How do you archieve a perfect bead especially when you have to work around
faucet handles?

I find silicon caulk easier to work with than latex.

I guess my approach is to tape the two edges (like painting it), and then
apply the caulk and let the caulk mess up as I go around fittings and then
use my finger to smooth it out. If I end up squeezing some to the edges
then let the tape take care of it.

Still it is a hit and miss, especially for lstex caulk when I have to remove
the tape later it pulls the bead with it some. Silicon seem to do better.
Are there any fool-proof technique to laying out a perfect bead of caulk?

Thanks,

MC

I've used the masking tape before, and found that pulling the tape off
immediately after smoothing the bead will actually work fairly well
rather than waiting for the bead to partially cure.

"miamicuse" wrote
How do you archieve a perfect bead especially when you have to work around
faucet handles?

Practice, practice, practice.
Your hand/fingers have to get in tune with the gun and the surface.
It helps if the tip is not cut too short, causing the bead to be too wide.
My brother is a master at this stuff.
I saw him do a bead one time when he was standing on a ladder, he went from
as far as he could on the left to as far as he could on the right, about an
8' run and it was perfect. It was like watching magic.

miamicuse wrote:
How do you archieve a perfect bead especially when you have to work around
faucet handles?

I find silicon caulk easier to work with than latex.

I guess my approach is to tape the two edges (like painting it), and then
apply the caulk and let the caulk mess up as I go around fittings and then
use my finger to smooth it out. If I end up squeezing some to the edges
then let the tape take care of it.

Still it is a hit and miss, especially for lstex caulk when I have to remove
the tape later it pulls the bead with it some. Silicon seem to do better.
Are there any fool-proof technique to laying out a perfect bead of caulk?

Yep. If you like working with silicone caulk you can lay down the bead
of caulk, spritz the surface with a spray bottle of water with a few
drops of dish soap in it. the caulk won't stick to the wet surface so
you'll be able to tool (finger? sounds dirty to me!) the caulk.

If you use tape, use the same method - pull the tape immediately after
smoothing the caulk, spritz, re-smooth the caulk to make the edges that
were pulled up with the tape lie back down, done.

R

MC,

How do you archieve a perfect bead especially when you have to work
around faucet handles?
I find silicon caulk easier to work with than latex.

I find the way to achieve the best results is to use a caulk (usually
latex) that claims "water cleanup". Choose a color that best matches the
area where it's being applied.

Squirt the caulking in as neatly as you can, then press it into the gap
and smooth it out with your finger. Doesn't need to be perfect.

Then, take a bucket of water and a sponge. Get the sponge wet, but wring
out most of the excess water. Wipe up the excess caulk, rinse, and repeat
as much as needed. If you accidently wipe out too much caulk, just add
more and repeat the process. With a little practice, you can tool the
caulk perfectly with the damp sponge.

You'll end up with picture perfect caulk joints every time!

When caulking outdoors, I like to use a polyurethane caulk that is
"paintable". My main goal here is to get a SMOOTH joint, again, it
doesn't have to be pretty. Pay attention to detail when you paint, and
it'll look perfect.

For situations where I can't paint the joint, and the water cleanup trick
won't work, I use clear caulking. Much harder to see goofups where the
bead didn't turn out so perfect. Also nice when you have to caulk under a
flange or something then "Squish" it into place.

If you have large gaps, fill them with foam "rope" before caulking.
You'll use much less caulk, and the cured caulking will be able to flex
better.

Anthony