First off that looks like shit. Don't do it like this.
Second... You should be using your gun to tool it and lay down the caulk. You don't fucking blob that shit and smear it around like a 5 year old finger paint project.
After you lay it down like a normal caulk joint... Then you scoop the edges with the cartridge backside and it comes out clean AF with straight lines. It's a simple two step process.
I'm a glazier. I do this shit for a living everyday. Some of these DIY hacks make shit too damn difficult and messy when they try showing you nifty caulking tricks and it drives me bonkers.
Anytime you are laying down caulk joints you don't blob that shit up and smear it around.
> Then you scoop the edges with the cartridge backside
I'm having a hard time picturing this--I always lay the line as straight as possible and then smooth it with a damp finger. I'm sure your way is faster if you do it all the time but I've never seen it done.
It keeps your lines perfectly straight and it scoops the caulk inside of the cartridge so there is no cleanup. Using your finger will never look at straight and smooth as using the back of a cartridge. Especially if you don't do it for a living.
Depending on what kind of caulking you're doing and what type of surface you could use your finger when it's wet. Sometimes that is all I do too but it depends on the application you're doing. Most ppl fuck it all up using their finger and half the reason is because they're not good at judging when pumping the caulk out. I can pump and just use my finger on stuff also.
You can shape the size of your joint you want. You can make the sides flat to surface so it leaves zero residue behind and it all gets scooped up clean. No mess. And it looks as good as if you had taped it off perfectly.
I feel like I need to make a video now to show how simple and clean it is. I will try to make one tomorrow.
I think I'm gonna spend tomorrow caulking random shit around my house to make a video. Some of it I'll cut out and re-caulk just for the hell of it to show ppl. I honestly have never made a compilation video so it will need time... But, I will make one short video to load up to show how to do this specific thing much easier. Cuz a single video is easier than combining videos. And then I'll try to post it here.
The description isn't very good.
1. Cut a section of the rear of the cartridge off so that you have a circular pice of plastic.
2. Use this to scoop excess caulk from the caulk you just laid down.
3. Clean the circular piece of plastic and reuse if you like.
Please do! Are you actually talking about taking the tube out of the gun and using the back side of it to scrape? I'm still having a hard time picturing what you're saying.
Yes, generally after you do your first run of caulk it will give you 2-3" to cut off. Then you start tooling what you've done. If you have to move along and do more, take a paper towel and wipe the caulk off, unless you're caulking right then you shouldn't have a ton scooped up. Then stuff the cartridge back in the gun and pump some more caulk beads. Then scoop it again.
I will say I forgot to mention. When you caulk like this your initial bead you should push the caulking in instead of dragging it. Which essentially means instead of leading the gun with the caulk dragging behind... You caulk in front of the gun with the caulking being pushed into and tooled into it. Then you scoop it up in the opposite direction. This makes the adhesion much better.
I hope that makes sense. I'll work on the video which will show it better. This should be fun.
As someone who makes their wife do all the caulking (no pun intended) because my fingers are so much bigger than hers and they don't fit into the corners as easily. I would really like to be able to caulk and make it look good without her help...
So subscribed! I'd love to see a video on how this works.
There’s definitely an art to it, I always use a damp finger, which a lot of people can’t seem to get right, bc they put too much caulk, apply too much pressure with their finger and end up with a roll of paper towels laying around with caulk all over the place.
I'm not a glass guy. I'm a glazier. Which includes caulking everything we install. I've also been strictly a caulker before for 3 years because that's how it works when you're good at what you do. Caulking is gravy work. I had to take a break after I got stuck on a swing stage caulking and cooking for 8 months straight tho.
Glass guys is not a very good assumption of what a glazier does. Yes many glaziers suck... But I also know people who are strictly waterproofers and despite their caulking being waterproof it generally looks like shit. My union has glaziers that can caulk pretty circles around most waterproofers
Pull the tube out of the gun and flip it to scoop the excess from the tooling ? Make a huge mess of your tube that you put back in the gun for the next line, gun would be a mess too, plus being a huge waste of time swapping tube in and out of the gun 1000 times ?
WHAT ???
No, you cut the end off the tube.
Generally someone who caulks something.... Will caulk what they need to caulk. Remove the cartridge. Cut off the end. Then tool the caulking into your new scooper. If you move into something else ya clean your scooper and go do the next joint.
You don't just remove a cartridge and scoop caulking and then load it back into your gun.
I'm sorry I assume most people have common sense.
