Bought a new house and noticed discoloration near the top corners of the drywall (Where the drywall meets the window). I chipped away at the moldy drywall. Wondering what type of product I should use to seal between the window and the wood frame (Would some type of caulk be appropriate?) Also how should I replace the drywall? Would using hot mud to deep fill this area work?
Drywall – Sealing/Repairing Window Drywall
drywallwindows
Related Solutions
Adding that EPDM weather stripping will help if the leak is between the sash and the window sill. I actually had a piece of that stuff in my car to stop a door frame air leak for many years.
I would also check to make sure the air isn't leaking between the sashes of the window as well.
Once you put the weather strip in place, I would go back and double check the perimeter of the window frame for leaks using the old candle test to check for any drafts.
Additionally - Aluminum windows are notorious heat transmitters (they let in lots of heat from outside in summer and cold in winter). I've noticed on cold days aluminum window frames can be so cold relative to inside it almost feels like a slight draft due to convection or whatever effect is in place there.
One more overlooked spot you may want to look at to seal up is your electrical outlets - they are responsible for leaking a lot of air as well. You can get gaskets which go on underneath the cover plates that will seal that leakage up.
Good luck!
You'll want to use glazing compound, which comes in both oil-based, and latex, and can be found in both cans or tubes.
Once you have the glass removed, and the frame cleaned up.
- Run a bead of glazing compound around the frame (where the glass will sit).
- Set the glass in the compound giving it a little wiggle to work out any air bubbles, and to make sure the glass is set in properly (don't worry about a little excess oozing out, you can trim it off later when it cures).
- Using a putty knife push in glazing points every 6-8 in.
Install the interior trim, and wait for the glazing compound to cure.
Once the compound has cured enough (24-72 hours), using a utility knife carefully trim off any compound that has oozed out.
If you are not using interior trim, you will want to apply a bead of glazing compound to the interior side of the frame, and use a putty knife to smooth it to a nice finish.
- After 7-10 days you can paint the glazing compound to match the frame.
Best Answer
These look like aluminum windows. Most likely the problem here isn't water intrusion, but the windows "sweating" in the winter. The water then gets wicked up by the drywall about 1-2" from the window itself.
Your first option is to replace the windows with vinyl. That will provide you with better insulation overall and you can eliminate the sweating entirely. This is also expensive and difficult.
The second option is to tear down the drywall next to the windows and put up, say, 1x4 vinyl planking. Since you'll be tearing out the metal casing along the edge too, what I would suggest is casing the wall around the window in door casing. It will hide the ripped-out drywall damage and, once caulked, it will look quite attractive.