Should I Caulk Before Painting?

Once you have cleaned and repaired your interior surfaces, it is important to apply caulk before you apply paint on it. Caulking is vital since it covers a multitude of damages and prevents many problems from occurring. At the same time, it is also important to mask the surfaces in order to protect the surfaces that you don’t want to paint.

Caulking is not an easy task and it won’t seal like it’s supposed to until and unless it’s applied properly. Therefore, it is vital to make sure that you use the best professionals that can use the right techniques with the caulking job. This ensures that you don’t need to redo the job. Here’s how to do it right way.

Getting Started:

Before you actually start caulking, you should conduct some tests by applying it on a newspaper or a paper towel to get an idea in regard to the final outcome. It is equally vital to move the caulking gun smoothly as you complete a single stroke of the trigger and start with the next stroke. Once you have applied a couple of strokes of caulk and have a good idea about what you can expect, you can then start your first caulking application on a part of your painting project. When caulking, it is better to pull the nozzle of the caulk tube along the joint than to push it. By pulling the caulk tube nozzle, you are actually allowing it to smoothly slide over any obstructions on the surface that is being caulked.

Applying Bead of Caulk:

Once you are done with applying the sealant, you should hold the caulking gun at a certain angle to the joint being filled. It is also important to adjust the nozzle opening a bit so that it forces the sealant into intimate contact with the joint surfaces. Once you are done with applying each bead of sealant, you can relieve the forces inside the tube by releasing the trigger. You also need to pull back the on rod to stop the flow of caulk. In any circumstances, you cannot stop the caulk from flowing out the nozzle just by releasing the trigger alone.

Tooling:

Tooling is required to smooth out the caulked surface. It is typically done by gliding over the entire length of the applied bead of caulk. Tooling also ensures further pressure on the thick caulk to provide a good adhesion.