Caulking Your Way to a Flawless Finish

    Caulk is one of the most important elements in any room. Don't believe me? Start looking around the rooms in your home and see if you find any cracks between your woodwork, walls, bathroom fixtures or countertops. Those cracks make a room look unfinished because they stand out as big imperfections. But as soon as you put a little caulk in those seams, the room suddenly looks seamless and beautiful. I am always amazed by what a difference caulk can make. Unattractive woodwork can be made to look as if it were flawlessly cut in a matter of seconds with just a bit of caulk.
    To get those professional looking results with caulk is very easy. All you need is some time and a few inexpensive tools.

What You Will Need to Caulk

• Caulk made for your job
• Bucket and sponge
• Razor knife
• Caulk gun if you're not using a squeezable caulk tube.

How to Caulk

1. Remove all old caulk before caulking. The best way to remove old caulk is to use a razor knife and cut the caulk out.
2. Then clean the surface you will be caulking with mild soap and water. Wipe the surface dry.
3. Cut the tip of the caulk tube at a 45 degree angle. The size of the opening you cut should be about the size of the hole you are caulking. The tip of the caulk tube should tell you where to cut for the size of your cracks.
4. To start caulking, squeeze the caulk gun or tube using even pressure and move the tip of the caulk tube along the crack. Only caulk two feet sections at a time.
5. After putting the caulk on the crack, take a wet finger and smooth it over the caulk.
6. Then dip your sponge in clean water, wring the sponge out and wipe the sponge over the caulk. Make sure to remove all excess caulk around the crack before moving on.  
7. After you have finished caulking all cracks in that manner, let the caulk dry, and you're done.

Choosing Caulk

    Caulk comes in either a squeezable tube or a canister. The canisters are made to be used with a caulk gun. Using a canister of caulk with a caulk gun will give you more control when applying caulk, but if you're just doing a small project, a squeezable tube of caulk will work just fine.
    Finding the right type of caulk for your job is easy. Simply read the label on the tube of caulk. The label will tell you what the caulk should be used for such as, on bathrooms fixtures or around woodwork.
    Be careful to choose the right color when picking out your caulk. Caulk comes in a variety of different colors and if you choose the wrong one you may be very unhappy when you come home.

Caulk Gun Tip

    When you use a caulk gun for the first time, you might be surprised when the caulk won't stop coming out. The secret to stopping the caulk is to press the small lever at the bottom of the gun up. The lever should be located just above the level used to apply the caulk.