It's got a shelf life of 12 months so get it from somewhere that has a good turnover of stock and check the manufacturing date, which is printed on the cartridge before buying.
If the gap is more than a few mm you are probably best to use some 'window sealing strip' and or some form of packing.
If you want to make a nice job, have a couple of practice runs first, or start on the least-visible section.