How to Caulk a Camper

trailer image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com

Unlike cars and trucks, campers have multiple seams. As campers are often exposed to all types of weather, the caulk sealing these seams eventually wears down. Caulking a leaky camper is familiar to anyone with modest home improvement skills, since the tools and skills are almost identical to those used in repairing the caulk in your home.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Pocket knife
Putty knife
Wire brush
Caulking gun
Exterior house or marine caulk

Step 1

Inspect all the seams of your camper for crumbling caulk or openings that could cause leaks, and not just the areas that appear to have leaks. Water could be entering the camper from one area and migrating to drip out of another. Areas to inspect include window and door frames, as well as wherever any exterior panels in the camper meet.

Step 2

Remove any old, crumbling caulk. Take out either the entire line of caulk, or the crumbling parts plus 1 inch worth of good caulk, on both ends of the crumbling area. The tools you may need to completely remove all caulk include a pocket knife, putty knife and wire brush.

Step 3

Put down masking tape around the seam to be caulked if you are new to using a caulking gun. This is similar to using masking tape to keep paint off window panes.

Step 4

Apply a new bead of caulk into the seam with a caulking gun, using slow, steady pressure to produce a uniform bead all the way down the line.

Step 5

Shape the bead of caulk and trim away excess caulk with a pocket knife and/or putty knife as desired. Allow the caulk to dry for at least eight hours.

Step 6

Pull away the masking tape if you used it, cutting excess caulk free from the main bead as you go.

Article Written By Edwin Thomas

Edwin Thomas has been writing since 1997. His work has appeared in various online publications, including The Black Table, Proboxing-Fans and others. A travel blogger, editor and writer, Thomas has traveled from Argentina to Vietnam in pursuit of stories. He holds a Master of Arts in international affairs from American University.

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