Seal the gaps between the frame and the wall. Window sealant - a simple solution for any joints

Winter, cold wind, as a result, drafts and blowing from the window, neither the owners of new plastic windows, nor the owners of old wooden windows are immune from this. Insulation of windows in an apartment or a private house should extend to the gaps above and below the windowsill, because. there may be gaps into which it will blow.

What to do if it blows from under the windowsill? How to identify the cause and eliminate the gap?

If the window was installed recently, you should contact the company that performed the installation. If the warranty period has expired or the installation was done by yourself, you need to consider ways to solve the problem yourself.

Blowing from under the window sill is possible if it is installed incorrectly, or in case of subsidence polyurethane foam, which foams the space between the window sill and the wall.

Ways to insulate the window sill depend on which node is the source of blowing.

1. Blowing between the window sill and the window - how to eliminate the gap

The simplest, but not very aesthetic way to eliminate blowing is to place a barrier between the source of the draft and the room.

The method is good as a temporary measure, until repair work to eliminate blowing.

How to close the gap between the window sill and the window

Seal the gap with sealant

To ensure tightness, it is enough to purchase a transparent sealant, clean the place of its application from dust, degrease and wipe dry, then cut off the tip of the tube nozzle and squeeze out the sealant in a thin layer.

Advice. Do beautiful seam You can use a coin with a face value of 10 rubles. To do this, you need to draw the edge of a coin along the seam, pressing the sealant to the junction of the frame and the window sill. Different coin denominations will provide different seam thicknesses and curvature radii.

Note that when decorating a sealed seam above the window sill, you need to do the work quickly, in one motion, so that the seam turns out to be beautiful, and not intermittent. In this case, part of the sealant that will accumulate on the coin will be spent in those places where it is not enough, and after the formation of the seam, the excess sealant is removed from the coin.

During the formation of the seam, it is possible that part of the sealant will accumulate behind the edges of the coin and solidify on the frame and window sill. There is nothing to worry about, after hardening the sealant is easily removed.

The advantage of this method is that the work can be done in just a few minutes. However, the seam provides complete tightness within 1-2 years after application. This is due to the fact that the sealant gradually moves away from the plastic base or paint during cleaning, in particular washing the window sill. In addition, over time, it becomes darker, and one gets the impression that the window sill at the junction with the window frame is dirty.

Close the gap between the window sill and window profile

The method consists in forming additional protection of the hermetic seam with a plastic strip (profile).

Work order:

- prepare plastic profile For bathroom. Profile configuration - internal corner. Length equal to the length of the window plus 20-30 mm;

- cut off the perforated part. How to do this is shown in the picture;

- at the corners of the window sill, make holes with a depth of 10-15 mm. These are the future seats for inner corner;

- clean the junction of the frame and the window sill from debris, dust, grease and wipe dry;

- fill the gap with sealant. This will condense it;

- squeeze out the sealant along the junction of the frame and the window sill. It is necessary to extrude evenly, forming a seam of the same thickness;

- cleaning the seam. If the seam is not very large, you can skip this step. Otherwise, you need to remove the excess sealant with a coin;

- place one end of the inner corner blank into the hole filled with sealant at a distance of 10-15 mm;

- carefully pressing the profile to the sealant, fix it along the entire length of the window;

- bring the second end of the profile into the prepared bed.

Advice. If the profile does not adhere tightly to the sealant, it must be pressed down and held slightly until the sealant hardens. If the profile has squeezed out the sealant, then you need to remove it without smearing it.

The advantage of this method of window sill insulation is that, despite the laboriousness, after sealing cracks and holes, a neat, moisture-resistant and durable corner is obtained.

2. It blows from under the sill of a plastic window or a wooden one

The reasons why it blows from below the window sill are the insufficient amount of mounting foam, which fills the distance between the wall and the window sill after installation, or its subsidence.

How and what to fix the foam under the windowsill

There are two options for eliminating blowing.

The first one is suitable, if the window was installed recently, and work on decorating the window opening has not yet been carried out, you can remove the window sill and blow out the junction of the wall and window frame. After that, install the window sill in place.

The second method is suitable for a functioning window. In this case, the mounting foam is blown under plastic window sill. After the foam has hardened, its excess is cut off, and the place of foaming is sealed with plaster.

