# 100 miles of caulk



## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Well, maybe not a hundred, but it's going to seem like it till the job is done. We're putting up steel siding on all the used-to-be windows on this building, and will be caulking the J channel all around.

Anyone have any neat tricks for tooling caulk on brick and concrete? I don't think I have enough spit for the job. 

And... I've always sneered at those powered caulk guns, but if there's a place for them, this is it. I'd appreciate hearing from those who have experience with them. :thumbsup:


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

Damp sponge, 2 buckets of water, one clean, one to clean sponge.

Power caulk guns, never used one, really wanted to.


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## jtpro (May 21, 2009)

I haven't done THAT much caulk ,but I always use a sponge and water bucket. 

MURDER on the sponge and several passes to remove the excess.

I'm sure you knew that though.


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## jtpro (May 21, 2009)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> Damp sponge, 2 buckets of water, one clean, one to clean sponge.
> 
> Power caulk guns, never used one, really wanted to.


or what he said as he can type faster!:laughing:


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

A can or pail with water and 
dish soap....... 
and buy Fast Orange hand cleaner 
by the gallon. :laughing:
The pneumatic guns have a steep
learning curve, but if you want
to buy in bulk.....
I've used a few of the battery
powered ones, but not enough 
to recommend one or another.


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

Maybe a case of nitrile gloves?


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

I forgot about dish soap. 

I usually wear black nitrile gloves when doing any glueing, caulking, staining, etc. I get tired of filthy hands.


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## HSConstruction (Mar 21, 2009)

I used to build conservatories and we used a pneumatic caulk gun, it was cool but allowed you to lay a bead 2 times too big twice as fast.

I second, err third, the bucket and rag trick.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Thanks guys; I think I'll be trying rags rather than sponges. I don't own enough of the Great Barrier Reef for that. :no:



neolitic said:


> I've used a few of the battery
> powered ones, but not enough
> to recommend one or another.


But you wouldn't recommend _not_ using one? Are they typically 1-2 speeds, or variable? The latter would seem to be the only sensible thing.



HSConstruction said:


> I used to build conservatories and we used a pneumatic caulk gun, it was cool but allowed you to lay a bead 2 times too big twice as fast.


Uh... yeah. That's exactly what I was thinking. :laughing:


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## RobertCDF (Aug 18, 2005)

I have the ridgid 18v glue/caulk gun and it has a variable speed. Its also all about the cut, if you cut a gaping hole then your jacked no matter what you use. I bought the ridgid for glue mostly but I have used it to caulk and it worked just fine.


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## NJ Brickie (Jan 31, 2009)

I would use a set of spoons and rags.


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## Bob Kovacs (May 4, 2005)

Hire a caulking company- it'll save you the pain.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

RobertCDF said:


> Its also all about the cut, if you cut a gaping hole then your jacked no matter what you use.


Hallelujah on that! Drives me nuts when someone borrows my gun/caulk and returns it with a hole big enough to stick a finger in.



NJ Brickie said:


> I would use a set of spoons and rags.


Novel thought, but I never learned to play spoons. :laughing:

Seriously, that does sound like it could work well under the right circumstances. But I don't trust myself to be able to handle the excess neatly on a brick/concrete surface.



Bob Kovacs said:


> Hire a caulking company- it'll save you the pain.


Under the right circumstances I'd be tempted. But (a) we're trying to maximize profit by keeping as much of the work in-house as possible, and (b) I actually do have a pretty good touch at it myself. Just haven't done it on this scale before. :thumbsup:


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## RayGoerdt (Nov 13, 2008)

1" foam brushes and a small pail of water

Ray


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## NJ Brickie (Jan 31, 2009)

Figured I would chime in since nobody brought up using spoons. If there is a section that is unnoticable I would atleast give this method a shot. You can get alot done quickly and neatly with a nice set of spoons. But you know what you are comfortable with. Good luck on the project.


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## NJ Brickie (Jan 31, 2009)

Just to make myself clear I mean using these
http://www.loghomesupply.com/special-toolsbacker-rod_107_d.htm

I guess "spoons" are a slang term.


