Silicone Caulk Technique??

Re: Silicone Caulk Technique??

Mike L

I use silicone caulk when I paint walls. I tape the trim and leave about a 1/16th gap. I use the caulk to seal the gap and allow the tape to come off easy.

When I replace glass I do about the same thing. I tape the face of the glass leaving a small gap between the sash and the face of the glass. I then apply a small bead in the corner of the sash and insert the glass. If any bleeds out the tape stops it from getting all over the place. Keep a damp rag handy to wipe up any squeeze out.

Re: Silicone Caulk Technique??

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

Check the cleanup on the silicone; many of them can be cleaned up with mineral spirits when they're fresh.

Also: check the date on the tube, and make sure it's not expired. Silicone caulk has a definite lifetime, and won't set if it's too old. I could describe how I know that, but it would be sad.

Re: Silicone Caulk Technique??

GolfSteve in Calgary

When caulking tilework in a bathroom I had good success masking off where I want the silicone to go, then apply just the right amount of silicone, and follow up with a radiused rubber squeegee (available in the silicone or tile section of your hardware store for this purpose, about $5)

Remove the tape before the silicone sets. If you've applied just the right amount of silicone to match the area that you've masked off, you end up with a perfect feathered silicone edge.

If you apply too much silicone, or the masked area is too small for the radius of the squeegee, then when you remove the tape you will be left with a raised lip on the silicone edge. Maybe not a problem, but it is an area where dust will collect.

For touching up those troublesome corners where you inevitably accidently make a mess, using mineral spirits on a wet finger works well.

What kind of tape?

Blue or green painters tape

Re: Silicone Caulk Technique??

Mark Nowicki

You should ignore the advice and not apply silicone.

Running a nice and even bead of caulking is best done with a quality caulking gun.

The best ones, in my experience, are made by COX :

https://www.coxdispensers.com/us/cox-products/manual/1-k/76/powerflow%E2%84%A2-quart

Assuming you going from left to right;

Anchor the bead about 1/4" away from the corner, back into the corner and then over to the right in one quick, even motion. It takes me about 1.5 seconds to lay a 30 inch bead.

Practice first, if you mess up, remove and try again.

Caulking has a limited shelf live, after about a year viscosity becomes uneven and gas bubbles form.

Re: Blue or green painters tape

Tom Norton

Thanks!!

Re: Silicone Caulk Technique??

Keith Newton

Tom, if this is a large window, I would use a heavy bead in the jamb, and then press it in just enough to make contact all around, but still leaving a thick space between jamb and face of the glass. The outside panel of a large insulated expands and contracts quite a bit relative to temperature change. If the bead is too thin relative to the amount of movement, it will likely tear away from the jamb.

I usually just let the squeeze out dry, then knife it around the jamb, then single edge razor blade the glass face. Id rather not have to deal with a big wad of tape with all the goo contaminating my hands and potentially anything else it touches.

This may not be an issue on a small window, but up on a scaffold in the wind, those wet ribbons of tape can contaminate the wall or jamb causing future painting problems.

Good advice

John in NM

I would do it this way too, if one has to use silicone, then leaving it alone until dry and can be removed with a knife is the way to do it.

Re: Silicone Caulk Technique??

Tom Norton

The glass fabricator really recommended using the glass tape and the silicone. It has stood up on the other units. So I think I will go with the same procedure.

But this caulk job will be better!