How to caulk {like a girl}

For the last week of the year, I got my caulk on. Yes, after all the craziness of the hospital stay, surviving the holidays and even making it by the skin of my teeth, I think I got my house all winterized just before the severe weather comes around. I’m the first one to admit that caulking isn’t going to get me featured on HGTV or anything, but hey those maintenance issues don’t solve themselves now do they? Since Mr. SCC has been working so much lately, I decided to tackle it myself. Why yes, I do caulk like a girl 🙂 What does that mean? I like to keep it clean and simple!

Since I’m somewhat of a caulking savant, I thought I’d share a few of my tips on how I do it. Let me start off by saying yes, it’s somewhat messy – but it’s not too terribly bad.
First you’ll need a few tools. You’ll need a caulk gun, a tube of caulk, a box cutter, and a caulk tool. You also might wanna keep a pile of scrap cloths or paper towels ready. I prefer DAP Alex Ultra 230 caulk. {This was my favorite long before they became a sponsor 🙂 .} I like it because it flows smoothly, not too thick or thin, it’s ready for rain in only 3 hours and I’m so thankful that my trusty guy at The Home Depot helped me find it.  I don’t know the name of the gun, but I got it right on the caulk aisle. Maybe I should bedazzle it for a more girly look, eh?
After you insert the caulk into the gun – BEFORE you tighten it – cut the tip off of the tube. I cut mine on an angle to make it easier to control.
So now let’s go over what the gun does. There are two main functions: Flow & Whoa. {I’m sure there’s a fancy name, but I like simple terms – haha!} The trigger like apparatus makes it go – or flow – ya know, come out – kinda like the accelerator of caulking.
The little tab on the end releases the pressure – making the flow slow down. It doesn’t stop it 100%, but it does keep it from smooshing out more of the caulk.
So now we find our space that we wanna caulk. I started with all my windows. As you can see, the old caulk is kinda cracked, which is not good. It’s letting heat out and cold in. Not only that, it’s not so pretty to look at, either!
I scraped off as much of the old caulk as I could and cleaned the area well. Then I run a Goldilocks bead {not too much, not too little, just kinda in the middle} by squeezing the trigger lightly all the way down the window frame. As soon as you get to the end hit the WHOA button – or you’ll have caulk everywhere.
You’ll have some on the end of your tube from the downward motion, just wipe it off with those scrap cloths. Start each line with a clean tip.
Next I was supposed to get a photo of me using this tool – but since I was caulking and photographing and doin’ all by myself, I missed this step. Once you have your bead of caulk, run the corner edge of the tool down through the caulk to smooth it out.
After you smooth it out, just let it cure and then you’re ready to paint. Not only should you do it on the outside, but the insides of the windows, doors & all your trim. It makes your home look more finished AND saves on your electricity bill – woot woot!
Once I did my homework, here’s what I learned about the effectiveness of caulking:

• For as little as $20 worth of caulk, you can save up to 20% on your heating & cooling bills. (That’s about $80 a month in the winter for me – huge savings!)
• You should caulk around windows, doors, and fill any cracks around basements, crawl spaces, and around the base of your home – anywhere that air can leak in or out.
• Caulk should be used on gaps 1/2 inch or smaller, any larger gaps should be filled with foam sealants.
• You should check your sealants twice a year – fall and spring.
• In addition to the $$$ savings, caulk makes a home look better, too 🙂

Sooooooo……. whatcha got? I wanna see – and so does everybody else! Please put your PERMALINK into the linky – and link back here so everyone can find all the great ideas. Please, please, PLEASE – pretty please DO NOT LINK TO A SHOP!!! Be sure to visit your neighbors and have fun – it is a party after all. *Please note: If you link up you are giving me permission to use your photos on my blog without contacting you (don’t worry, it’s only to show off your beautiful stuff!)*
Welllllllll…………. Let’er rip, tater chip!