Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [caulking]

Caulking is the action of applying a sealing compound to joints and gaps in building materials.

Door, window and trim caulking provides thermal insulation and seals a structure from the elements.

Caulking for areas such as kitchen and bathroom surfaces provides resistance to water penetration.

Types:

  • Silicone - More difficult to apply, but remains flexible after drying
  • Latex - Water based for easy cleanup
281 questions
35
votes
18 answers

How do I finish off a silicone sealant like a professional?

I have patched a couple of places at the base of my shower with silicone rubber sealant, using a caulking gun and it has worked well. The water no longer escapes from the shower. However, where I have done the patching, it is lumpy. Where the…
Guy
  • 2,093
  • 11
  • 34
  • 46
5
votes
1 answer

Can I put a second layer of caulk over newly installed caulk to fill a gap?

My bathroom backsplash-to-wall junction was just re-caulked yesterday. (The old caulk was discolored and showing signs of mold.) But on one side of the countertop where there's a 3/8" gap between wall and backsplash, the new caulk was applied at a…
Justin Grant
  • 1,587
  • 7
  • 24
  • 32
4
votes
1 answer

3M Caulk Remover

Does anybody have experience with 3M Caulk Remover? I read about it at Cool Tools (a great site, by the way): http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/000926.php If you read the comments, some people love it, and some had problems with it. Can anybody…
Andrew Langman
  • 141
  • 2
3
votes
2 answers

How do I seal a gap between a concrete step and the entrance of the house?

It currently looks like this. The previous owner did a lame job and now I have to rebuild this. What do I use to seal that gap? He did not put any rubber backer rod there or anything like this. the dime coin shown in this picture is 18mm in…
MiniMe
  • 3,402
  • 22
  • 87
  • 146
3
votes
1 answer

How to know when a fixture needs to be re-caulked?

I recently bought my first home, and am trying to be a good homeowner. I know that the bathtub, toilets, and sinks (anything else?) are supposed to be caulked well. I have no idea how long the current caulk has been there. Nor do I know how to tell…
OctaviaQ
  • 283
  • 3
  • 5
  • 11
2
votes
1 answer

Building brick moulding in cold weather

It's almost winter and I still have a pending brick moulding job I need to do. According to the weather forecast, the maximum temperature that I'll likely see in the coming few days is around 8 degrees Celsius. Questions: Should I worry about the…
Ates Goral
  • 357
  • 3
  • 12
2
votes
1 answer

Leaves from tree sticking to new outside caulk

I had a person recaulk my patio cement where it meet a brick retainer will last week, he did it about 12 hrs before it rained. He said it was the best on the market and it would be fine with a few showers after 8 hrs. Well after 3 days of rain and…
gary777
  • 23
  • 3
2
votes
1 answer

Should I re-caulk window drip edge?

I've noticed that the caulking along the drip edges of several windows at my home are cracking (see attached photo). I had a window repair man take a look and he said that this was merely cosmetic and not something I needed to be concerned with…
user154647
  • 21
  • 1
2
votes
2 answers

Opening caulk tube with threaded nozzle

I've just got a tube of XtraBond250 sealant with a threaded nozzle. It's not at all clear how to get started. Do I puncture the tube at the male threaded end? Or cut off the conical portion of the the threaded part? Or ...? And then how to seal it…
geoB
  • 209
  • 4
  • 12
1
vote
1 answer

Silicone caulk over latex paneling glue

I had glued some paneling to my kitchen walls. The next day I got the silicone caulk and blue tape to finish the job. Looks great! Oops. I never opened the silicone caulk and used the glue in it's place, still looks great, but I want to know if I…
Hopperthe2nd
  • 11
  • 1
1
vote
1 answer

What type of silicone should I use for caulking the shower corner and the transition from wall tiles to shower base?

What type of silicone should I use for caulking the shower corner and the transition from wall tiles to shower base? I know recommending a product is out of scope here but I am asking about the characteristics of the product that I need
MiniMe
  • 3,402
  • 22
  • 87
  • 146
0
votes
1 answer

Is silicone caulk an appropriate sealant for keeping smoke out?

I livery in an old apartment building with neighbors who smoke. I am pretty confident that I have found where the smoke is getting into my apartment:a recessed closet that shared a very thin wall with a matching closet in their apartment. There are…
Slavatron
  • 113
  • 1
  • 4
0
votes
1 answer

Water seeping through grout where caulking was

The caulking where the tile meets the bathtub in my bathroom was getting old and going pink so I decided to re-caulk. The bathroom is approximately 20 years old and otherwise in good condition. But when I took all the old caulk out there was a small…
Blair
  • 9
  • 2
0
votes
1 answer

Recaulking a Standard size shower stall

How many tubes of caulk is needed to recaulk a standard size shower stall?
Lynn Seward
  • 1
0
votes
0 answers

What caused a new caulking job around a tub to develope pin holes within hours

please help... I had a contractor replace old caulk around my bathtub yesterday. Last night I noticed a small pinhole which at first looked like a speck of dirt, Today there are several more pinholes, and the one that I noticed last night is now…
Rhonda H
  • 1
1
2