10 Best Caulks for Windows of 2023 – Reviews & Top Picks

If you were in the market for caulking for windows, you might be surprised to see how many different brands there are and wonder which one is best. Not all brands are good for windows, and it’s normal to have questions about what you need to weatherize your windows correctly.

We’ve chosen 10 different brands of window caulk to review for you, and we’ll go over the pros and cons of each one and tell you about our experience using them. We’ve also included a short buyer’s guide where we talk about exactly what makes a good window caulk.

Join us while we talk about ease of application, colors, curing time, and more to help you make an informed purchase.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2023

Rating	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		Gorilla Clear Silicone Sealant Caulk	100% silicone sealant Works on any surface Completely waterproof	CHECK PRICE
Best Value		GE GE500 Silicone Sealant Caulk	100% Silicon Weatherproof Permanently flexible	CHECK PRICE
Premium Choice		Flex Shot Rubber Adhesive Sealant Caulk	Works on most surfaces Doesn’t require a caulking gun Expands and contracts to fill holes	CHECK PRICE
		Loctite Clear Silicone Waterproof Sealant	No cracking shrinking or peeling Impact-resistant Flexible	CHECK PRICE
		Sashco 10016 Caulk	Durable Indoor and outdoor Remains flexible	CHECK PRICE

The 10 Best Caulks for Windows

1. Gorilla Clear Silicone Sealant Caulk – Best Overall

Gorilla Clear Silicone Sealant Caulk is our pick for the best overall caulk for windows. It’s a 100% silicone sealant that dries completely waterproof. You can expose it to water in 30 minutes, and it dries clear—so it won’t look out of place. It’s perfect for windows, but you can use it on any surface. It’s flexible and doesn’t change color, shrink, or crack from heat or sunlight. It’s also mold and mildew resistant.

We found that Gorilla Clear Caulk works very well, and our only problem is that it stays tacky for a long time after you apply it, and it can collect dirt and pet hair while it is.

2. GE GE500 Silicone Sealant Caulk – Best Value

GE GE500 Silicone Sealant Caulk is our pick as the best caulk for windows for the money. It’s a 100% silicone caulking that’s weatherproof and rain-ready in only 30 minutes. It stays permanently flexible and, once dry, is weatherproof. It has stronger adhesion than ordinary caulking, and it won’t shrink or crack. It’s resistant to sunlight, heat, and ultraviolet rays, and it won’t freeze in the winter. It’s mold-resistant, doesn’t change color over time, and won’t discolor any metal.

The only downside to GE GE500 Silicone is that it dries a cloudy grey, and since you can’t paint it, it doesn’t look as nice as some other brands.

3. Flex Shot Rubber Adhesive Sealant Caulk – Premium Choice

Flex Shot Rubber Adhesive Sealant Caulk is our premium choice caulk for windows. It features a unique design that does not require a cocking gun. Simply flex the tip, and the product comes out smoothly and consistently. It expands and contracts to fill in gaps and holes, and there’s no running or dripping while you are applying it. It dries completely waterproof and won’t shrink over time. It’s available in several colors, including clear white, black, and beige, and some colors are mildew resistant.

The only thing we didn’t like about Flex Shot is that it’s not water-soluble, so it’s considerably harder to clean up than other brands and requires alcohol. It also has a strong odor and requires plenty of ventilation.

4. Loctite Clear Silicone Waterproof Sealant

Loctite Clear Silicone Waterproof Sealant is a two-in-one product that bonds and seals. It’s 100% silicone and works on multiple surfaces. Its impact-resistant but remains flexible and will even work underwater. It won’t crack, shrink, or peel, and its adhesive properties will help you bond things around the home.

We feel that Loctite is a great general-purpose sealer and glue, but the container is very small, so you will only be able to do a few windows before you need to replace the tube. We tried two tubes, which both leaked towards the bottom, and the caps cracked on both as well, so we were unable to reseal them properly.

5. Sashco 10016 Caulk

Sashco 10016 Caulk is durable and easy to apply with any cocking gun. It comes out easily and stops when you let go of the trigger so you could keep your bead even. It’s a durable caulk, and we have places in our home where it’s held steadily with no shrinking or cracking for more than two years. It binds tightly to the surface and remains flexible.

Sashco is a great all-around caulk, but it’s not perfect for windows because there are no anti-mildew ingredients. If you live in an area where moisture collects on the windows, mold and mildew can grow on parts of the house that don’t receive much sunlight. It also takes a long time to cure and is a dirt magnet while you’re waiting and prefer clear caulking to white because you can use it in more places.

6. DAP 801 Caulk

DAP 801 Caulk is a two in one adhesive and sealant. It works on multiple surfaces, including glass and wood, and remains permanently flexible. It produces very few volatile organic compounds (VOCs) while you’re applying it, and it won’t shrink over time from heat or cold weather. Its unique formula allows you to apply it even in wet weather and cold temperatures.

Our problem with DAP 801 Caulk was that it was quite runny compared to other brands, which made it very hard to get a steady, smooth bead. It also caused it to drip out of place, get on our hands, and make for a lot of cleanup work.

