Good points all around. I've actually seen issues from overly sealed joints trapping moisture behind the trim—especially when sealants start cracking or shrinking after a few seasons. Like you mentioned, small intentional gaps aren't about leaving spaces wide open:
"The idea isn't to leave wide-open gaps, but rather small, intentional spaces that allow any trapped moisture to escape naturally."
Exactly this. A small air gap with proper flashing behind can save you trouble down the road...it's counterintuitive but it works surprisingly well in practice.
Yeah, learned this the hard way myself. When we first moved in, I went a bit overboard sealing up every joint around our windows—thought I was being thorough. Fast forward a couple years, and I'm pulling off trim boards to find moldy insulation and damp plywood behind. Not fun.
"A small air gap with proper flashing behind can save you trouble down the road..."
Exactly. After that mess, I redid everything with aluminum trim and left those tiny gaps you're talking about. Felt weird at first, like I was leaving things unfinished, but it's been dry ever since. Sometimes what feels like common sense isn't always the best solution...
I get the logic behind leaving small gaps, but honestly it still feels counterintuitive to me. When I bought my first place, I had a similar issue—thought sealing everything tight was the way to go. Ended up with condensation trapped behind the trim and some nasty surprises when I finally took it apart.
"Felt weird at first, like I was leaving things unfinished..."
Exactly how I felt redoing mine. Curious though, anyone notice drafts or energy loss after leaving those gaps? Seems like there'd be a trade-off somewhere...
Ended up with condensation trapped behind the trim and some nasty surprises when I finally took it apart. Exactly how I felt redoing mine.
I've wondered about drafts too, honestly. When I redid mine, I left small gaps after hearing similar horror stories about condensation. Haven't noticed any real energy loss or drafts yet, but it still feels kinda strange leaving things "unfinished"... guess time will tell.
"Haven't noticed any real energy loss or drafts yet, but it still feels kinda strange leaving things 'unfinished'... guess time will tell."
Yeah, I totally get that feeling. When I redid mine, I debated forever about leaving those tiny gaps—felt like I was just inviting drafts in, you know? But after seeing the moldy mess behind the old trim (seriously, it was like a horror movie back there), I figured a little airflow couldn't hurt. Been about two years now and honestly haven't noticed any difference in heating bills or comfort levels.
Still, every time winter rolls around, part of me wonders if I'm secretly losing heat without realizing it. Anyone else ever get paranoid about this stuff? Or is it just me overthinking again...
I had the same hesitation when I redid my windows a few years back. Left a tiny gap thinking it might help with ventilation and prevent moisture buildup—especially after seeing some nasty rot behind the old wood trim. Honestly, I spent the first winter convinced I'd made a huge mistake and was secretly bleeding heat everywhere. But after checking heating bills and comfort levels, nothing really changed.
Funny thing is, even knowing that, every cold snap still has me second-guessing myself. I think it's just part of the DIY curse—once you've seen what's lurking behind old trim, you can't unsee it. Sounds like you're probably fine though, especially if you haven't noticed drafts or energy loss yet. Give it another season or two, and you'll probably forget all about those gaps...until someone else brings it up on a forum again, haha.
Interesting, I've been debating aluminum trim myself but keep hearing mixed opinions on condensation issues. Did you do anything special to mitigate moisture buildup behind the aluminum, or am I overthinking this?
You're right to think about condensation—it's definitely not overthinking. When I did mine, I made sure to install a breathable house wrap behind the aluminum. Proper sealing and leaving a slight gap for airflow helps too...haven't had any moisture issues yet.
Interesting points about the breathable wrap and airflow gap. When I redid my window trim last year, I went with aluminum too, but honestly didn't think much about condensation at the time. Now I'm wondering if maybe I should have been more cautious... I did seal everything up pretty tightly, but didn't intentionally leave any gaps for airflow. Haven't noticed any moisture issues yet, but it's only been one winter so far—maybe too soon to tell?
One thing I did differently was using foam insulation strips behind the aluminum trim. Figured it'd help with thermal bridging and maybe keep condensation down indirectly. Not sure if that's technically effective or just wishful thinking on my part though. Has anyone else tried something similar? Curious if there's a noticeable difference over time.
I've seen foam strips used behind aluminum trim before, and honestly, I think you're onto something there. It might not be a perfect fix, but reducing thermal bridging definitely helps cut down condensation risks. Curious to see how it holds up after a few more winters though...