I have to re-caulk some of the seams in our shower stall. What’s the technique for putting down a nice bead of caulking? I’ve never done it before and would like it to look reasonably tidy.
A steady hand and using one of these tools after you run a line to clean up excess helps.
Run the bead, not too heavy, then take your finger, wet it, and run it down the bead, pressing it into the seam. Periodically, you’ll have to stop the finger and remove excess caulk. I use a wet paper towel for this. That’s how you get the nice concave smoothed look, rather than a convex bead.
It takes less caulk than you think.
That is 100% true. Do keep your finger wet, and do wipe and re-wet often, you don’t want big gobs to accumulate and smear on the adjoining surfaces.
When laying down the bead, don’t go heavy, and try to move as smoothly as possible, squeeze the gun gently.
At least, this is one project that you can try a few times on if you aren’t satisfied 
thanks for the tips, guys. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Oh, and make sure you puncture the seal inside the tube of caulk (stick a screwdriver through the nozzle) because nothing will come out and you will get very frustrated otherwise.
That was a painfully stupid lesson.
Also, clean up any smears and overages right away with a damp paper towel. Later is a bitch.
Also, don’t use silicone caulk. This is the messiest stuff, and hardest to get a smooth even line, and it doesn’t fill cracks and gaps well. Vinyl caulks have worked best for me. You can wrap your finger with plastic wrap also, but get it wet.
On Holmes on Holmes, they put down a strip of Frog Tape above the seam and one below the seam, then caulk away. Makes a nice clean line.
It’s also recommended at about.com.
Like most products, silicone has its applications. Adhering to concrete and similar products like grout is not one of them.
Dinner and a movie before you head to the shower seems to work well.
Ahh, so you didn’t just keep pulling the trigger until the pressure blew the back out of the caulking tube leaving you to decide if it would be cheaper (and quicker) to clean the gun or drive back to the store and buy a new one?
Not that I’ve ever done anything like that. :smack:
CMC fnord!
>Buy a tube of the cheap 1-dollar ‘painter grade’ caulking and practice somewhere.
>Cut the tip of the caulking tube small and then make it bigger if needed.
>>Use a utility knife for this task, even if the caulking gun has a little snipper on it.
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I was wondering if the thread title was going to be some sort of sexual metaphor.
This is what I do and it produces a professional looking seam.
I’ve never done that. Nor have I ever pulled the trigger on the caulking gun a bunch of times, then figure out the seal, THEN puncture it spraying white stuff everywhere making a huge mess.
Nope, never.
If it’s like the tubes of caulk I’ve used, don’t stick a screwdriver through the nozzle. Snip off the tip of the nozzle with scissors. The nozzles are tapered so you can choose the diameter of the hole, depending on how far up you cut it. Cut it as small as you can to fill whatever crack you’re sealing.
I find a finger works better to smooth caulk than those little plastic tools you can get, but it is a bitch to clean off your hands - best to wait for it to dry then rub/scrape it off.
Before smoothing the caulk, wet your finger in a solution of washing-up liquid and water.
Yes, but behind the nozzle there is still a foil seal over the end of the caulk tube. What I (and thankfully several other Dopers) forgot to do is puncture that seal after snipping the nozzle. The screwdriver or nail isn’t for the nozzle, it’s for the seal.