# Caulk the Corners?



## Inner10

Drywalls fill me in here...I was on a site where the renovator (didn't seem like a very competent guy) was putting up sheetrock and ran a bead of alex caulking on every inside corner...no mud or tape.

I asked hi, why because I've never seen anyone do this and he claimed its "faster and looks better".

I have yet to see what the end result looks like but I'm still puzzled by it, is this common?


----------



## neolitic

No.


----------



## Mike Finley

It will look good for a little while.

You should tell him you knew about a guy that also just caulked the flat joints. The rube will probably spend years trying to figure out how to do it.

Spin him up even more tell him you caulk the tile floors in the field too.


----------



## Kent Whitten

So odd. I never heard of that until a sheetrocker a few months ago said the same thing to me. I still say no.


----------



## TBFGhost

Only time I ever did that was in an office where I put up a wall cutting off a hallway into a prefinished space....they didn't want to get into trying to match the wall paper so we caulked the joint and a contrasting paper went up on the new wall....


----------



## Frankawitz

I run across caulk in the corners all the time, but that's plaster and a lot of guys figure it's easier to caulk then tape and mud the corners, but new sheetrock with no tape that is just wrong


----------



## A+ Texture

You may see that in remodeling occasionally but not all that often. But it's a standard way of fixing corner cracks in modulars and doublewides after being shipped from the factory. Many factories drop the pretextured roof on the house with a crane and finish it this way.


----------



## Inner10

So its safe to assume that when putting new drywall up in a reno its a bit of a hack move?


----------



## A+ Texture

I think it depends on the situation, but probably. Also depends on the HO, you get what you pay for.


----------



## neolitic

I would never pay anyone 
who did that.


----------



## A+ Texture

The people who list what they want done and for how much on craigslist probably would. All they see is the price tag, serves em right. It's gratifying to see a patch job or paint job done by a real schmuck.


----------



## boman47k

I remember once caulking where someone's mud had cracked in a corner ( very small crack), but I would never try to caulk a complete joint.


----------



## CookeCarpentry

This seems to be a commercial thing in my area.

I have been on multiple jobs for two different commercial GC's, and all the drywall inside corners were caulked - no mud and tape.

I asked around and the most common answer was that it was faster.


----------



## plazaman

We never do that. We always tape inside corners. For small cracks on repair work, we may run a small bead for a hair line crack. But no for a full joint. It will always crack down the road, especially with ALEX caulk! maybe a better caulk suppose may work.


----------



## Paulie

I'm with Neo, I wouldn't pay the guy. What's next duct tape on the butt joints? 

www.phbconstruction.com


----------



## Leo G

Did they use fire caulk? If not it shouldn't pass code.


----------



## Plaster Guy

:001_huh: "Strange things are afoot at the circle K Ted."


----------



## carpentershane

In remodeling I will run a small bead of dynaflex 230 in the corner *after* mudding, taping and priming and just prior to texture.


----------



## TimelessQuality

carpentershane said:


> In remodeling I will run a small bead of dynaflex 230 in the corner *after* mudding, taping and priming and just prior to texture.


I have done that (after tape). It makes a smooth corner for paint.

:whistling

:whistling

:whistling

OK... I did caulk-only just the lids on a job that was getting crown..once. It saved a lot of time, but just didn't feel right.


----------



## Cole82

CookeCarpentry said:


> This seems to be a commercial thing in my area.
> 
> I have been on multiple jobs for two different commercial GC's, and all the drywall inside corners were caulked - no mud and tape.
> 
> I asked around and the most common answer was that it was faster.


 
Yep same here it is a comercial thing. Have seen it a several times but allways on comercial buildings.


----------



## intjonmiller

I did a repair job this past week where water came in around a new window that had been installed wrong. Drywall on all 4 sides of the window had to be ripped out and replaced. But the textured, angled ceiling just a few inches above was fine. I'm glad I had read this because caulking that joint worked perfectly and I didn't have to do any texture.


----------

