Caulking around sink: What color (pics)
Finishing up a new sink install and I need some advice:
1. What color caulk around this sink? White or clear? My gut says white.
2. Should I use plain old silicone? I hate working it, it’s messy, and I’ve only got one shot to get it right. Would you put tape down on the counter at the caulk edge to get a crisp line, or are you good enough to tool it well with your finger?
3. My tail piece extension that threads into the sink drain tube and interfaces with the P-trap is leaking at the drain (at the threaded end). I’ve always just screwed ’em in and they worked fine in the past. This one, I’ve screwed in tighter than heck and there’s still a little drip. Should I pull it out and try teflon tape, or should I try a new one, or what? I’m befuddled.
Thanks for the advice.
Replies
I'd suggest bedding the sink to the counter with silicone, although that will now require that you lift the sink first. That will give you a leak-proof seal that's out of sight. Then you can caulk with anything you want since the visible bead will primarily be decorative. (Relying on a surface bead of caulk to make something waterproof is one of my pet peeves. Think about it -- if you want a joint to be water or air tight, you use a washer between the parts, not a bead of glop on the surface of the joint.)
And you should tape that joint. That should clear up the drip.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
I already bedded the sink in silicone, that's what's holding it to the counter. I just have that curved under edge to deal with. It looks to be one heck of a dirt/grime collector without caulking.And I know this sounds really dumb, but I've had terrible luck with silicone in the past: If I put tape down on the counter to make a good solid caulk edge line, at what point after applying the caulk do I pull it up? While the caulk is wet? After it sets up?
Edited 4/6/2009 12:04 pm by rasher
Use white Phenoseal. Wipe clean with a wet white knit rag. Rinse the rag often. Finish with a clean one.
Rich
Damp t-shirts work real well. You want to use a sealant that is water cleanup.
Take the damp t-shirt and pull it tight over your finger. As the t-short gets dirty keep moving to a clean spot.
The other trick is don't put to much caulking on in the first place. You just end up wiping it off."There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
Perfect. Then you can just use a latex caulk for the visible bead. Easier to apply and no big deal to replace when appropriate. As for taping, you pull the tape - carefully - as soon as you finish your bead. I'd put tape on the sink and the counter.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
Just to let y'all know how it played out:
I went with white silicone, but I suspect clear might have been a better choice.
I started with the back edge and taped both edges of the bead and tried that, but it didn't look so good, so as I wetted down some paper towels with Windex to get the silicone out and try again, it ended up push most of it under the joint into a natural bead that was neater and far less visible.
For the rest of the joints then, I just squeezed a bead of silicone down and then wetted my finger with plenty of Windex and pressed it in real hard. Then I used Windex damp paper towels to clean of the excess. Another pass with the windex finger to smooth the bead and this is how it looks (see pic).
Good enough for the HO (my wifey) so it's good enough for me.Windex worked wonders, though. Rubbing alchohol instead of mineral spirits to clean the surfaces works, too.
I missed this the first time.I always use rubbing alchy to tool silicon and clean off any excess..
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
With proper tip cut on tube and spray silicone with windex it tools nicely.
Spray with Windex... Wha?! Never heard of that.
If you tool the caulking to a thin edge (like with you finger) water gets under the bead when it dries, just a little bit, but just enough to free it from the counter. It doesnt separate all the way (usually). Then as the HO's clean the sink with a cloth, this edge gets rubbed off. Looks terrible.
The other day I installed a large double sink Swanstone countertop. It came with a bottle of spray stuff to squirt on the silicone when you were tooling it. The stuff was amazing. It made tooling the silicone a breeze.
I was smelling the stuff, trying to figure out what it was, and told my partner that it smelled like Windex or something like that. That's probably what it was!
Whatever it was, I had never used anything like that before and it certainly makes the job a lot easier. Without that stuff, I usually use mineral spirits.
Could have been windex or something similiar. I learned trick from a solid surface installer.
Danusan....Haven't seen you around in a long time. Is everything going okay with you? You still in Traverse City?
Yea blue still around, living in Indian River on mullett lake. Moved there from Petoskey after divorce. Life is good, plus made a arrangement with Gov. Gramhold to stick around to turn the lights off.It appears from some of your posts you have relocated, that deal in Oscoda ever happen or you get caught in Mi. downslide. Got some work happening in Mi. right now but its tough and slim pickens. I'am booked solid for at least the next 4 months and then we will see what happens. My glass is always half full anyways.
We couldn't fund the deal and it's probably a good thing..but maybe not. I think we would have had enough flexibility to make smaller units and still get them sold. For awhile Oscoda was still adding jobs but the airline industry cut back and the main employer in Oscoda had to layoff.
Mullet Lake sounds wonderful. I'm in Texas and I certainly miss all the lakes and water that MI offered. Are you still holding onto that commercial property or did something happen to it in the divorce?
Jim, good to hear from ya, maybe oscoda just wasnt gonna happen at this time, who would have known we would be where were at right now. Might have been a blessing that you didnt get knee deep at this time.
Still own commercial property, hey divorce is just a business deal once you let go of the emotion, and it was very easy for me to seperate at that point, plus I was going thru cancer treatment at the same time. I currently have a deal with Walgreens for frontage, however it has slowed down due to economy, so who knows deal is still going but time is also. My glass is always half full so I'll keep doing what I do, and when it happens it happens. Wish it would happen now as cash is king, and I could do very well in this economy.
Got some work on books, waiting for weight restrictions to drop and get to work on some better paying jobs, right now making wages. Jim if it was easy we would all be rich.
I was going to say just bed it; it's got a large enough flange...........
If you have it sealed down then I would NOT cailk that. It will look like #### now and worse later.
BUT! I would ask the HO what they want and go that route.
Tough call what to use though.
Clear sillycone......