The process of repairing the window sill on the video

Why does water accumulate on the windowsill of plastic windows

Often, after blowing is eliminated, users are faced with the fact that complete tightness leads to the fact that water accumulates on the windows and window sills of plastic windows. This is the condensate that forms different reasons, in particular:

due to lack of ventilation

due to the significant width of the window sill. It stands for a heating radiator and warm air does not have time to warm up the glass and prevent the appearance of moisture;

high indoor humidity. The appearance of condensate is typical for the kitchen or for rooms in which repairs are being carried out;

low temperature in the rooms;

defects in window installation and slope insulation.

How to get rid of condensation on the windowsill:

install a convection valve;

remove everything superfluous from the windowsill, in particular indoor plants in pots;

replace the heating radiator or replace the window sill with a narrower one;

periodically ventilate the room.

How to eliminate condensation on PVC windows, shown in the video

Plastic windows have practically replaced wooden counterparts from domestic use. Such popularity has led to the emergence of many different intermediary firms that sell and install windows.

Some of them are more expensive, some are cheaper, but often with a drop in price, the quality of the work done also falls, which entails many problems in the future - the appearance of cracks, breakage of fittings, drafts and lack of sound insulation. If it was not possible to avoid poor-quality installation, then it is necessary to eliminate it.

Slopes are the sides of the window opening to which the window frame is attached. The width of the slopes is determined by the thickness outer wall the room in which the window opening is made. That part of the opening that remained in the room is called internal slopes, from the side of the street, respectively, - external.

External and internal slopes perform the same functions - sealing the window structure and giving it aesthetic appearance. Slopes carry out smooth transition from the window to the wall of the room.

A crack in the window slope is a signal that there is a problem in the window structure that needs to be fixed before the defect worsens. The best solution is to call a specialist who will immediately determine the cause of the malfunction and possible ways her decisions.

Wooden windows are environmentally friendly structures, they create a comfortable microclimate in the room. For these qualities, many do not want to part with them. But over time, the tightness of the frame decreases and the window becomes a conductor of cold and draft.

You can solve the problem different ways. How to seal a window for the winter and insulate the gaps between the frame, frame and slopes depends on how durable the repair should be and how much time and money you are willing to spend on it. AT varying degrees effective as the old methods of insulation, which were used by our grandmothers, as well as modern ones, made with the help of technological materials.

We are looking for the cause of cold windows

In order for the insulation work not to be in vain, it is necessary to correctly determine weakness a window that lets in cold air. The reason may lie in different parts of the design:

Slopes (damaged or missing insulation);
Window sill (in its lower part, cracks or bridges of cold may form, which, at first glance, are invisible);
Glass (blowing occurs at the junction of glass to the frame, the putty that closes the joint deteriorates over several seasons and requires regular renewal);
Frame and sashes (shrinkage of the tree, subsidence of the sashes, movement of the soil under the house - all these circumstances lead to the formation of gaps between the frame and the window box).

Defects in a wooden window frame lead to heat loss in winter time

If a visual inspection failed to identify the cause, you can use some tricks. For example, wet your hand with water and bring it to different parts window. An even more sensitive way is a lit candle or a lighter. The flame reacts to any fluctuations in the air, and they will indicate the places of heat loss.

A very old window requires an integrated approach. To achieve good thermal insulation, it is necessary to eliminate all possible cold bridges.. It is enough to insulate structures in good condition around the perimeter of the frame and opening sashes in any way possible.

How to close gaps

Most common problem that owners of houses with wooden windows face is the appearance of gaps between parts of the structure. They are formed as a result of changing the geometry of the window and window opening. In some cases, it is enough to adjust the position of the valves by tightening the mounting loops. But most often the gaps have to be sealed. You can use a lot of improvised and specialized materials for this purpose.

Paper

Made from cellulose fibers good insulation. You can make it yourself from toilet paper or newspapers. To do this, crush the paper and fill it with water. When the mass softens, it is necessary to remove it and squeeze it well. To make the putty more durable, the same amount of clay and twice as much crushed chalk are added to the cellulose.

Sealing a window with paper is one of the most simple ways insulate your house for the winter

The mixture must be used immediately for its intended purpose. You can lay it inside the slots with any convenient tool, for example, a knife or a strong ruler. It is advisable to seal the closed cracks with masking tape, soapy paper or cloth.

