caulking question

Mack V

I recently found this board. I have a few questions about caulking my bathroom side splashes. I went to lowes and bought tub and tile ultra (polyseamseal) brand. Cleanup was a very easy with water. I noticed the color needed to be a almond color so I went back and bought the GE brand silicone II and tried to use it. I thought I was going to have to cut my hands off to get the excess off my hands. I am sure there is a product to make it easy to get off but I was limited to solutions so I never used it on the splash board.
Is there a certain brand that I should look for at (lowes or Home Depot) that works great w/ easy cleanup.
Newbie needing some answers. Thank you.

slickshift

Caulking tile to wall or tile to tile?

Mack V

On top of the sink there is a plastic board that runs the perimeter of the sink top. I am caulking where the board meets the wall. I am getting ready to paint and wanted to do this first. Thanks.

slickshift

I would use an acrylic (latex) caulk, preferably a siliconized acrylic

Pure silicones (like the GE you used) are a poor choice for this application, as they can't be painted the wall color
Paintable (latex) caulks are a better choice for this project as they can be painted
Siliconized acrylics would be the best of both worlds, water clean-up, paintable, and the premium ones are long lasting

I don't know if they are even available at HD/Lws

I use the 35-45 year (or "lifetime") stuff from Ben Moore or Sherwin Williams
I have also used some DAP products that were pretty good

I can't say the same for GE

Mack V

Thanks for the response. I really appreciate it. Another question would be what is best used to get this stuff off my hands. The keyboard is full of silicone now. Just kidding. I got it off but what do most people use to get this stuff off?

sirwired

Man, I hate that GE Silicone II stuff. The first time I used it, I made a royal mess, and yeah, it took forever to get that stuff off of my hands.

Of course, part of it was my fault, not using a no-drip caulking gun.

However, that junk, with a "Lifetime" warranty against mildew? Started indelibly mildewing inside of a month.

Never Again.

SirWired

slickshift

Don't use it in the first place
...lol

But honestly, even with the latex caulk, I'll usually wear disposable vinyl gloves
I don't remember what I used for the GE stuff...I haven't touched it in years

Rehabber

I have used Polyseamseal for years. Really good caulk IMNTBHO

__________________
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ASE certified master auto tech, Retired.

End Grain

When using silicone caulk in a gun, I've found that cutting off a small piece of the tip and using the smallest possible diameter opening works best. The restricted flow of silicone allows you to go a bit slower to apply it and keeps it from gushing out and making a mess of things. The human finger is still one of the best tools for smoothing out the bead so as for cleanup of your hands, try using mineral spirits or turpentine on a rag.

Mack V

Thanks. I already took it back to Lowes. I thought I was going to have to put my hands in a bead blaster (j/k).

slickshift

No need for that
You can do just one finger with this nifty attachment

Just put your finger in there where this fellow is putting that spark plug

Mack V

I almost spit my beer out after reading that. Thanks for the laugh.

Bobrobert

SirWired - I've been sitting at a desk most of my working life but I'm retired now and I'm doing home projects. So give me a pass here with this "dumb" question if you will.......What is this "no-drip" caulk gun you mentioned?

Is there a gun out there where I do not have to hit the release everytime I stop caulking, to take the pressure off the plunger so it won't drip?

IF SO! PLEASE DON'T TELL ME IT'S BEEN AROUND FOR YEARS!

End Grain

Yes, the dripless caulk guns offer two settings. One is regular, i.e. it'll drip. The other allows the plunger piston to actually pull back a bit when you let go of the handle. That pullback creates a mild suction on the cup in the cartidge and relieves pressure on the tip, thereby eliminating the tendency for more caulk to come out. I have one and it's a hit or miss affair at best. I'd rather just use my Cox fiberglass skeleton gun from England and manually disengage the piston's travel.

sirwired

Yep, I got mine at Lowe's... it was about 70 cents more than the regular kind. It doesn't dispense as much with every stroke as a regular, but for interior work, that is fine. They had several models, with varying degrees of comfort and durability. HD had one also.

It doesn't do anything fancy with suction... instead of ratcheting to hold the plunger position on release with an iron grip, it just has a gentle spring. This is enough to not drip, providing that the hole is small enough. I imagine that if you had some 3/8" opening to apply gobs of warm roofing cement, it wouldn't work too well, but for the DAP Elastomeric with the small opening that I use, it is fine.

SirWired