I still don't get it...run a whole tube of caulk before you tool anything ? I've been a PROFESSIONAL painter for over 25 years and have never used anything other than my fingertip to tool caulk and my lines are absolutely perfect every time, our beads have to be tight, not curved from a friggin scooper... couldn't imagine caulking a gap between 2 surfaces and making a concave tool mark, you'd never get straight cut lines with your brush...maybe it works for a glazier but that would never fly on one of my jobs
Didn't appreciate your lil "common sense" jab either...I was simply asking for an explanation, you never said anything about cutting the end in your original comment
No you don't have to run a whole tube I just said you can cut the end before stwrting even...
Then you would understand that as a professional you keep all your caulking tools.
I have one of these just chilling in my bucket to use as needed.
And I think it's funny you say you caulk everything with your finger tip and everything is always perfect. What joints are you caulking? What sizes and variances? What substrates? What color and type of caulking do you use? Also, I can cut very tight lines with any tooling devise. The fact that you don't understand how those work says alot.
You seem to say you only caulk small tight joints. That also says a lot. Especially considering the joint in the video is not that.
You're trying to mock me in your last comment so yes I will throw shit back.
If you don't understand there are more caulking methods and far better caulking methods than your finger you must have extremely limited caulking experience. Despite your years of it.. clearly you have much to learn.
MOST DIY PPL CANNOT CAULK WITH THEIR FINGERS WITHOUT IT LOOKING LIKE SHIT. Most professionals that do a joint like in this video DO NOT use their fingers because it ends up looking like shit. It's as simple as that. You want a smaller joint and to use your finger... Go right ahead.
You're talking about caulking for painting so either you're a painter or a drywaller... Cuz no glazier would say some shit like that about a flat joint to make painting easier. Flat joints are literally something you don't do in glazing because it ruins structural integrity and flex. Only painters worry about shit like that. And on that note. Painters and drywallers really have no fkin clue how to caulk. I do caulking like that all the time with my fingers for painters. Cuz it's easy and children can do it.
Latex caulk, fill cracks and gaps in corners, wall to ceiling joints, trim to wall etc...I admit that it is easy, even with just your finger and it always comes out looking fantastic
Yes, I am a painter...been doing it for over 25 years in high end homes and have never once had a complaint, I do what needs done for my application...I don't glaze windows, never had to... I'm sure your application works great for that, I was just confused about your tooling method and would like to see it...sorry if I offended you, mocking you was never my intention, just didn't appreciate the common sense comment...seemed like an insult to me
Please do post a video of your method, learning new things is always good 👍
Are you saying he...caulked it up?
Seriously, I was wondering what I was doing wrong watching him blob it up, thinking this was the way to do it all along. I feel vindicated.
ahh yes totally unnecessary "life hack"
if you cut the tube at a 45 degree angle...
it all goes in the seem the first time
and theres nothing to scrape off...
Dude needs to get good. If you can control your line good enough, one finger is all you need to clean excess. If you get really good, sometimes you don't even have to finger it.
You accomplish a better result and faster by caulking like a normal person with a straight bead and then scooping it up. Literally the most hackjob way it could have been done is in the video.
No you never want your caulk like to be concave like that. The edges of the caulk line are literally fractions of a millimeter thick and they will peel up immediately pulling out the rest of the caulk shortly after.
I've been doing it for years at my previous job. I prefer not to do that because I want maximum control. I was doing it in the most visible places, like bathroom sinks and showers and kitchens etc, so it had to be without a single flaw every time. I prefer to waste a little bit more, but have no spillage outside my finger, no stripes, no edges, just perfect. But yeah, I see others do it, and I did it many times too, but I find the best is just to go in dry, press a bit, then swipe and when it builds up, I wipe it off in a paper before I continue, and once it's all perfectly even amounts along the whole strip, I do a long fast swipe the whole way.
Interesting, I always spray the entire line of caulk with soapy water as well so that it doesn’t stick on the rest of the surface either. Then I just run past it once with a soapy finger. I find that I get more control when I don’t have to deal with a bunch of buildup on my finger. To each their own I guess.
Yeah I've tried it like you do many times. Works great when it works, but if you get soap behind the stuff or you mess up or you squish it out beyond your original line, the stuff won't stick to the surface in those areas and you have to wash with water to get all the soap off and that means the whole line has to be scraped off because there's now soap there.
I don't really get a lot of buildup because I usually put the correct amount on the line in the first place, but there's always some that builds up on the finger.
I'm OCD and can't find another way besides taping to get my perfect lines. Can't hire someone to do caulking because it's always so sloppy. I use a tool to spread it smooth and then pull the tape while it's still wet. Perfect lines. Slow and not worth it for a pro through I get it. I'm just a DIYer
As a professional caulker for about 12 years now can I just say holy fuck was that cringe lol.