In this way, you can insulate windows for the whole winter. But it will not be easy to remove the composition from the slots and the frame, moreover, traces will remain on the surface, which can only be removed by painting.

cotton wool

Such a way to insulate wooden windows for the winter with cotton wool is perhaps the fastest and cheapest. It is necessary to tear off pieces of cotton wool and tightly lay them in the gaps in the window structure. To seal small gaps, it is recommended to use a screwdriver or a knife.

Cotton wool - the cheapest, but also the most short-lived insulation

The advantage of the method is that it is easy to remove cotton wool in the spring, while the window will not lose its appearance. Warming will be effective for one season, since from time to time and under the influence of moisture, cotton wool becomes caked and compacted, so the gaps will have to be filled annually.

Foam rubber

Insulation of old wooden windows can be done using ordinary pieces of foam rubber or special adhesive foam tape. Due to the many air chambers in the pores, this material provides good thermal insulation, but does not save from street noise.

Window insulation with foam rubber

Pieces of foam rubber can be hammered into the gap between the frame and the box, or laid along the perimeter of the working sash and closed tightly. If necessary, insulation is very easy to remove.

Laying adhesive foam tape around the perimeter of the window frame

To apply adhesive tape around the perimeter of the window, you will need to remove the frame from the box. If the gaps are large, then apply foam tape can be several layers until a snug fit is achieved. In the same way, the sashes are insulated. The disadvantage of this method is that when the tape is removed, traces of glue may remain on the frame or pieces of paint may come off..

Rubber compressor

Adhesive tape made of rubber or polyurethane can last for more than one year. And insulate the window with it very quickly. The only drawback is that you will need to spend money on purchasing a tape.

The insulation is in the form of a tube with a cavity inside - this ensures that its shape is maintained even if the sash is actively used. Sealing cracks is not required - this is also a plus.

window thermal insulation Swedish technology- fast and reliable method insulation, but not cheap

Similar materials are used to insulate wooden windows using Swedish technology. But before installing the tape, recesses are made around the perimeter of the frame and sashes, into which the insulation is then inserted.

How to reduce heat loss through glass

Even double-glazed windows plastic windows always cold in winter. Through this part of the structure, the main heat loss occurs. In the case of wooden windows, the situation is especially difficult - the glass is simply inserted into the groove and does not fit tightly.

putty

This method of window insulation partially solves the problem of glass fitting to the frame. But it lasts for 1-2 seasons. After that, the procedure must be repeated.

Putty ensures a tight fit of the glass to the frame

Special window putty or plasticine is suitable for sealing. These materials are equally ductile and adhere well to wood and glass. Apply them with outer side windows at the joint between the glass and the frame. Before using a small piece of material, you need to knead it and evenly, slightly pressing it, cover the gap. The key disadvantage of the method is the destruction of the putty during freezing and the melting of plasticine in the sun.

sealant

The method of sealing the joint using silicone or acrylic sealant is more reliable and durable than the first. But at the same time more troublesome and expensive.

For work, it is recommended to purchase a composition of a transparent color. The sealant is applied to seat glass, that is, in the groove. Therefore, the glass will have to be removed. The composition must be squeezed out with a uniform strip along the entire perimeter and immediately put the glass in place and again pass the sealant along the seam.

Sealing the joint between glass and frame with sealant

small feature, which should be remembered when choosing this method of insulation - the sealant hardens, so then it will not be easy to pull the glass out of the frame if necessary.

Film

The heat-reflecting film, according to manufacturers, can reduce heat loss through glass by 30%. It sticks directly to the glass.

Heat reflective film can be glued on the glass

In order to protect windows for the winter in this way, you need to clean the surface of dirt and degrease, then cut out a piece of film with a margin of 2 cm on each side. Tear off the bottom layer and attach to the glass. Glue it over the entire area with smoothing movements. If wrinkles have formed, you can warm them up a little with a hairdryer, cut off the excess with a clerical knife.

Insulation of the window sill, drainage and slopes

If there are no gaps on the frame, and the heat from the room still escapes, the problem may be the presence of cold bridges in the space under the window sill or inside the slopes. In this case, repair and insulation of wooden windows will be required at the same time.

Mounting foam

Universal insulation for windows - polyurethane foam. It can be used for sealing gaps and mounting slopes.

