Finish carpenters caulking outside corners instead of mitering them, and it shows up a year later

Rose Bennett · 2026-10-22T00:05:04.213098+00:00

I did a punch list in Rochester back in March and counted seven outside corners on a set of built-ins where someone had run a bead of painter's caulk down the joint instead of fitting the miter tight. Looked fine when they left. Eight months later every one of them had a hairline crack because the two boards move at different rates and the caulk just gives up. I know this because the homeowner sent me photos of the splits before I ever showed up, and I wound up ripping two face frames back down to bare wood. A real miter with a glued spline takes maybe ten extra minutes per corner and it stays put. Caulk is for where two planes meet a wall, not for hiding a gap in your joinery. What are you all doing on outside corners where the wall is never square, because I am still fighting the case where the drywall bulges an eighth over the stud.

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Finish carpenters caulking outside corners instead of mitering them, and it shows up a year later | Carpenters - Hub Chatter