CAULK TALK
All the patching, sanding and paper removal is completed, so let's move on to the next phase of prep work..... caulking......or as the old timers call it "corking."
I was once on a job when the lady of the house called me into the bathroom. She pointed out the caulking that had been spread in gobs around the interior of the bathtub. She asked if anything could be done to correct it and admitted to being the culprit. She explained how difficult it had been to squeeze the caulking from the tube. I shook my head and noted that some of the cheaper caulking guns could be hard to trigger...to which she replied: "Gun?....
I've never heard of a caulking gun!!" If you don't get it, you will.
Any professional painter will tell you that the most obvious sign of a novice or jack leg paint job is the improper use of, or more often, the non use of caulking.
The rule for caulking is:
Caulking should be placed at all transitional point where two materials meet. For example, where the top edge of a baseboard or the side edge of a window molding meets the wall. Caulking prevents moisture in the form of humidity from seeping into the bare back side of the woodwork. This will help stabilize the material and minimize movement and warping. For interiors it also serves a purpose more important than covering our exposed bare back sides. It makes the finished work look full, solid and professional.
Let's not get confused about which caulk to use. There are many on the market and some are not paintable. Just because the label boldly reads "windows and doors" this does not make it the only choice. Pros generally use the same caulk for interiors and exteriors alike. A good quality latex based white colored caulk is the best choice.
Now that we have our caulking and caulking gun in hand we will also need a soft cotton rag, a wire hanger, a pocket knife and a pail of water. First cut off the tip of the caulking tube at about a 45 degree angle. We want to make a small hole at the tip. The most common mistake is to cut off too much of the tip leaving a large hole which will make waste and a mess. We want a hole just big enough to accommodate a straightened wire hanger.
Some pasteboard caulking tubes have a foil seal at the base of the tip that needs to be punctured. Straighten the top of the wire hanger and insert it into the hole and down to the seal. Punch three or four holes in the seal. Load the tube into the caulking gun, wet and wring out the cotton rag in the pail of water, leaving it damp.
We are ready to start.
CAULK TALK (continued)
We can start with the baseboards, the long runs of the baseboards will give you a chance to work out your technique.
First, do not spot caulk just the areas where you see cracks. Caulk the entire run. Start in the corner, place the tip on the tube against the top edge of the baseboard, keep a gentle, even pressure on the trigger of the gun. Pull the gun towards you and along the top edge of the base board. Limit the pulls to five or six feet. At the end of each pull press the release tab on the gun and wipe off the tip of the tube with the damp rag. After you have completed each pull smooth out the bead of caulk. Do this by wetting your finger with the rag and running it along the edge of the run you have just completed. This will smooth out the bead, remove excess caulk, and force the caulking into cracks and crevasses. Keep the excess caulk wiped off your finger tip and keep the rag rinsed out. If you are afraid of splinters you can smooth it out the with the rag, but be careful not to remove too much caulk.
The baseboards look great. Let's move on to caulk the windows, doors and trim. Oh yeah, there is one exception to the rule. Do not caulk between the glass and wood on the windows, of course you knew that, right?
Looks like you've got the hang of it.
Tomorrow we can talk about primers.
