# Caulking inside of skylights



## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

I have 2 skylights that need filling/caulking on the inside. zThe roof and old skylights have been replaced and the new skylights have uneven gaps between it and the skylight walls. The tops of the skylight walls need razor blade trimming, then I am not sure what to do. I am worried about expansion and contraction. Filling it with Durabond would not allow for this. I am wondering if I should clean the tops of the edges of the walls near the skylights, then squeeze foam rope backing in, then caulk and paint. Here are some photos:

















































Obviously there is some wall repair, but while I have painted skylights, even to the point of getting jittery from claustraphobia, I have never had to come behind a new installation with old walls. The owner of this rental is gold, so I want to do a very good job.

futtyos


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## deadend (Aug 1, 2013)

...the size of that gap you may be better off just 
casing it with some type of brick mould maybe...


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

deadend said:


> ...the size of that gap you may be better off just
> casing it with some type of brick mould maybe...


Exactly...i was thinking 1/4 round...maybe flat stock 1/4" x1"....?

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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*more questions*



deadend said:


> ...the size of that gap you may be better off just
> casing it with some type of brick mould maybe...


Should I fill in the gap with foam rope backing, then caulk, then install moulding, prime and paint? I am not sure if there is anything to nail the moulding into.

futtyos


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

Yeah, just trim it out with some shoe or quarter round. You just need long (1 1/2 or 2") brad nails. They'll find wood.

Alternatively, just use some powergrab and glue them. Wipe the excess powergrab, and you just caulked it in the same step.


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## PNW Painter (Sep 5, 2013)

That’s a pretty large gap to caulk. If you decide to go this route you’ll want to use backer rod and a product such as quad or sikaflex. Typical acrylic caulks you find at most paint stores aren’t rated to fill that large of a gap.

If you end using quad or sika just remember that they need about a week to cure before they’re paintable. 


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## mudbone (Dec 26, 2011)

For a nice clean look that's pleasing to the eye I would just durabond the gaps, fibafuse for strength and resist cracking then follow up with an elastomeric caulk where the two substates meet.


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*Trim kit available*

I was thinking about the comments here so far and looking more at my photos. I zoomed in on the brand name plate and saw it was a Velux skylight. I called Velux and asked what the best way to fill in the gaps would be. The tech support, Will, said that there is a trim kit available for this, ZZZ-213 

file:///C:/Users/LNV/Downloads/18441001%20(3).pdf

and that it was available at HD, Lowes as well as various contractor outlets. I checked HD for this

https://www.homedepot.com/p/VELUX-S...e-for-VSE-VS-and-FS-Models-ZZZ-213B/204091359

and it said that the trim kit is supposed to be installed at the same time the new skylight is installed. The roof and skylights were just replaced, so I am wondering if I should contact the landlord and have him find out why the roofing crew did not install the interior trim kit when they installed the skylights.

Here is a link for a comparison bewteen untrimmed and trimmed skylights. The untrimmed pretty much looks like my skylights do:

http://skylightguys.com/media/catal...27136e95/s/k/skylight-trim-kit-difference.jpg

I guess I will have to wait until Monday or Tuesday to find more out, then find out how where I can go locally to purchase these kits as HD doesn't stock them, then find out what the landlord wants to do.

futtyos


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

You could use any trim. It doesnt have to be the company trim kit. You can spend $5 for a piece of casing and $3 for a tube of powergrab, instead of $35 for the kit.


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*Need to check this out*



Woodco said:


> You could use any trim. It doesnt have to be the company trim kit. You can spend $5 for a piece of casing and $3 for a tube of powergrab, instead of $35 for the kit.


Woodco, you may be right, but I want to actually see the trim kit as it looks like it will fit the skylight in a way that it is engineered to do. After I see the actual materials I will try and visualize whether it would be best to use the trim kit or fabricate my own.

I really appreciate all the comments as they have helped me move forward on this. I will post as i find out more info.

futtyos


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## loaded brush (Dec 27, 2007)

futtyos said:


> I was thinking about the comments here so far and looking more at my photos. I zoomed in on the brand name plate and saw it was a Velux skylight. I called Velux and asked what the best way to fill in the gaps would be. The tech support, Will, said that there is a trim kit available for this, ZZZ-213
> 
> file:///C:/Users/LNV/Downloads/18441001%20(3).pdf
> 
> ...