To exclude heat loss from under the window sill, it is necessary to clean the old fallen off plaster, crumbling foam, caked wool or other type of insulation that has become unusable from the space under it. Then install the foam bottle in the gun and blow the insulation into the slot. It is important to remember that the composition is expanding several times. Excess foam can be easily cut off with a knife after drying.

To seal large gaps under the window sill, it is better to use mounting foam

Also, the foam is blown into the seam between the frame and the wall and along the edges of the slope, then any insulation is laid and a slope made of drywall, plastic or sandwich board is installed. Temporarily it must be fixed on the wall with masking tape. All joints must be sealed with sealant.

Polyethylene film

Insulation of windows wooden house can be done by other methods. A new and still insufficiently proven method is gluing a window opening with a completely transparent plastic wrap . The method is not entirely aesthetic, since it is difficult to glue the film absolutely evenly. It can only be partially leveled with a hair dryer. But, judging by the reviews, the method allows you to reduce the heat loss of the window to the level of a blank wall, which is much more effective than sealing or sealing gaps.

Sealing a window opening with a film significantly reduces heat loss, although it does not look very aesthetically pleasing

Fix the film in different ways:

double sided tape;
Furniture stapler;
Paint tape.

Such protection against cold is easy to install and dismantle. The same film can be used repeatedly.

Since there are many ways to insulate old wooden windows for the winter, it is best to use several at once to eliminate not only obvious problems, but also those that may arise in the cold.

After installing a new plastic window in the room, gaps can usually remain at the joints and junctions of slopes made of PVC panels. self-respecting construction firms at the final stage of window installation, these gaps will be closed so that the consumer receives a finished product that can please the eye. But it also happens that you are not lucky with the company - either in the order of things they leave gaps 1-3 mm wide, or the hands of the workers are so crooked that you cannot expect an accurate result from them.

We can fix the situation ourselves, especially since there is nothing complicated about it. With careful work, it will take 1-1.5 hours for one window.

Traditionally, masking tape is glued along the boundaries of the gap between the slopes so that a narrow strip 2-4 mm wide remains (depending on the width of the gap that we close up). Next, the seam is filled with sealant with some excess (it also depends on the width of the gap). Then, with a sponge or cloth (or a wet finger), we draw along the seam, pressing the sealant into the gap. We remove the remnants of the sealant and remove the adhesive tape.

The main thing here is to choose the “right” adhesive tape, which will not leave glue residue on the slopes and the PVC window frame. And, of course, some tweaking is required.

If masking tape is not at hand, you can do without it.

To work, we need an acrylic sealant white color(choose the color of the panels), a sealant gun, 2 small spatulas (more convenient rubber ones), a piece of sponge and a container of water. We will first clean the joints from dirt and residues of the packaging film. To do this, you can use a small sharp spatula.

If the gaps are narrow, squeeze the sealant in small portions onto a spatula and then apply between the joints with a second spatula.

Having closed a small part of the joint, you need to start removing the remnants of the sealant. This can be done with a damp sponge, which each time you need to outlive in a container of water.

Long sections thus need to be divided into short ones: putty - leveling and removal (washing) of residues. Otherwise, the sealant will dry quickly and be more difficult to remove.

The next day, you need to inspect the work done, and to achieve the best result, in places where the sealant has dried up and retracted, you can repeat the operation again.

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Modern sealants allow you to solve a whole bunch of problems - this is insulation, and sound insulation, and sealing cracks and crevices in dry wooden windows. Some caulking compounds can also be used as an adhesive as they are highly adhesive to different materials. There are many options for sealants and all these proposals need to be sorted out.

We insulate windows for the winter - goals and purposes

The issue of winterizing windows for the winter can still be solved using old-fashioned methods, for example, sealing cracks with paper, tape or strips of old newspapers, stuffing cotton wool or rags. Practical, but not at all aesthetically pleasing - hardly such option is suitable the owner of an apartment that has just been renovated. Modern window sealants make it possible to insulate windows completely imperceptibly - the sealant strips become part of the window, merge with it, in some cases they can be painted or a transparent, colorless option can be chosen.

