Tips on a neat finish for caulk?
This seems like a silly question, but how do you get a nice finish when caulking? I always seem to come away feeling like it's a mess. Any good tools to smooth it out?
Forum Discussion
This is for Silicon.....
Do your prep. Carefully lay your bead so the caulk covers the joint but does not go beyond where it needs to be.
Use a spray bottle with denatured alcohol or rubbing alcohol. ***Mist** the tool and the area you're going to smooth - be sure to NOT mist an area you have yet to do. It will evaporate fast, so you have to do a little at a time. For example caulk 4 feet, tool 3 feet (so you don't spray where you're going to continue), then do the next 4 foot section, etc.
The alcohol will prevent the caulk from sticking to your tool and the surface around where you caulked but it won't un-stick where you already made the bead.
Practice on something to get the hang of it.
The hardest part will be removing the old silicon caulk if there's old caulk there. Silicon caulk won't stick to old silicon so you must remove all the old stuff to get a good seal.
Maybe there's a better sealant that will bond to old versions of itself so it's easier to maintain?
Do your prep. Carefully lay your bead so the caulk covers the joint but does not go beyond where it needs to be.
Use a spray bottle with denatured alcohol or rubbing alcohol. ***Mist** the tool and the area you're going to smooth - be sure to NOT mist an area you have yet to do. It will evaporate fast, so you have to do a little at a time. For example caulk 4 feet, tool 3 feet (so you don't spray where you're going to continue), then do the next 4 foot section, etc.
The alcohol will prevent the caulk from sticking to your tool and the surface around where you caulked but it won't un-stick where you already made the bead.
Practice on something to get the hang of it.
The hardest part will be removing the old silicon caulk if there's old caulk there. Silicon caulk won't stick to old silicon so you must remove all the old stuff to get a good seal.
Maybe there's a better sealant that will bond to old versions of itself so it's easier to maintain?
