TIL I used 40 tubes of caulk on my basement remodel

I was finishing up my basement project over 6 months. Added up all the caulk tubes for baseboards, windows, and sealing cracks. Hit 40 total. Anyone else track how much caulk a big project actually eats up?

3 comments

3 Comments

wade87123d ago

Man I feel that. I did my own basement a couple years back and went through about 35 tubes. What really helped me was buying a good caulk gun with a smooth rod instead of the cheap ratchet ones. Made a huge difference in control and waste. Also found that using backer rod in bigger gaps saved me a ton of caulk cause you're not filling up all that empty space.

victor77923d ago

Wait, have you guys ever tried the latex based caulk instead of the silicone stuff for interior work? I read somewhere that it cleans up with just water and you can paint right over it without any primer. I only used silicone on my last project and man, cleaning up the smears was a nightmare. Had to use mineral spirits and still ended up with some shiny spots where the paint wouldn't stick right. Might be worth a shot for anyone starting a basement job where painting is in the plan. Just my two cents though, I'm no pro.

ellioth3723d ago

Yeah @wade871 nailed it with the backer rod thing - game changer. One thing nobody mentions is that if you stick a piece of tape on the nozzle and cut it at a 45 degree angle, you get way cleaner lines and less mess to clean up after.