*
The best way to learn how to caulk is to stick with latex or water based caulks until you learn your technique. Water based caulks can be wiped away with a wet rag and re-done until you are satisfied with the results. Rubber based, silicones, and polyurathanes take some skill when looks count and you only gain those skills with lots of experience.
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Get expert guidance on finding a fixer-upper that's worth the effort.
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Fine Homebuilding Magazine
Fine Home Building
Follow
-
Fine Homebuilding
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial Now -
GBA Prime
Get instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
- Home Group
- Antique Trader
- Arts & Crafts Homes
- Bank Note Reporter
- Cabin Life
- Cuisine at Home
- Fine Gardening
- Fine Woodworking
- Green Building Advisor
- Garden Gate
- Horticulture
- Keep Craft Alive
- Log Home Living
- Military Trader/Vehicles
- Numismatic News
- Numismaster
- Old Cars Weekly
- Old House Journal
- Period Homes
- Popular Woodworking
- Script
- ShopNotes
- Sports Collectors Digest
- Threads
- Timber Home Living
- Traditional Building
- Woodsmith
- World Coin News
- Writer's Digest
Replies
*
10-4 the above recommendations. Most importantly, use painter's masking tape (not regular masking tape - too sticky) to isolate the area where you want the caulk to end up. You'll be amazed at the crisp line you can caulk with this method, say where wood meets sheetrock. The hard part is knowing when to remove the tape. That comes with practice, but in general the sooner the better since most caulks are adhesive to some degree. LOL, and let us know how you make out.
*
Gentlemen:
I can't caulk freehand very well, but I've seen it done beautifully. Aside from a steady hand, which I don't have, there is the technique of cutting the tip twice. First cut at a 45 to get a wiping tool, and then cut a notch into the long point to allow the right size and shape of bead.
For those of us with the shakes who need a perfect decorative bead, I suggest making a tool. With something like a popsicle stick, wipe the course bead down into 3 parts. The center will have a nice concave, convex, or flat finish with two lines of waste astride it. After the caulk has cured, these waste lines can be pulled off cleanly to leave a smooth and masterfully shaped bead.
Steadily, Fred
*If you have godlike flow control, you won't even have two lines of waste. Don't put down too large a bead in the first place, and don't let a whole pile of excess caulk build up on the tooling device (which in my case is always a thumb). Rememer that the caulk shrinks as it dries, esp. latex.Polyseamseal has been the easiest for me to get good-looking results.
*Does anybody use masking tape?
*Sam D:Can you give me a name brand for the caulking gun you refer to.PleaseJason
*Newborn is the gun I prefer. They don't drip & lay a good bead
*J- I believe the brand is "Cox", it says "Made in England" on the handle. They come in both standard and large sizes and I *think* that at least one of the guns I own came from Home Depot. Hope this helps, Sam
*Sam - if you're talkin' about the open sided guns with just a flat bar top and bottom and a ring on each end, they are available at virtually any lumber yard I've been in for at least 10 years. And you're right. They are a huge improvement over those old ones with the notches in the plunger and the solid bottom. - jb
*Jim- Yep, that's the one. One thing though, I've noticed some cheap ripoffs of this design from "other parts of the world" that I'd avoid like the plague. What is interesting about these is the amount of pressure you can put on a tube of caulk with *very* little "squeeze"- enough to split the tube if you're not careful. SD
*dripless caulk guns
*
As A log home builder , I have caulked miles and miles. I have purchased every new caulking device , mainly because I can, and can say without A doubt, the ez-thrust hand operated for 10oz. tubes is the best. ( for me ) The air sucks, the drill attachment sucks, the pump out of A friken 50 gallon drum or whatever sucks and is extremely messy. For wood I use sashco log builder caulk or vulcum ( spell check ) and as far as sillycone I prefer dap products. As far as caulking without making A mess, it can't be done, my wardrobe can attest to that. It is possible to stay clean on A small job , but if your caulking A log job of 20 sq. or more, good luck.
*A plumber friend of mine, gave the best advice. Whether latex or silicone, use as small a bead as possible and wipe the joints with your finger. The key, especially with silicone, is to keep your finger clean. To do this, get a piece of foam-based pad (carpet, sleeping bag base, etc.). The foam does a great job of keeping your wiping finger clean while your laying down the caulk.