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

As far as the battery guns,
I tried a Ryobi, and a DeWalt
And another "yellow one" :laughing:
The Dewalt was variable speed, and
had a way to lock in the rate of flow
that you liked.
That's about all I remember.
Milwaukee makes one too, but 
you might want to check these guys.
http://www.albioneng.com/


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

NJ Brickie said:


> Just to make myself clear I mean using these
> http://www.loghomesupply.com/special-toolsbacker-rod_107_d.htm
> 
> I guess "spoons" are a slang term.


Stainless lab spoons are nice too.
They come in different sizes, 
and I think they're called "spoonulas"?
Sounds like a spork. :laughing:


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## Cletus (Jan 7, 2008)

On commercial jobs like that I would expect to see bulk guns and NP2 in buckets, a soup can wired to your belt containing a little soapy water, and your spoon of choice. If you need gloves, rags, hand cleaner, and somewhere to put the "extra", you are doing it wrong. :thumbsup:


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

NJ Brickie said:


> I guess "spoons" are a slang term.


No doubt. You ljust showed me something I didn't even know existed. :thumbsup:



Cletus said:


> If you need gloves, rags, hand cleaner, and somewhere to put the "extra", you are doing it wrong. :thumbsup:


I freely admit that I've never done "commercial" caulking. As a general remodeler, most of the stuff I do is easily accomplished with a few rags/paper towels, a fingertip and spit. But if you never venture out of your comfort zone, you're stagnating.

Sounds like both of you guys have a clue as to how it's done on a bigger scale, and I do appreciate the education. Anything else you can point me at would be well paid with attaboys (can't fit much else through this keyboard). :notworthy


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## jkfox624 (Jun 20, 2009)

Haha that looks like a building we just got done blowing like 15 cases of caulk and god knows how many cans of spray foam. 150 year old brick factory that had some quality inspection and couldnt have any holes cracks that bugs birds or anything could get in. It was a god damn mile around this stupid building that was 20feet high in spots, longest 3.5 weeks of my life. Everytime you thoguht you were done you'd walk back and see a bird sneak in somewhere up high. :laughing:


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

DetailHandyman said:


> "and I would caulk 500 miles..." :clap:





loneframer said:


> Yeah, well, since that song is stuck in my head now, I thought I'd share


Thank you very little, guys. Now *I'll *be stuck with that for the duration. :furious::laughing:


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

#1 Handyman said:


> The way wooden boats are caulked is with raw cotton ribbons. If you cut it in one inch sections you would basically have cotton balls.
> 
> Just wondering if it wouldn't be ideal for filling irregular sized gaps.


Sure, that would work. I've even used fiberglass insulation. :thumbsup:


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

IHI said:


> For a finished/final apperance, was'nt any way i could use the gun to get that professional look like i can with a normal/manual caulker....so take that for what's it worth.


That's exactly what I've always surmised, without actually taking the time/expense to try it out. Thanks for the confirmation!


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

Tinstaafl said:


> That's exactly what I've always surmised, without actually taking the time/expense to try it out. Thanks for the confirmation!


The DeWalt has a variable speed
function....a lot more advanced
than the Ryobi.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

21gun said:


> Just a suggestion here... if you havent started the job yet... is there any way you can back caulk the wall before you install the J ?
> 
> 
> > Good thinking. That might work if this was new construction, but we're stripping off an outer layer of rotted paneling and installing the J and siding over [only] half-rotted OSB, screwing to the metal studs behind it. Even if everything was primo, the time it takes to cruise up & down in the lift would have the caulk half congealed before you got the J on.
> ...


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

neolitic said:


> The DeWalt has a variable speed
> function....a lot more advanced
> than the Ryobi.


Yebbut... Would you buy me one to try out if I guarantee that if it does a great job, I'll pay you for it? :shifty:


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

Tinstaafl said:


> Yebbut... Would you buy me one to try out if I guarantee that if it does a great job, I'll pay you for it? :shifty:


Ain't *my* wrist! :laughing:


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

neolitic said:


> Ain't *my* wrist! :laughing:


Methinks thou art in need of an empathy transfusion.


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

Tinstaafl said:


> Methinks thou art in need of an empathy transfusion.


