Tips on a neat finish for caulk?

[acritzer]

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?

[Ro_n_Joe]

Especially for a 90 degree seam (like between the back splash tile and counter top or bathtub to tile seam) cover your finger with saran wrap plastic (clear plastic food wrap). If you want a nice clean edge (as mentioned earlier), tape it than I'll pull the tape up and use the same finger and pressure (same size) and go over it again. Works well with excellent smooth finish.

[DaHose]

I was talking to a contractor working on the shower of a place I am renting. He used a large, moist sponge. Said he learned the technique from a brick/concrete guy.

Sure did leave a beautiful finish.

Jose

[solismaris]

gbopp wrote:
Wet finger tip.
I think it does a better job than a credit card or something similar.

I use the wet finger approach too. Extremely effective. Rinse finger and re-wet often. The trouble is, depending on the caulk, wetting with water doesn't always work. For Proflex I wet it with paint thinner and that works extremely well. Perhaps not the healthiest but it hasn't killed me yet, or caused my fingers to fall off.

Be careful not to use too much liquid because that might cause the caulk to dissolve.

[joshuajim]

It's personal preference. Some like to cut it straight, some angled. My preference is angled.

Straight cut will result in a little smaller joint.

[acritzer]

joshuajim wrote:
The best recommendation I can give is to learn how to use a caulking gun like professional painters do. They push the gun, not pull it. It leaves a perfect small fill with no "wet finger" dress up required. It takes a little practice to gauge the "bulge" at the tip while pushing, but once mastered it is 10 times faster than pulling, fingering, going back and cleaning up the over spread etc.

The pro's don't have time to play around.

Do you have to cut the top a different way in order for this to work?

[joshuajim]

The best recommendation I can give is to learn how to use a caulking gun like professional painters do. They push the gun, not pull it. It leaves a perfect small fill with no "wet finger" dress up required. It takes a little practice to gauge the "bulge" at the tip while pushing, but once mastered it is 10 times faster than pulling, fingering, going back and cleaning up the over spread etc.

The pro's don't have time to play around.

[mrekim]

westend wrote:

Maybe there's a better sealant that will bond to old versions of itself so it's easier to maintain?

There is- Dicor, Proflex RV, Sikaflex 3M Marine sealants. Basically, any polymer or urethane sealant can be sealed onto the same material.

Silicone is the worst since it degrades quickly from UV and nothing sticks to it, not even new silicone.

Dicor(Lap Sealant) seems to be for the roof. These other sealants seem interesting. Is there some foolproof way to determine if an existing sealant is silicon or one of these polymer/urethane types?

[Bull_Rider]

Put a squirt of liquid dish washing soap into a small dish, and add some warm water. Dip your finger into the soapy mix and smooth our your caulking.

Painters tape is good, Frog tape is better. Pull the tape off before the caulking sets up.

[mrekim]

myredracer wrote:
What I hate about using a caulking gun is that when you run a bead and then release the pressure on the plunger, it still comes out a bit. Gotta make sure you lay the gun down on something immediately so the caulk won't get where it shouldn't be. They really should fix that... 😞

You can buy a gun that releases pressure when you let off the trigger. They have them at HD/Lowes.

[myredracer]

What I hate about using a caulking gun is that when you run a bead and then release the pressure on the plunger, it still comes out a bit. Gotta make sure you lay the gun down on something immediately so the caulk won't get where it shouldn't be. They really should fix that... 😞

Painters tape takes a while to put down but it really helps in keeping caulk off surrounding surfaces. Must pull it off right after you run a finger or tool along the bead. A plastic spoon works well for a shaping tool and you can sand down the tip of it for a smaller or larger radius.

Watch a youtube vid - they have everything you need to know about everything.

[N-Trouble]

therink wrote:
Never use silicone caulk on a rv exterior.

About the worst stuff you can use. Will dry out and peel within a year. Don't understand why they even sell it anymore. So many better products out there these days.

Skip the fancy tools and use a wet finger. I keep a wet sponge or towel in my off hand.

[westend]

acritzer wrote:

westend wrote:

acritzer wrote:

westend wrote:
All good advice above. As mentioned, the real trick is getting the correct amount of caulk on the joint. Spoons work good for rookies. If I had to recaulk all the siding joints on my trailer, I'd be done in less than 1/2 hour. This isn't a tough job.

Just the walls? Or including windows, hatches, doors etc?

The whole shootin' match.

Here's the deal--I'm a caulking fiend. I paint a few houses a year, lately a couple a year. I figure if the customer is paying me a fair amount for painting, he deserves to have all his siding caulked. I've always done it this way. It's pretty much SOP to dump a half a case or better of caulk on the kind of houses I do.

A trailer or Class C should eat up about three or four tubes and you only have to climb a six foot step ladder. Since I went to Eternabond on the roof and Geocel 2350 on the siding, I'm anticipating very little in the way of sealing.

Here's a tip for you if you're using the polymer caulks like Proflex or similar--warm the tubes up before you apply the sealant. It will come out of the gun better and is a easier to tool a good joint.

If you make it to Cincinnati let me know. I'd gladly pay for the job. I hate to caulk....and paint actually!

LOts of folks feel the same way. I call it "job security". :B

[westend]

Maybe there's a better sealant that will bond to old versions of itself so it's easier to maintain?

There is- Dicor, Proflex RV, Sikaflex 3M Marine sealants. Basically, any polymer or urethane sealant can be sealed onto the same material.

Silicone is the worst since it degrades quickly from UV and nothing sticks to it, not even new silicone.

[therink]

Never use silicone caulk on a rv exterior.