Caulking is the boring service nobody Googles until they have a $5,000 water-damage repair bill from a $200 problem they ignored. Red Stag's caulking and weatherproofing service is the one that prevents the disaster — bathroom re-caulks, window perimeters, exterior stucco joints, door weatherstripping, threshold seals. The work is small, the visit is fast, and the savings are massive: caulk maintained at $200 every five years vs. $5,000 of water-damaged subfloor and drywall every fifteen.
LA's climate is hard on caulk for a specific reason: UV exposure. The same sun that makes the city beautiful breaks down standard latex and acrylic sealants three to five times faster than caulk in the Pacific Northwest or the Northeast. Exterior caulk that would last 15 years in Portland fails in 4–6 in Sherman Oaks or Calabasas. Add the seismic micro-movement that every LA home experiences continuously, and you have caulk joints that need active maintenance every 4–7 years on the exterior and every 5–8 years in wet bathrooms. Most homeowners don't even notice the failure until water has been getting behind for months.
The most common caulk failure we see is the bathroom tub-to-tile and shower-corner joint. The pattern is always the same: original silicone was applied 8–12 years ago, the joint is now black at the edges (mold), split down the middle (movement failure), or pulling away from the tile (adhesion failure). The right fix is total removal — not a re-bead over the old caulk, which is what amateur jobs do. We score, scrape, and chemically clean the joint, dry it for 30+ minutes, then bead with industrial-grade mold-resistant silicone (GE Sanitary 100% Silicone, NSI 781, or DAP Kwik Seal Plus depending on the surface). The new bead lasts 8–12 years if maintained.
Window perimeters are the second most common — and the most overlooked. Original window installation includes a backer rod and a perimeter caulk bead between the window frame and the rough opening. That caulk fails on a 5–8 year cycle. When it fails, you don't see water inside the home (yet) — you see condensation on the glass in winter, drafts from the corners, and slowly rising heating bills. Catch it now and a re-caulk is $65–$135 per window. Catch it after water has been seeping into the wall cavity for two years and it's a $3,000–$8,000 drywall and frame repair.
Exterior stucco-to-trim caulking is the LA-specific weatherproofing call we make every week. Stucco moves seasonally — it expands and contracts with humidity, heat, and seismic activity. The trim around windows, doors, and corner boards moves at a different rate. The joint between them needs a flexible, paintable, UV-resistant sealant (typically Sherwin-Williams Loxon Sealant, OSI Quad, or DAP Dynaflex Ultra). Red Stag's exterior caulking service includes scraping the failed sealant, cleaning the joint with isopropyl, taping the bead lines, and applying a tooled bead in a color matched to your existing trim paint. Done right, it stops water intrusion for 10+ years.
Flat-rate pricing across all 29 of our LA County service cities. Final price is locked in before any work begins.
| Service Type | Flat-Rate Price (USD) |
|---|---|
| Single shower or tub re-caulk | $185–$345 |
| Full bathroom re-caulk (3–5 joints) | $285–$485 |
| Window perimeter re-caulk (per window) | $65–$135 |
| Exterior trim and stucco caulking (per side) | $285–$685 |
| Door weatherstripping replacement (per door) | $135–$245 |
| Door threshold + sweep replacement | $185–$285 |
| Kitchen sink and countertop re-seal | $135–$235 |
| Toilet base re-set with new wax ring | $185–$285 |
Click your city for local pricing, response time, and the housing-stock context that makes caulking & weatherproofing different in your neighborhood.
A standard single shower or tub re-caulk in LA runs $185–$345 flat-rate, including total removal of the old caulk, surface cleaning, and a new bead of industrial-grade mold-resistant silicone. A full bathroom (shower, tub, sink, toilet base, plus the floor-to-tile joint) typically runs $285–$485. The new bead, if maintained, lasts 8–12 years.
In Los Angeles, exterior caulk lasts 4–7 years before UV and seismic movement cause failure (vs. 10–15 years in cooler, more stable climates). Bathroom silicone lasts 8–12 years if maintained. Window perimeter caulk lasts 5–8 years. We recommend a full-house caulk inspection every 5 years and exterior re-caulk on a 7-year cycle.
Old caulk has to come off first. New caulk does not bond to weathered or contaminated caulk — the joint will look fine for a few months and then fail. Red Stag's process is always: score, scrape, chemically clean, dry, then bead. Caulking over old caulk is the fastest way to fail an inspection or void a sealant warranty.
Bathroom wet-area joints get 100% silicone with mold inhibitors (GE Sanitary 100, NSI 781, or DAP Kwik Seal Plus depending on the surface). Window and trim perimeters get paintable acrylic-latex with silicone (DAP Alex Plus or Sherwin-Williams Power House). Exterior stucco joints get high-elasticity polyurethane (OSI Quad, Sherwin Loxon, DAP Dynaflex Ultra) in a color matched to your existing trim.
Yes. We carry standard whites, almonds, beige, gray, and black silicone for interior wet areas, and we match exterior trim caulk to your home's actual paint color (we'll either match a paint code you provide, or take a chip to color-match at the supplier before the visit). Color matching is included in the flat-rate price — no upcharge.