Any tool for caulking and house exterior question?

[maverickfhs]

As the title suggests, I know there's a caulking gun. But is there a caulking tool for caulking in the bathroom? Since I always kind of screw up and put too much

Do you guys have any recommendation or if there's anything on Harbor freight?

Also, on the exterior there's brick front and have wood panel like this and showing cracking on the caulk area:



What's the best way to fix it and make sure there's no cracking? Is there a specific product for it?

Thanks for the help

 

[EdwardC]

For caulking in the bathroom and kitchen, I've found that using the masking tape trick works really well for me. Something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7Y6XQ9MoHE

Sorry, no experience with the exterior caulk question.

 

[Fsharp]

They make caulk spreaders, but I still prefer using a finger most of the time. Steady pressure on the caulking gun handle and smooth movement is where it's at.

It looks like that board is warping a little or coming loose. Strip out the old sealant. Make sure everything is secured and water isn't getting back behind it from some other route. I like loctite's PLS40 sealant. Henry flashing and construction sealant is excellent too but only comes in grey, however it can be painted.

 

[SZR48207]

For exterior caulk, I have found that OSI Quad works REALLY well and is durable. It is not really forgiving the way it goes on, but once it is cured, it's extremely difficult to remove.

Also for caulking in general, I see a lot of people make the mistake of "pulling" the caulk tube along the joint, sort of like laying down toothpaste onto a toothbrush.

You need to PUSH the caulk tube along the joint while keeping an even flow. This pushes the caulk into the joint so that you get stronger adhesion and less cracking. Since caulk shrinks a little as it dries, you want there to be enough of it along the seam to prevent what you see in the picture (where the sides have detached).

 

[raytseng]

http://www.homedepot.com/p/CAP-Caulk-Finishing-Tool-209293/203915184

If you stop by any hardware store, you'll see dap cap or other tools and are only like 2.50.
The plastic gives a cleaner line than and the caulk pushes away up the tool, rather than building up and sticking to your finger.

Again, agree, you need to use the tool properly and push the caulk into the joint,and not like a shovel scooping away the caulk for the main seam.

Then You can also use the tool like a mini-trowel to scrape away excess as well.
you should also make use of two tools, or use an old credit card and roll of paper towels to help you periodically help clean off excess caulk from the tool so the buildup of caulk doesn't mess up your line.

I am not a caulking expert, but I've tried tape before and don't think the tape gives good results. One, it takes more time. Two, when you remove masking it will leave a lip/edge of caulk which eventually will show as dust or water pools on it. You are better off using a tool like this, because if you push/scrape the excess on the raw surface away, this will fade the caulk to a nice seamless transition without zero lip/edge.