If you’re looking for the best tips on how to apply caulk for a smooth, mess-free seal, you’ve come to the right place! While this task can be straightforward, ensuring that no mess happens is the hard part of the job. Here are some pro tips to help you:

• 1. Tape Before Caulking

Lining the area you’re caulking with tape reduces any potential mess you make. It’s best to use painter’s tape to control your caulk lines, then as you apply the caulk, smoothen out the joint using your finger and immediately remove the tape. 

• 2. Use the Right Caulk 

Being faced with hundreds of caulk selections can be overwhelming, but choosing the right one for your project is relatively easy. There are usually only four caulk types: latex, silicone, elastomeric and polyurethane. 

If you’re caulking siding, doors and windows, use polyurethane since it’s paintable, flexible and doesn’t shrink. It also sticks better than silicone and won’t attract dust and dirt. If you’re caulking your roof, use an elastomeric or rubberised product, which is guaranteed not to dry out in extreme conditions. Plus, it sticks to everything.

If you’re caulking interior trim, your best choice is latex, especially if you’re sealing gaps and nail holes in trim that will be painted after. Latex dries fast, cleans up easily and is cheap. Lastly, silicone products are best for kitchens and baths, since it usually comes with antimicrobial additives and can be easily removed and replaced once it gets grungy. 

• 3. Use the Right Caulk Gun

You might think that the most expensive caulk gun on the rack is the best choice, but more often than not, it isn’t. It’s best to get a gun with a cradle since tubes seem to fall out of the guns with rails. 

Get a caulk gun with ratchet action instead of friction action, and avoid guns without a hook. Also, forget about gun-mounted tube cutters and use a utility knife instead. Lastly, it’s best to get the gun with the longest tube poker.

• 4. Push the Caulk from the Gun

Push the caulk into the gap instead of dragging it over. That effectively increases the odds that the caulk will adhere to both surfaces since it forces caulk into the gap. You should only pull if both surfaces are flush, wherein pushing the tip too hard might result in the caulk skating all over the place, creating a big mess.

• 5. Cut the Tips off Straight

If you’ve caulked before, you probably already know that you should cut the tip at an angle. While that works fine in most situations, an angled tip limits the position that the caulking gun needs to be in. Meanwhile, a straight top lets you swivel the fun out of the way of obstacles and caulk up to an inside corner. 

If you have different gaps to caulk, it’s best to cut the top small and fill the smaller gaps first. You can proceed to the larger gaps from there. 

Conclusion

If in the middle of caulking, you get cut in the middle, it’s best not to start again where you left off. You may begin at the other end and simply meet in the middle, which is the better strategy since it can be difficult to continue a bead once you’ve stopped without creating a glob and even more mess. 

Quality Seal Australia provides high-quality caulking and sealing services in Brisbane and the Gold Coast. We take every opportunity to use environmentally-friendly products for our caulking, silicone and cleaning products. We proudly serve builders and homeowners who value quality as much as quantity. Get in touch with us today and let us know how we can help!