Some sealants are used at the window installation stage - polyurethane foam wedges the window well and fills all the voids in the walls, and hides perfectly under a layer of plaster or slopes made of PVC or metal. Others can be used immediately before the onset of cold weather, sealing cracks at the window sill and at the junction with the wall. It should be understood that one single sealant for windows will not solve the problem of insulation and sound insulation - you need to use several materials in combination, for indoor and outdoor use. Before going to construction market decide what goals you are pursuing. Window sealant can be:

frost-resistant
refractory
for outdoor use
for sealing seams and cracks indoors
elastic
for painting
transparent
with pigment
UV resistant

None of the existing sealants combines all these qualities. However, all of them in one bottle are not needed. So, frost resistance is important for outdoor sealants, transparency - for sealing joints in large panoramic windows, resistance to ultraviolet radiation useful only if the seams will not be hidden under protective layer paint or plaster. Let's take a closer look at the existing proposals.

We seal from the inside - acrylic and butyl sealants

The sealing of window seams with butyl sealants often occurs already at the stage of assembly of double-glazed windows at the time of production. The butyl compositions are based on a mixture of polyisobutylene with ordinary chalk. Chalk acts as a filler, and the quality of the sealant depends on its quantity. The best ratio is considered to be 50/50, however, many manufacturers prefer to save on more expensive polyisobutylene. Unfortunately for many consumers, it is not until some time after it has been applied and cured that the characteristics of an acquisition can be assessed. Compositions with excessive large quantity chalk quickly dry out, crack and crumble.

Butyl sealants are used exclusively for indoor sealing work. When choosing a composition, pay attention to the components from which it is made - if paraffin or industrial oil is also indicated on the label, then such a sealant will have much better adhesion to different materials.

Another type of sealant for internal works- acrylic. This type is characterized by low vapor permeability, and therefore it is often used to protect mounting foam from moisture and condensate. perfectly stick to any surfaces, even if they are not completely dry. Main disadvantage acrylic sealants - their low elasticity. In frosty weather, they completely harden and may crack. Therefore, sealing window seams from the outside with such compositions does not justify itself at all. The advantages include the fact that acrylic seams can be painted in any color with almost any paint. Therefore, for the most part, such sealants are sold in white.

Butyl tapes are not the same as butyl sealants. Butyl rubber is used as a polymer base in the tapes, as well as a number of plasticizers and fillers. The quality depends on them. finished products, therefore, butyl tapes should be purchased with great care so as not to get on a completely unsuitable sealant. Paraffin and industrial oil are also used as a plasticizer to improve the adhesion of the material.

When working with butyl compounds, it is important to carefully remove the remnants of dirt, paint and old putty. It does not hurt to coat the places where the seam will pass with a special primer. Using acrylic sealants, you can do without any primers.

Sealants for outdoor use - explore offers

Silicone compounds have been and remain among the most affordable and most popular sealants for sealing joints on the outside. Most often, you can find white window sealant on sale - this is due to the color of PVC windows, often also white. However, silicone is actually colorless, and clear versions can also be found commercially. The most important advantage of such a sealant is its high elasticity, which is maintained even at very low temperatures. In addition, silicone sealant is not afraid of exposure to moisture and ultraviolet radiation, which makes it suitable for winterizing windows.

The main component of such compositions is rubber, which feels great on any surface. Since it is completely safe, silicone sealant is often used for interior work. However, when buying it, you must either select in advance desired color, or do not paint the seams in the future, since the paint falls on silicone very poorly and does not hold well after drying. Acid silicone sealant is considered the highest quality, which is easily recognizable by the smell of vinegar. However, such compositions are incompatible with metal surfaces.

When buying window sealant, choose one that contains fungicides in the composition, in this case you will avoid the appearance of mold on the seams.

It has a serious drawback - "musicality". It's about that when the composition is applied to the seam between the glass and the frame, it forms thin film. After a while, this film can peel off the glass, and then the windows begin to whistle in the truest sense of the word in unison with the gusts of wind. Whistling can only be eliminated by sealing the seam with a new layer of sealant after removing the old one. By the way, it is sometimes removed quite by accident, one has only to pull the hanging strings of a thin film.

Among the new products on the market are acrylic silicone sealants, which combine the qualities of acrylic and silicone. Such sealants have high elasticity and at the same time they can be painted. However, they also cost more. If it's important to you high level sealing seams and surfaces, then the best choice- This is a thiokol sealant. They are based on polysulfide oligomers - a component that provides a high degree of fluidity and viscosity after solidification. The high cost of thiokol compounds is justified by a very powerful sealing. Working with them is quite difficult, because you have to mix the two components yourself, so they are often used only by professionals.