Why bother. I bet the roofers said, "Hey dont worry bout it. Tha painter will fix it"


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*It's a paying job*



loaded brush said:


> Why bother. I bet the roofers said, "Hey dont worry bout it. Tha painter will fix it"


The owner wants me to caulk the skylights, but I doubt he has poked his head up to look closely at what is going on. I am sure that he does not know that there is a trim kit that should have been installed when the skylights were replaced.

I could assume a number of things.

If I tell the owner about the trim kit, he might want the roofers to install them. If the roofers were too incompetent to install them at the right time, who is to say that they will do a good job after the skylights were installed. If they screw up, this will make more work that the owner will have to pay for.

I like to let customers know what is going on, but the friend who referred me for this job said to just go ahead and install the trim kits and charge the owner for the installation.

According to the company, the trim kit is supposed to help seal the skylight better than a do-it-yourself operation.

Loaded brush, what would you do if you were in this situation?

futtyos


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

Jeeze!! Sell em a trim kit!!!

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## Wildbill7145 (Apr 30, 2014)

If the company says installing the trim kit is required to seal the skylight, I'd have to assume not doing so would void any warranty. Personally, I'd say that's bs though because if water leaks to the point where it's hitting the interior trim kit the skylight's already failed and the water is now in the building. What's an interior trim kit gonna do about that?


Skylights around here are a major source of water damage. I can't remember seeing one that hasn't leaked and caused havoc on ceilings.


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

I was under the impression that a trim kit would be purely aesthetic...


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## loaded brush (Dec 27, 2007)

My job would not be to make sure it does not leak. That falls upon the installers, all you have to do is make it look esthetically pleasing, which as mentioned before either back fill it durabond, skim it to a nice finish, caulk if needed and paint it or throw piece of trim around it and be done with it.


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## ParamountPaint (Aug 25, 2016)

Trim kit is for exterior. That is the new flashing.

Use some durabond,shoe molding, door casing, whatever. Inside is appearance only.


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

ParamountPaint said:


> Trim kit is for exterior. That is the new flashing.
> 
> Use some durabond,shoe molding, door casing, whatever. Inside is appearance only.


Take another look:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/VELUX-S...204091359?irgwc=1&cm_mmc=afl-ir-27795-456723-

The trim kit in the above link is for between the interior of the skylight and the drywall. I haven't come across too much drywall on the exterior of a roof. Velux does have trim for the exterior, but this is not it.

futtyos


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## painterina (May 25, 2015)

The gap is pretty wide, 1" to 1.5" if I guess correctly. Yes, the gap can be filled with foam backer rod then caulked, but probably won't be easy. As other members suggested, putting up some molding would look better. Using the HD trim kit probably be best (better seal & insulation), but they say it must be installed at the same time (likely attached to the skylight frame first) and not after the skylight is in. 

I made some quick drawings based on the skylight photos. Just some alternatives --wood board could also be used to cover the gap (e.g. poplar hobby board @ HD, thickness: 1/4" or thicker, width: 1.5" to 3"..)

Side-note: In pic #3 and #4, tops of walls need to be cut a bit..


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## jr.sr. painting (Dec 6, 2013)

Use ranch style door stop, or lattice, both are cheap and available at any mill or big box. Don't know your carpentry skills... however flat stock is easier to cut and line up if you don't have a chop saw. Will look better, last longer, and cheaper than the factory trim kit.


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## Gentle (Aug 19, 2018)

Yes! That's great advice. 


deadend said:


> ...the size of that gap you may be better off just
> casing it with some type of brick mould maybe...


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

Once again, a simple issue being way over thunk. 

First off, I have never heard of a roofing crew ever being concerned about the inside aspect of a skylight. As long as it’s in with flashing and shingles in place, they are done. 

Second, just trim it out and then caulk as needed. If the landlord is such a cheap weenie that he won’t pay for that, or just doesn’t care, do what he wants and squirt the damned caulk in there and call it good. Will it look like ****? Yeah, but it’s a rental and obviously he just wants it done so he can rent it out or forget about it.


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