The day I realized I was over-tightening everything

I spent 6 months re-caulking my bathroom shower every 8 weeks because it kept splitting. A contractor friend watched me once and pointed out I was pushing the caulk gun way too hard and not using enough backing rod. How do you know when you're using the right amount of pressure with a caulk gun?

2 comments

2 Comments

cora_jenkins7d ago

Oh man, the "pushing too hard" thing hits close to home. I once tried caulking my kitchen backsplash and ended up with a mess that looked like a toddler had a toothpaste fight in there. I had that same "aha" moment when a buddy watched me and said I was basically arm wrestling the caulk gun. For me, the trick was learning to let the gun do the work instead of forcing it like I'm squeezing out the last bit of ketchup. A light, steady pull on the trigger with consistent speed is what finally worked, not trying to get it all out at once. How did you figure out the right pressure for you?

ivan407d ago

Funny you mention the ketchup thing, because that's exactly what I was doing wrong. I figured it out the hard way after three failed attempts on a window trim. I was squeezing so hard the caulk was oozing out everywhere except where I wanted it. Then I watched a pro do it on YouTube and realized he was barely touching the trigger. Took me another two tries to get it, but once you feel that smooth, even bead come out, you know you've got it. Did you also have to fight the urge to squeeze harder when you saw it wasn't moving fast enough?