Waterproofing, our expert team is trained to take care of all your waterproofing needs. To learn more about our joint caulking services, or to request and estimate, contact us today!