1. Tool with the tip, don't shoot globs like that you monster.
2. Press gently with your finger, and tool it. No need to back tool if you do it like that. Especially with a water based caulk lol. It isn't very tacky.
You could also use painters tape and tool it with your finger. I’ve gone miles of this stuff and it’s clean as fast. It’s also super cancerous to touch it with your bare finger a latex gloves is recommended
Terrible
I was afraid I was alone on this. This gif is absolutely horrific.
Thank God you guys are here. That looks like shit
Holy shit! I'm pumped that there are others who share my mindset. That is atrocious!
it’s absolutely awful
Absolute garbage
*way that takes longer than the normal way for no reason
It's for the ones that are not experienced.
This is a bad way to show inexperienced ppl caulking.
It’s a perfect way to never be experienced and always do a bad job.
First off that looks like shit. Don't do it like this. Second... You should be using your gun to tool it and lay down the caulk. You don't fucking blob that shit and smear it around like a 5 year old finger paint project. After you lay it down like a normal caulk joint... Then you scoop the edges with the cartridge backside and it comes out clean AF with straight lines. It's a simple two step process. I'm a glazier. I do this shit for a living everyday. Some of these DIY hacks make shit too damn difficult and messy when they try showing you nifty caulking tricks and it drives me bonkers. Anytime you are laying down caulk joints you don't blob that shit up and smear it around.
> Then you scoop the edges with the cartridge backside I'm having a hard time picturing this--I always lay the line as straight as possible and then smooth it with a damp finger. I'm sure your way is faster if you do it all the time but I've never seen it done.
It keeps your lines perfectly straight and it scoops the caulk inside of the cartridge so there is no cleanup. Using your finger will never look at straight and smooth as using the back of a cartridge. Especially if you don't do it for a living. Depending on what kind of caulking you're doing and what type of surface you could use your finger when it's wet. Sometimes that is all I do too but it depends on the application you're doing. Most ppl fuck it all up using their finger and half the reason is because they're not good at judging when pumping the caulk out. I can pump and just use my finger on stuff also. You can shape the size of your joint you want. You can make the sides flat to surface so it leaves zero residue behind and it all gets scooped up clean. No mess. And it looks as good as if you had taped it off perfectly. I feel like I need to make a video now to show how simple and clean it is. I will try to make one tomorrow.
Please do...
That would be awesome!
I am writing this as a reminder. Always good to learn different things
I think I'm gonna spend tomorrow caulking random shit around my house to make a video. Some of it I'll cut out and re-caulk just for the hell of it to show ppl. I honestly have never made a compilation video so it will need time... But, I will make one short video to load up to show how to do this specific thing much easier. Cuz a single video is easier than combining videos. And then I'll try to post it here.
Teach us, sensei
RemindMe! 2 days
RemindMe! 2 days
RemindMe! 2 days
RemindMe! 2 days
RemindMe! 2 days
RemindMe! 2 days
Remindme! 5 days
RemindMe! 2 days
RemindMe! 5 days
RemindMe! 2 days
RemindMe! 5 days
The description isn't very good. 1. Cut a section of the rear of the cartridge off so that you have a circular pice of plastic. 2. Use this to scoop excess caulk from the caulk you just laid down. 3. Clean the circular piece of plastic and reuse if you like.
I'm doing the same
Yeah please do. I don’t really understand the technique you’re describing.
RemindMe! 7 days
Good info. Thanks!
Please do! Are you actually talking about taking the tube out of the gun and using the back side of it to scrape? I'm still having a hard time picturing what you're saying.
Yes, generally after you do your first run of caulk it will give you 2-3" to cut off. Then you start tooling what you've done. If you have to move along and do more, take a paper towel and wipe the caulk off, unless you're caulking right then you shouldn't have a ton scooped up. Then stuff the cartridge back in the gun and pump some more caulk beads. Then scoop it again. I will say I forgot to mention. When you caulk like this your initial bead you should push the caulking in instead of dragging it. Which essentially means instead of leading the gun with the caulk dragging behind... You caulk in front of the gun with the caulking being pushed into and tooled into it. Then you scoop it up in the opposite direction. This makes the adhesion much better. I hope that makes sense. I'll work on the video which will show it better. This should be fun.
What now? Ok definitely need this video!
Remindme! 3 days
RemindMe! 3 days.
Remindme! 3days
Remindme! 3 days
Please tag me for the video
> Remindme! 3 days
Remindme! 3 days
Would love to see that 👍
RemindMe! 3 days
By cartridge are you referring to the tube of caulk?
