How Often Should Commercial Caulking Be Done On Your Property?

Elmhurst, IL is a great place to live, but the climate means our buildings need all the protection they can get. The temperature changes throughout the year from an average of 18°F to 84°F, with lots of rain and snow thrown into the mix.

Commercial buildings need great caulking to stop the wind, rain, and more from getting into the building and causing problems. If you’re in charge of building maintenance, how often should you schedule commercial caulking?

Let’s take a quick look at the answer to that question.

The Role of Commercial Caulking

Caulk is the flexible substance used to fill gaps in buildings. You’ll often see exterior caulking around joints, window frames, and doors. It is useful for sealing gaps that are up to 1/4 inch in width.

Benefits of Caulking

There are many caulk applications, and they can be injected into the tightest of spaces. Air infiltration is responsible for 13% of the heating load and 4% of the cooling load of commercial buildings. Keeping your building tightly sealed could reduce your energy consumption and carbon footprint.

Caulking can keep moisture issues under control by keeping moist air, rain, and snow out of your building.

Commercial caulking also helps to keep pests out. Insects and bugs can crawl in through the tiniest of cracks and make their home in your building. Keeping the tiniest of cracks sealed is your best form of defense.

How Often Should You Replace Commercial Caulking?

As part of your annual preventative maintenance inspection, take a look at all of your external caulking. Note any areas that are starting to fail and plan to replace them.

In most commercial buildings, the caulking will have been replaced piecemeal over the years. You can either continue this policy of repairing as needed or decide to renovate all of the caulking at once.

Caulk is very resilient when it is first applied. But as the years go by, it cannot resist humidity and temperature changes as well as it could before. 

Silicone caulk is the most durable type. It can last for over twenty years. On the other hand, polyurethane caulk only lasts up to ten years. It is more susceptible to UV radiation, which causes it to break down more quickly.

Maintaining Commercial Caulking

Regular cleaning can prevent the buildup of pollutants and dirt on the caulk. Window cleaning services can wipe down the caulking on your exterior windows to keep them in good condition for as long as possible.

Some cleaning companies also offer commercial caulking services. They are well placed to do this, as they have the ladders and safety equipment needed to access exterior windows safely. Once you have finished your maintenance inspection, talk to a local window cleaning company about how they can help.

Let Anchor World Services Care for Your Commercial Caulking

At Anchor World Services, we’re proud to provide janitorial services and more to the businesses of Elmhurst, IL. We offer commercial caulking solutions that can keep your building well-sealed and protected from the elements.

Call us today at (773) 533-3030 or reach out online to find out more about how we can be of service.