7. Red Devil 0846 Caulk

Red Devil 0846 Caulk provides you with a smooth finish when it cures. It features an advanced silicone acrylic formula that’s resistant to weathering, mildew, ultraviolet rays, and moisture. It’s available in several colors, and you can also paint it once it dries. Cleanup is easy with soap and water.

Our main problem with Red Devil 0846 was that we couldn’t get it to stick to anything, and it was a real pain to use for ceiling windows.

8. Red Devil Squeeze Window & Door Caulk

Red Devil Squeeze Window & Door Caulk is the brand of quick-drying caulk that you can expose to water in just a few minutes. It dries white, but you can paint it if you need a specific color. It’s not too runny, doesn’t have a strong odor, and the EZ Squeeze tube removes the need for a caulking gun. It also cleans up quickly with warm water.

Like the previous caulking by Red Devil, Red Devil Squeeze Window & Door Caulk doesn’t stick very well to many surfaces and can be especially difficult to apply to window frames. We found it even more difficult to apply vertically while trying to use the EZ Squeeze applicator.

9. DAP 18152 Acrylic Latex Caulk

DAP 18152 Acrylic Latex Caulk features a sturdily constructed container that won’t leak out the back or sides like many other brands. It hardly produces any odor at all, and it’s easy to clean up with warm soapy water. It features mildew resistant ingredients, and you can paint it 30 minutes after you apply it.

When we first applied the DAP 18152, we liked the way it looked and the easy cleanup, but we found that it tends to shrink and split in areas that remain dry. In areas exposed to moisture, like our windows, the caulking seemed to dissolve after a few exposures, and we needed to replace it quite often. While you can paint it in 30 minutes, it takes a very long time to cure completely, and we found spots that weren’t completely cured weeks after application.

10. Loctite OSI Sealants 1868684 Caulk

Loctite OSI Sealants 1868684 Caulk is a thick caulk that will last several years, even under the harshest of conditions. Its white color won’t yellow over time, but you can also paint it. It cures in 24 hours to be completely waterproof and weather resistant.

The biggest downside to Loctite OSI is that it’s so thick, it’s nearly impossible to get out of the tube, and we needed to buy an industrial strength caulking gun to do so. The problem with using so much pressure to get the product out of the container is that it often created too large a bead. Trying to wipe away excess makes a huge mess, and it’s hard to clean up because it requires mineral spirits. The combined order of mineral spirits and cocking requires quite a bit of ventilation to make it through even small jobs.

Buyer’s Guide – Finding the Best Window Caulk

Here are a few things to consider before purchasing window caulk.

Latex vs. Silicone

One of the first things you’ll need to consider when purchasing a caulk for windows is whether you want a latex-based or silicone caulk.

Latex Caulk

Latex caulk is much easier to clean up than silicone, and it usually involves less surface preparation. It’s also much easier to clean up and only requires warm soapy water. However, latex is not as durable and tends to shrink and crack, especially when exposed to the weather. You may find you need to reapply it much more often than silicone, especially on the outside of the windows.

Silicone Caulk

Silicone caulk will need mineral spirits to clean up, you can’t paint it, and it has a much stronger odor than latex. However, it usually remains flexible and can maintain a seal even as temperature changes cause movement in the material. It’s much more resistant to water and ultraviolet light, so it tends to last many times longer than latex, especially in harsh environments.

Coloring

If you are using a silicone-based window caulk, you can’t paint it. So if you need a color, you will need a brand that comes in a color you desire. Most silicone caulks are either clear or white, but you can find them in other colors as well, especially browns and black. We prefer clear because it’s the least noticeable, and colors besides white tend to be hard to match with the colors of your home.

Most and Mildew Resistant

Windows don’t see as much humidity as your bathroom shower. Still, a considerable amount of condensation occurs around many windows, which produces an environment that’s right for mold and mildew to grow. A mold and mildew resistant window caulk will have ingredients that prevent the growth of mildew.

Size

One more thing you might want to consider before you purchase window caulk is how big the job is. It can be difficult to close the containers after use, and many times, the product dries out in the container before you get a chance to use it again. If you only have a small job with a few windows to seal, you can probably get away with one of the smaller tubes of caulking. Many smaller tubes don’t require a caulking gun, are easy to use, and result in less waste. If you need to do several windows, you will need a standard size window caulk.

Conclusion

Latex caulking has plenty of uses around the home, but in areas where there is a lot of moisture—like the shower, toilets, and windows—you may find a silicone-based caulk is the better choice. The best window caulks like Gorilla Clear Silicone Sealant Caulk are mold and mildew resistant, waterproof, and remain flexible through temperature changes to provide a tight seal. GE GE500 Silicone Sealant Caulk is another great choice, especially if you are on a tight budget and need something with adhesive properties.

We hope you have enjoyed reading over our reviews and buyer’s guide for the best caulks for windows and found them helpful. If we have answered some of your questions, please share this guide to the best caulk for windows on Facebook and Twitter.