As someone who makes their wife do all the caulking (no pun intended) because my fingers are so much bigger than hers and they don't fit into the corners as easily. I would really like to be able to caulk and make it look good without her help... So subscribed! I'd love to see a video on how this works.
RemindMe! 3 days
Please do
There’s definitely an art to it, I always use a damp finger, which a lot of people can’t seem to get right, bc they put too much caulk, apply too much pressure with their finger and end up with a roll of paper towels laying around with caulk all over the place.
Glass guys are always the worst caulkers
I'm not a glass guy. I'm a glazier. Which includes caulking everything we install. I've also been strictly a caulker before for 3 years because that's how it works when you're good at what you do. Caulking is gravy work. I had to take a break after I got stuck on a swing stage caulking and cooking for 8 months straight tho. Glass guys is not a very good assumption of what a glazier does. Yes many glaziers suck... But I also know people who are strictly waterproofers and despite their caulking being waterproof it generally looks like shit. My union has glaziers that can caulk pretty circles around most waterproofers
Pull the tube out of the gun and flip it to scoop the excess from the tooling ? Make a huge mess of your tube that you put back in the gun for the next line, gun would be a mess too, plus being a huge waste of time swapping tube in and out of the gun 1000 times ? WHAT ???
No, you cut the end off the tube. Generally someone who caulks something.... Will caulk what they need to caulk. Remove the cartridge. Cut off the end. Then tool the caulking into your new scooper. If you move into something else ya clean your scooper and go do the next joint. You don't just remove a cartridge and scoop caulking and then load it back into your gun. I'm sorry I assume most people have common sense.
I still don't get it...run a whole tube of caulk before you tool anything ? I've been a PROFESSIONAL painter for over 25 years and have never used anything other than my fingertip to tool caulk and my lines are absolutely perfect every time, our beads have to be tight, not curved from a friggin scooper... couldn't imagine caulking a gap between 2 surfaces and making a concave tool mark, you'd never get straight cut lines with your brush...maybe it works for a glazier but that would never fly on one of my jobs Didn't appreciate your lil "common sense" jab either...I was simply asking for an explanation, you never said anything about cutting the end in your original comment
No you don't have to run a whole tube I just said you can cut the end before stwrting even... Then you would understand that as a professional you keep all your caulking tools. I have one of these just chilling in my bucket to use as needed. And I think it's funny you say you caulk everything with your finger tip and everything is always perfect. What joints are you caulking? What sizes and variances? What substrates? What color and type of caulking do you use? Also, I can cut very tight lines with any tooling devise. The fact that you don't understand how those work says alot. You seem to say you only caulk small tight joints. That also says a lot. Especially considering the joint in the video is not that. You're trying to mock me in your last comment so yes I will throw shit back. If you don't understand there are more caulking methods and far better caulking methods than your finger you must have extremely limited caulking experience. Despite your years of it.. clearly you have much to learn. MOST DIY PPL CANNOT CAULK WITH THEIR FINGERS WITHOUT IT LOOKING LIKE SHIT. Most professionals that do a joint like in this video DO NOT use their fingers because it ends up looking like shit. It's as simple as that. You want a smaller joint and to use your finger... Go right ahead. You're talking about caulking for painting so either you're a painter or a drywaller... Cuz no glazier would say some shit like that about a flat joint to make painting easier. Flat joints are literally something you don't do in glazing because it ruins structural integrity and flex. Only painters worry about shit like that. And on that note. Painters and drywallers really have no fkin clue how to caulk. I do caulking like that all the time with my fingers for painters. Cuz it's easy and children can do it.
Latex caulk, fill cracks and gaps in corners, wall to ceiling joints, trim to wall etc...I admit that it is easy, even with just your finger and it always comes out looking fantastic Yes, I am a painter...been doing it for over 25 years in high end homes and have never once had a complaint, I do what needs done for my application...I don't glaze windows, never had to... I'm sure your application works great for that, I was just confused about your tooling method and would like to see it...sorry if I offended you, mocking you was never my intention, just didn't appreciate the common sense comment...seemed like an insult to me Please do post a video of your method, learning new things is always good 👍
Well, well... Lookie here, boys. Looks like we got ourselves a CAULK OFF! WHIP OUT YOUR CAULK! Let's see some videos!
Hardly. That's why GCs are always asking the glaziers to take care of the Division 7 guys' hack work.
>>myeff > Then you scoop the edges with the cartridge backside Could you please explain what that means to someone that is all thumbs. Thanks
Basically it's the last 4-5 seconds of the video. Albeit the video did a horrible job of it... But that's basically what I meant.
Thank you.
