Simple Caulk-Cleanup Tip

Keep yourself and your workspace clean when caulking crown molding

[harringtondave]

Over 44 years in construction I have found that pushing the calk tube does a much better job of leaving a finish with out clean up.  The back edge of the tip does the clean up for you.  It takes some practice but once you get it down it's easy.  Saves a lot of clean up time and also calk.

[vincentdimick]

“Caulking trim” earned you a sub right there old man.

[wagzel]

finger's OK if you want cove shaped caulk, but if you want the look of one piece of wood use square corner putty knife - which will keep you clean too

[clqergt]

Easy Gents.... no need to get flustered. There are many ways to skin this cat. I like the pad of paper idea but Pringi is right. Most people cut too big a hole in the calking tube and put way too much on. I cut a smaller hole... no bigger than an 1/8 inch. As for the wipe... I simply keep a decent size cotton rag in an ice cream bucket filled 1/3 full of water. You wet your finger... wipe the line... then wipe it off on the rag in the water... the calk dissolves and you simply pour it down the drain at the end of the job. Easy peasy.

[tellis]

use a bucket of water and a sponge. the caulk breaks down in the water leaving no mess.

[redmist]

I just put caulking under my new bathroom sink vanity and didint know the vanity needed anchored into wall. Dont have screws or anchors on me but I did have caulk. Not very handy but I always try the finger method to smooth it out and it always makes a mess. I have a blue wall and the caulking when on the sink back and then smeared on the way. tried to fix it and made it worse. Im not meant to be the next Bob Vila, thats for sure. i just use tp to wipe it up but now ill have to wait til it hardens and maybe do touch up with blue paint to hide it better. Going to sell in the near future so i want it to look nice (er).

[fouroakfarm]

Berkeley Bowl! Best grocery store in town

[btomas]

I find that painters who caulk the trim make things infinitely harder to paint the wall and trim the next time around. I can't mask well when there's caulk on the trim. I can't get a straight line and when I do get a straight line the tape bleeds....I don't caulk unless absolutely necessary, meaning I have some gaping gap to fill. I prefer to leave a crack between the trim moulding and the wall. Works for me!

[nsbchannel]

Ask byron how to clean cured latex caulk residue that didn't quite all come off when applying....alcohol, goo gone...?

[johnneytilley]

How about not going overboard on the caulking. I very rarely use my finger to smear it all over the place. Just takes practice with a smaller hole

[seandarke]

How do you get it off of cabinets and tile floor fast so that you can go on to the next one and clean the next house I do inventory cleaning

[reneeb]

Wish my apartment manager's did that instead they wiped their fingers on my shower curtain!!! No rag he used my shower curtain as his rag!!

[JimmysFarm]

y'all do know they make paper towels now, right?

[itsmatt]

I don't caulk and deliberately leave a crack between trim and adjacent surfaces if they are to be two different colors. The crack is for a painters edge or masking tape. The crack might leave the job looking poorly done initially but several years later, by the time the room has been painted a second time and the joint between the two colors is still razor sharp, it looks way, way better than the trim that was caulked and looked tight when it was installed.

[davidbell]

I wiped my caulk on the curtains was she pissed off

[seandarke]

They’re not happy with the job and I m struggling

[priayief]

I'm not an expert "caulker" but what works for me: cut up a bunch of 2 inch square piece of plastic garbage bag, wrap one around my index finger then wipe the caulking with my finger. When When I've got too much excess caulking loaded, I dump the piece of garbage bag in a tin can, grab another piece of plastic then go at it again. Works for me.

[myopinion]

Or....use less caulk and stop filling our landfills

[jasonHadley]

Good idea? Yes... do i want to carry around a pad of paper everytime im doing trim or other caulk work.. NO lol

[WV]

it's better to put it back in the tube.