*For professional results, although a little more time consumming use a small bead and popsicle sticks or tongue depressors (depending on the fillet size). This works great for interior work where appearance counts. A box of 1000 sticks is usually under $2 at discount craft stores. No mess and no clean up, just keep using a fresh stick and discard as you go.
*I had a granite counter top installed. The installer placedmasking tape on either side of the seam. He then put down a bead of silicon caulk and smothed it out with hisfinger. When he pulled up the tape, it was perfect!!I've since done this and it really works.Good luck
*
Find any good glass mechanic and have him show you the different caulk guns he uses.Most that I know have them with different ratios in the trigger.They can be bought at any good glass supply house.Vince
*My secret is to use tape. Not fast, but lets me be sloppy and still get perfect results, especially when adjoining surfaces are finished. Use good tape (I use the blue stuff) and take your time laying it down exactly where you want caulk to end. Then, slop on the caulking. Use a finger or whatever to smooth the caulking out and force it into the joint (this method gives excellent fill of tight joints). Remove tape by pulling back on itself while caulking is still wet. The joints are invisible with practice, even on wood moldings next to plaster walls, both already painted.
*Practice is indeed the key.I caulk with the intention of never having to touch it with my fingers. With the tip cut at an angle and "just" larger than the gap I am filling, I pull the gun with a "known" amount of trigger pressure and speed. Watching the bead roll into the gap, I begin pulling, and the tube tip "finishes" my bead like a professional weld - concave, smooth and tight to both surfaces. Except for the occasional air bubble - my method works very well.
*Sherwin Williams has $5.95 caulk guns that are dripless...stop squeesing and they stop....a little spring on the rod does the trick....And they also have a caulk tooling device that goes for a buck that I would pay ten for when caulking sinks to counters...I cut my tubes with the smallest hole that will do the job, always straight cut it and have used masking tape often when using bathroom silicones as no matter what you do to clean up the extra, it always leaves a little film of silicone that feels unacceptable to me and the end users and owners.near the stream, aj
*
I HAVE FOUND FROM A SUB WHO INSTALLS GRANITE AND SYNTHETIC MARBLE THAT WHEN USING SILICONE HE HAS TWO BUCKETS, ONE WITH A LOT OF CAULK AND THE OTHER WITH PAPER TOWELS AND A SPRAY BOTTLE OF RUBBING ALCOHOL, APPLY A BEAD, LIGHTLY SPRAY THE BEAD, THEN WIPE DOWN WITH FINGER, NAIL SIDE TOWARDS SILICONE, WIPE 6 INCHES OR SO AND WIPE OFF FINGER, KEEP IT CLEAN, THE ALCOHOL KEEPS IT FROM STICKING TO SURROUNDING SURFACES, AND HELPS IT COME OFF YOUR FINGER.. HIS FINGER NAIL EVEN HAS A 1/8 CONCAVE RADIUS TO IT, IT ALWAYS LOOKS PERFECT... SCOT
*I do it the easy way. When caulking I run my bead of caulk all the way around the entire area I'm going to caulk. The I take a bottle of windex ( clear, no colors) and sray along the entire length of my bead. Hold the bottle back far enough so it sprays onto the surrounding areas. Then I just take my index finger and smooth it off. Make sure you have a rag handy to wipe your finger off when needed. One time I even used a bottle of shower spray cleaner and it worked fine. WARNING: Stay away from colors. Make sure its clear windex you use.
*Interesting topic, many different techniques...let me add mine. I learned this at a Dupont Corian seminar about 15 years ago and it has worked (with some variations depending upon materials used and joint sizes) extremely well for me.I cut the tip of the caulk tube straight, no angle, slightly larger than the gap between materials. I apply the caulk with the gun perpindicular to the location being caulked (again no angle) and I push the caulk into the joint and maintaining my perpindular approach slowly move the gun along the joint. This approach allows you to see into the joint as you apply the caulk, it allows the caulk to enter fully into the joint and does not stretch the caulk during the application; air bubbles simply pop out in front of the bead as you go,and you have great control over the amount of caulk being applied. Then I apply solvent (water for latex, denatured alcohol for silicone) lightly to finger and wipe in the opposite direction from which the caulk was applied. Keep your finger clean and moist with solvent.Patience, a clean and prepared joint, and quality caulk will make for an excellent long-lasting joint.I generally do not ask my subs to caulk (other than my experienced painters), I prefer to do it myself because I know how easy it is to have a bad caulk line detract from a quality project. I have even taken to using clear silicone over the top of all inside grout lines in my showers and tubs when they are fresh. This hold the grout in place when it inevitably cracks from shrinkage and movement problems, keeps the inside corners watertight and is totally inconspicuous. It only takes a few minutes if done before you hand the shower back to the customer and prevents the almost certain call-back in two months when the grout lines fail.