I think you're gonna wish
you'd ponied up the 3 C notes. :shifty:


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## denverboz (Jan 31, 2008)

Mannnn...that looks like the caulk job from hell!!!!!

lol


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## olyteddy (Oct 27, 2006)

#1 Handyman said:


> The only kind of backer rod I know of is the round foam stuff.
> 
> I have spent many years around boat building. The way wooden boats are caulked is with raw cotton ribbons. If you cut it in one inch sections you would basically have cotton balls.
> 
> Just wondering if it wouldn't be ideal for filling irregular sized gaps.


I use Hemp Macrame string for backer (it's about 1/4" diameter). You can twist together as many strands as you need to fill bigger spaces and caulk really sticks to it.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Caulking is well under way on this job, concurrent with installing those custom-fabricated window/vents I mentioned. A bit of feedback, now that I have a few miles' worth of experience...



RobertCDF said:


> Its also all about the cut, if you cut a gaping hole then your jacked no matter what you use.


Mostly true. If you cut the hole size just right to match the gap you're caulking--and have a smooth and steady hand, you can often get by without any tooling at all. For this to work, you need a gaping hole to match a gaping gap.

Of course, on this 100 year old building, gap size varies wildly on just about any given seam. So it's a choice of juggling half a dozen tubes with different-sized holes, or just using one with a small hole and doing the multipass dance when the gap widens. I've been doing the latter.



RayGoerdt said:


> 1" foam brushes and a small pail of water





NJ Brickie said:


> Figured I would chime in since nobody brought up using spoons.


Given the really ragged and uneven nature of the brick and concrete surfaces involved, I've found that nothing works nearly as well for this job as the good old finger and a strong mix of water and dish detergent. Dip often and liberally (wipe down your "overspray" and drips later), and you can stroke, pat and squeeze the stuff almost like modeling clay. If any does seem to stick to your hands, it wipes off quite easily as long as there's any trace at all of the detergent on your skin.

Note: There's a bit of a balancing act involved here. The caulk needs to contact a *dry* surface in order to stick well. If your soapy water gets on the surface before the caulk that you're spreading does, the end result isn't going to be what you were looking for.



IHI said:


> We had a large job with 231 windows to be installed in a limestone exteriored apartment building so i bought the Ryobi cordless caulker to give it a shot, and i must say for doing new construct windows/doors, construction adhesive for underlayments, surrounds, etc....large quantity type jobs where fit and finish dont mean a thing, you cant go wrong, they work AWESOME, but i found even on the lowest setting, i needed the smallest hole cut on the tip as possible so the flow would'nt get fricken crazy:w00t:
> 
> For a finished/final apperance, was'nt any way i could use the gun to get that professional look like i can with a normal/manual caulker....so take that for what's it worth.


With this glowing (?) recommendation and a bit of Neo-prodding, I decided to take a chance and splurge the $40 on a Ryobi gun. Had to borrow a battery from a co-worker who I suspect will be buying the gun from me when the job's done. 

Sorry Neo, but I just couldn't see 
plonking down $300 for a DeWalt 
and then being stuck with it afterward. 
I doubt I'll ever have this big
of a caulking job again.

Ryobi review:

As IHI mentioned, even though the Ryobi has a speed control (NOT incorporated into the trigger), the only really usable setting is the very slowest. Set it any higher and you'll empty the tube in about 5 seconds. 

That could come in handy for putting down glue for drywall or subflooring, but then you'd want to be using larger tubes that won't fit in this gun.

The gun has a handy "drip-free" feature that retracts the plunger slightly when you let go of the trigger. When you actuate it again, the motor runs at high speed for a fraction of a second to take up that slack and get you back to where you left off, and then slows to the setting you have selected.

A minor drawback of that feature is that if you happen to "stutter" the trigger because of hand fatigue (like all of them, it's friggin' heavy), awkward position or slippery hands (from the soapy water mentioned above), you wind up with a series of fast-feeds without the retractions, and a lumpy mess to clean up. You just have to be careful not to let that happen--OTOH, it can actually come in handy if used with premeditation.

Overall, IHI's remarks were dead on the money. :notworthy

Though I plan to get rid of this simply because I don't anticipate further need for it, I'd buy another in a heartbeat for any bulk caulking job.

Thanks again to everyone who chimed in on this thread! :thumbsup:


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