This week has been interesting. Some water damaged appeared in the top of a window in our kitchen. Insurance sent people out the same day and there was a LOT of water in the walls. They tore some out and found mold. Yay!

So we are starting down this process but the insurance guy says sealing of the leak is my responsibility, so like it or not I’m digging in.

What I found was a failing seal on the top edge of the window. The paint and stucco was bubbling and soft-ish. I scraped it away and could feel air coming out (the exposed wall is sealed up with plastic and a dehumidifier is running in it).

I cleaned up the failed area with the scraper, removed old caulking, vac’d out the disintegrate material to prep it.

Then I used some premixed stucco as part of the area seemed to big for a simple caulk job. The stucco patch was applied in a couple smaller layers with time for it to dry, per the instructions. Now it is level again with the wall itself.

I got an exterior sealant per the recommendation of the guy at the hardware store and applied that where the window and wall meet. I feel pretty good about everything up to this point… here is my question:

Rain is forecast for Saturday. The sealant says water ready in 24. I’ll prime and paint, but the instructions on the sealant say to wait 7-14 days. This means I have a small amount of unpainted stucco that will be exposed to rain… probably not a lot of rain, but who knows. Will it be ok? Do I need to create some sort of physical barrier to keep water off of the area until it is ready to be primed and painted?

Personally, why not go the safe route and cover the area with plastic and tape it to your wall on the top and both sides. Leave the bottom side open so that if any moisture does get inside it won't be trapped.

Is blue painters tape enough to create a water tight seal? Off to Google I go.

quote:

Originally posted by h2oys:
Personally, why not go the safe route and cover the area with plastic and tape it to your wall on the top and both sides. Leave the bottom side open so that if any moisture does get inside it won't be trapped.

agreed - tape off a larger area than just the repair and seal it with tape - all the way around. Put a small vent in one corner in case the plastic tries to pressurize outwards.

Did you properly flash the window?

This sounds like it wasn't done properly in the first place... I hate to be the bearer of bad news but this situation may be present in more windows and doors...

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:
Did you properly flash the window?

This sounds like it wasn't done properly in the first place... I hate to be the bearer of bad news but this situation may be present in more windows and doors...

The same thought has crossed my mind. There are only 4 total windows that are subject to direct rain… I’ll be checking them all. Sadly, the other 3 are not easy to get to on the outside. I’ll probably pop screens and stick my phone out for a camera inspection.

I would not try to DIY this issue. We had a house in Maui with one wall exposed to the trade winds, so got soaked when strong rain and wind came.

Ended up having to re-do siding, re-flash both windows; also had to put in z-bar at bottom of siding (IIRC). Called in two different specialists in sealing walls.

Workers found water and mold in walls—did it all come from that one area? Has anyone used moisture meters to check other areas/windows?

I am NOT an expert in this. Just someone who had really bad experience and recognized it was way beyond my level and handyman level of skill.