*Heyde has a great technique-but I shudder whenever I have to use silicone caulks, especially exterior. They are fantastic dirt magnets, and soon show any unevenness as a wobbly dirt track. To prevent that look, I tape both outer sides of the joint to be caulked, run the bead and smooth it with the methods previously outlined, then immediately strip the tape into a bucket. At least my dirt lines are even.
*
HEY BILL!!! I knew I'd run into you someday. You're the guy who leaves that perfect clear silicon bead in the showerstalls. Months/years later (depends on humidity) there's that unsightly telltale black mold underneath the clear. A house cleaners nightmare.
Just thought I'd drop into the post that won't die and let you know I know.
*I heard that if you use alcohol to wipe down before and then clean up the joint with alcohol it would stop the mildew...
*
HEY RICH! I knew I would run into you sooner or later, you are the guy who finds the half a pot of gold and is upset because it's not full. One needs to look at the efficiency of the entire system before crying out about the failure of one small piece of that system. In my experience, I have found that the grout joint nearly ALWAYS fails on the inside corners of showers, tubs, and back splashes, if left uncaulked, and this (frequently ignored by home owners) can cause problems much greater than a difficult to clean mildew spot. I have stated often that two of the major challenges for the professional home remodeler are effectively preventing exterior water from entering the home, and effectively directing interior water in exiting the home. That being said, I have found much greater success on directing water out of my showers by carefully caulking the inside corners as described. If you take precautions, work with a quality mildew resistant silicone, clean the joint, and do this before the owner has used the shower, you should find success with the procedure I detailed. However, if you wait until the grout joint cracks, fills with dirty water and then attempt to cover up the problem with caulk, you will be following a recipe for a mildew infested caulk joint. Eventually, depending on the humidity, the amount of air flow provided to the site, and the level of cleanliness of the occupants nearly all surfaces in and around a shower are subject to mildew. I am sure you have seen it form on the grout lines in those same inside corners. I have seen mildew form on clear glass shower doors. Are you a house cleaner?... perhaps you are contributing to the mildew problem by using a product that etches the caulking or the grouting and gives the mildew a toe-hold. Or perhaps you are a remodeler who would prefer I don't caulk my joints so my showers will rot and fall apart and you can follow me with a repair or a replacement. Either way, I know that 85% of my work is from former customers or from customer referrals, so I must be doing something right, and I know that they know!
*
I've found that for small jobs, the caulk that comes in toothpaste works best. Youcan completly control the flow by how much pressure you squeeze on it.
*I've found that for small jobs, the caulk that comes in toothpaste works best. You can completly control the flow by how much pressure you squeeze on it.
*Sheez, Bill, lighten up. Take a load off and take a friggin' joke. I agree with everything you said about the grout cracking, the necessity of a good caulk, blah, blah, blah. I was making a point about how some guys caulk with silicone. I guess you had to be there...85% huh? Oh yeah! Well, 150% of my work is WOM, so there!
*Its been my experience that using a good quality latex caulk and carefully tooling it with the big toe of my left foot I can get breath taking results on a consistant basis.
*Yeah, like we're gonna listen to someone who is left footed! Don't you left footers have your own web site?Rich Beckman
*
Hey Rich, seriously sorry! Real bad day, hadn't checked my messages in awhile, saw your joke and didn't have it in me to laugh. I have seen what you were referring to, that big black line hidden under about 6 inches of clear caulk... now that's funny! Trying to clean it is like deveining a 100 pound shrimp with an attitude and a bad digestive system. Again, sorry, I should know better than to send out a reply when I am in that kind of mood....maybe that's why I don't have many friends?????
*
That's alright, Bill. At least you are man enough to admit it. Welcome to the club! I do have a mean streak in me though, usually expressed by my ever present sarcastic wit. Don't even get me started about my bad days. I'll be your cyber-friend.
Cheers.
*For right angle joints Homax makes the best little 1' square, PVC caulk tooling tool i've found. It's a buck 'na half at Ace hardware. Cleanest application i've seen yet.
*Ouch! You use your fingers as a caulking tool? I tried that for a while, but I have 36 windows and 6 doors on my house, and quickly figured out that the rough stucco would wear my finger bloody. So, I resorted to an old glove with a few wraps of cloth camera tape over the index finger. The results look almost as good, and I live to tell of it.-- J.S.
