Before when I tried to do caulking it looked like a little kid did it

[NNN0LHI]

Then I found this little $2.50 tool at Lowes that changed my life:

http://www.homaxproducts.com/products/kitchenbath/02/index.html

Man it works like a charm. I highly recommend it. Here are some photos from a bathtub I caulked today in my house. The little black dot in a couple of photos is a spider. He/she went down the toilet soon after the photo shoot.



Link to larger photo: ?t=1268359822



Link to larger photo: ?t=1268359900



Link to larger photo: ?t=1268359982

Its nothing like some of the caulking tools I have used in the past with little success. Usually made of hard plastic that didn't help at all. This one is soft rubber and conforms to your bead. A really handy dandy tool in my estimation. And for two and a half bucks you can't go wrong.

Good luck.

Don

[Jersey Devil]

1. Best caulking tool I ever found was a wet finger

A wet finger coupled with some old wet rags to keep cleaning it off works just fine for me.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

2. Indeed , paint thinner.

instead of water when yer using 100 per cent silicone kitchen/bath caulk.You clean up the excess and keep the saturated rag away from the finish line.However fer people that can't use a caulk gun with precision expertise here is a bone. Get a razor blade and some masking tape after you have cleaned out the old caulk. You tape off the tub and the wall ,between the tape is your perfect straight line. So that means you really have to work that tape. At the corners you use the razor blade to make the turns. Use 1 1/2 or two inch tape.At the corners you will fudge around patching in with little strips of tape, that's what the razor blade is for, to make those round cornors,so you craft it a bit.Than run your caulk gun. Using latex gloves ,like in hospitals, run yer finger across the caulk to smooth out your caulk line. Toss the excess in a garbage bag you have handy at yer side. When yer caulk line is brought into a finish look, you remove the tape carefully. Toss it. You may change gloves several times ,those gloves are cheep. You work fast, when the tape is removed you do a second pass with your finger , that will flush out your caulk line. Than carefully and slowly with yer well dampened rag with paint thinner you clean up your excess.Keep the rag away from your finish line. You wipe your excess up to the line but not over it.In fact don't touch that line. You do not want to break the seal or distort you finish line in any way.






You will waste some caulk, but chances are you will never go through the whole thing anyway !
Unless of course you do a lot of tub surrounds !

The tape gives you a straight looking line. Perfectly straight.

When yer done, walk away and look at it the next morning. You will say it looks great.
But wash yer hands with a saturated rag using your paint thinner ,really, it's best to use it straight out of the can on yer hands ! I suppose a little lotion afterword wouldn't hurt !

On the other hand if yer good with yer caulk gun, you won't need the tape and you won't waste any caulk .The trick is to work fast. You don't want the caulk to have time to set up before your secound finish pass with your finger. Work fast and with percision. Using the tape line there is nothing to slow you up.

Those little cheap gimmics they sell are not a precision tool. The gimmic may be ok for a straight line,but not around edges. And the thinner the caulk line,the better it looks. If you want it to look good and clean,there is quick fix other than knowing how to work fast. But that doesn't mean you get around doing the work or spending the time.

It's like painting with compessor or sprayer, you spend the time on the prep work,-tape and plastic.

[mopinko]

3. window guys i had last year used windex

the spray bottle makes it easy to keep your finger wet. it is easy to carry up a ladder. and their work was beautiful. but then so was everything else they did.

[mopinko]

4. boy these guys have a lot of neato things!

i gotta have one of these babies-



although i admit that i thought there might be something even more useful when i clicked on the link for the squirrel mixer. those little bastards ate almost all of the buds on my magnolia this year.

[MajorChode]

5. That's what I've been using for years

I also like using the caulk that comes in the cheese whiz type cans for small jobs.