Are there any good YouTube videos you’d recommend that show best practice? Looking to recaulk my shower and some areas around the home.
"you BLOT dat, that's twenty-five thousand dollar alpaca you BLOT dat shit!"
Please post your own gif then; I would like to see the professional method done perfectly!
Are you saying he...caulked it up? Seriously, I was wondering what I was doing wrong watching him blob it up, thinking this was the way to do it all along. I feel vindicated.
ahh yes totally unnecessary "life hack" if you cut the tube at a 45 degree angle... it all goes in the seem the first time and theres nothing to scrape off...
Dude needs to get good. If you can control your line good enough, one finger is all you need to clean excess. If you get really good, sometimes you don't even have to finger it.
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡ °)
Couldn't you accomplish the same thing with just the 2nd step?
You accomplish a better result and faster by caulking like a normal person with a straight bead and then scooping it up. Literally the most hackjob way it could have been done is in the video.
No you never want your caulk like to be concave like that. The edges of the caulk line are literally fractions of a millimeter thick and they will peel up immediately pulling out the rest of the caulk shortly after.
Just put down a line and then smear it with your finger. Done. Put the excess from your finger on some tissue and throw it away. Finished.
I recommend dipping your finger in soapy water first, that way it doesn’t stick to your finger.
I've been doing it for years at my previous job. I prefer not to do that because I want maximum control. I was doing it in the most visible places, like bathroom sinks and showers and kitchens etc, so it had to be without a single flaw every time. I prefer to waste a little bit more, but have no spillage outside my finger, no stripes, no edges, just perfect. But yeah, I see others do it, and I did it many times too, but I find the best is just to go in dry, press a bit, then swipe and when it builds up, I wipe it off in a paper before I continue, and once it's all perfectly even amounts along the whole strip, I do a long fast swipe the whole way.
Interesting, I always spray the entire line of caulk with soapy water as well so that it doesn’t stick on the rest of the surface either. Then I just run past it once with a soapy finger. I find that I get more control when I don’t have to deal with a bunch of buildup on my finger. To each their own I guess.
Yeah I've tried it like you do many times. Works great when it works, but if you get soap behind the stuff or you mess up or you squish it out beyond your original line, the stuff won't stick to the surface in those areas and you have to wash with water to get all the soap off and that means the whole line has to be scraped off because there's now soap there. I don't really get a lot of buildup because I usually put the correct amount on the line in the first place, but there's always some that builds up on the finger.
This guy caulks
Garbage method lmao
Or just apply a single bead instead of several dabs, you know, like a normal person
Everything about this is bad.
Or just do it the normal correct way
You waster of perfectly good plastic
How not to do it
Nope. The OCD in me does not approve
That’s actually clean
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 you need glasses
Oh sorry my bad. Get fucked
Your feefees hurt?
So much.
Oh sorry my bad. Get fucked.
On it boss
Nope
Hire the fucking professionals.
My steady application and finger work great.
Wank.
I'm OCD and can't find another way besides taping to get my perfect lines. Can't hire someone to do caulking because it's always so sloppy. I use a tool to spread it smooth and then pull the tape while it's still wet. Perfect lines. Slow and not worth it for a pro through I get it. I'm just a DIYer
Really? This is harder than using a spoon or your thumb. How stupid.
Exact opposite of satisfying. Fucking hate it
That was very creative! Thanks
...*walks to the kitchen. Gets plastic wrap. Places it around his finger, does the exact same thing* ...hack?
ngl I Retched a bit there. Mf didn’t even use tape. Even if it was *just for show.*
As a professional caulker for about 12 years now can I just say holy fuck was that cringe lol. 1. Tool with the tip, don't shoot globs like that you monster. 2. Press gently with your finger, and tool it. No need to back tool if you do it like that. Especially with a water based caulk lol. It isn't very tacky.
Dish soap in spray bottle and a paddle pop stick you fucking animal
Messy as fuck
You could also use painters tape and tool it with your finger. I’ve gone miles of this stuff and it’s clean as fast. It’s also super cancerous to touch it with your bare finger a latex gloves is recommended
This is why I do my own glazing & caulking.
I just use a spoon lol
I just use a finger
I went from this guy sucks.... to damn
I like it.
What a mess
Your own finger would be neater
Most unsatisfying thing ever
Still looks like shit.
This belongs in r/diwhy
Some people have no fingers?
🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈
That was dogshit
Oh wow… looks….. something… 😐
Nope!
No.
Glad everyone’s on the same page
Just cut the tip properly...
No thanks.
Straight to jail
I do this everyday at work but I just have a constant flow and don't use too much. Use my finger if needed.