"nsf" wrote in :

Okay, this sounds silly but I can never get the silicone to look as
perfect as I see it when contractors have done it. How do you get
this stuff to look like a perfect smooth application?

This sounds facetious, but practivce and more practice.
The wet finger + masking tape helps. Mostly, put on a far smaller bead
than you originally think you should. The primary cause of mess is putting
on too much.