Decorated Chaos: How to Caulk a Clean Straight Line With Ease

Monday, May 27, 2013

How to Caulk a Clean Straight Line With Ease

Hello my friends! I hope you had a fabulous Memorial Day weekend and got to spend time with your family, or work on your yard or house. Whatever it is you did I hope you enjoyed it!

We had a great weekend weather wise so we were able to enjoy cooking out, working in the yard, and a variety of DIY projects. Yes, DIY projects that have been on the honey-do list for a while now finally got done and it feels great to have them behind us!

We spent one full day this weekend at my house painting my spare bedroom and getting a couple small DIY projects done.

One of the projects was caulking the kitchen back splash.

If you have never caulked, or have had issues caulking in the past, I have some tips that can help you make the job a lot less complicated:

Number One:

Pick your caulking carefully by keeping in mind WHERE you will be applying the caulk.

There are different types of caulking.....some made especially for kitchens and bathrooms that repel water, and others for indoor use only like around door mouldings and paneling/bead board etc. where it is dry. There is also outdoor caulking that is tough enough to handle the elements outside. So know WHERE you want to use the caulking so that you can determine which TYPE you will need.

Number Two:

Determine which COLOR of caulking you want to use.

Yes, there are many different colors of caulking. The basic colors are Clear, White, Almond, and Brown and Black.

If you have black counter tops for instance, you would probably want to use a dark color caulking as white caulking would stand out and look odd.

Number Three:

Use the proper tools for the job!

Keep in mind that 'most' caulking tubes require the use of a caulking gun. There are some you can simply squeeze out of the tube with your hands to apply, but most require the use of a caulking gun to apply the caulk.

A good caulking gun will have a spring loaded handle like this one below, a hole to cut the tip off your caulking tube, and a needle type of thing to clean out the dry caulking from your used caulking tubes.

I also HIGHLY recommend getting one of these!
They are just a few bucks at your local hardware store and they are a life saver!

Once you have the right caulk and the right tools in place, just squeeze out a small bead of caulking along the seam between your two surfaces, then run this handy-dandy tool down the middle of your seam and let it work its magic to create a perfect straight line of caulk!

Here is a video of Mr. Chaos using this took to caulk.

It creates a smooth and straight line, and best of all keeps your hands clean!

Watch how easy it makes this job!

Click image above to see video

After my attempt to caulk my mudroom using my FINGER and making a BIG mess I did some research and found this tool, and it has been a life saver!!!!

I don't ever want to take on another caulking job without it!

So by following my steps above you will be able to pick out the perfect type and color of caulk for your job, and the right tools to EASILY apply the caulking in less time and without going thru three rolls of paper towels! :)