*RichMast,Yesterday was my first opportunity to try the blue tape technique. That was great! Someone looks at that shower surround, they'll think it was caulked by an expert! Quick, easy, and beautiful!Thanks!Rich Beckman
*let's see ... was that a foot note for left footers or a web site for web-footed ...er ...never mind..reminds me of Caleb telling how he got his wife..was fishin off Kettle Bottom and hooked into a big one.... turns out it was one a them Block Island gurls... so he hauled her in and cut the webs from between her feet and kept her....now Caleb's dad was a Carr and when he was courtin Hope,.. (yup, that's her name)....he said , marry me and i'll get u a new car every year... well he couldn't spell good so she thot nothin of it...so she did , and he kept his end of the bargain..13 Carrs , one right after another....anyhow Caleb was a master plumber, and he didn't use no stinkin caulk.. cept fer the gun cotton and leaded joints on cast iron plumbin...never wiped his plumbers putty out of the sink , either.. but he was a plumber, not a low life carpenter like us , so he didn't have to worry bout no clean caulk joints...b but hey, whadda i know?
*Glad to be of help.
*
First thing to caulking is figuring out which caulk to use. If this is for an exterior application I recommend a urethane caulk (I prefer sikaflex 1a). Since this is a mineral based caulk it is hard to tool and very sticky. I find the smallest glass container from around the job site (baby food jars are perfect) fill it with lacquer thinner, then I cover it with a clean rag and tape or rubber band the top shut. I then drape a rag over my arm and prepare to install the caulking. I cut a small hole that is not angled and run a bead that is the approximate size of the finished bead that I am trying to achieve. I then tip the jar of thinner over and wet my finger, this lets me tool the joint. When the caulk is about to squeeze out from my finger I wipe the excess onto the clean rag. I then repeat the process with the thinner. With practice you can achieve the same results as if you were working with a interior latex caulking.
*HOW DO I CLEAN UP SET SILICONE? [email protected]
*
*Yes - but you will have to get your hands dirty. The wet rang in one hand and index finger work well. Place your bead slowly and evenly as possible and don't overfill the joint. Wet your finger and smooth over the bead slowy with your finger held in a fixed position as you go. Wipe excess onto rag. Repeat about a million times. Slow and easy is the key. Good luck.
*I have found it helpful to push the caulk tube, rather than pull it, and to cut the point to a sharp end and an angle close to what the gun will be held relative to the work. Rags in a box work good for clean up.Good luck,Dennis
*Keep the hole as small as you can.
*If you are using silicone caulk, a paper towel soaked with denatured alcohol work well. Denatured alcohol also helps with the clean-up.
*Sure, using the above ideas ANYONE can caulk without making a mess. The challenge is to match caulking to the adjoining wall texture. Saw a guy this summer make his caulking look just like the knock-off on the adjoining drywall. A little paint and no one can even find it. Now That is skill!
*The best way to learn how to caulk is to stick with latex or water based caulks until you learn your technique. Water based caulks can be wiped away with a wet rag and re-done until you are satisfied with the results. Rubber based, silicones, and polyurathanes take some skill when looks count and you only gain those skills with lots of experience.
*You gotta get in harmony with the gun. Caulk seems to come out a different pressures and volumes per tube; and the different surface materials will also affect how it lays out. The faster you move the better. Steady pressure on a long run with no stops seems to work for me.I find the easiest way to get a clean and even caulk line and exposed face is to make it concave, not convex. This I do by laying out a thin bead along the line and then return with my finger to spread it so the face is concave. This works with silicone and latex caulks but the solvents are needed for silicone. The trick to a clean line in my approach is to hook or rest your hand or wrist on the edge of something adjacent to the line. Always pull the gun away from you so you can see and control the caulk stream. Pushing the nose away or pulling it down a verticle doesn't work as well as pulling it away from your body with the nose point back towards you. Vertical lines are the hardest since you have to move your body more dramatically to reach higher and this varies the speed (therefore volume)of the application.
*In a word: practice.Lots of it
*Well, my first approach to find an unsuspecting victim and hand the gun off.... But, for lack of that, if you're using one of those ratchet type guns, toss it. Spend the extra$$ for one of the English made guns that allow you to release the pressure and thus flow, immediately. That's a good start. Oh, and what Rob said- practice. Sam