Choosing The Right Caulking For The Job

Paintable or non-paintable caulking?

Choosing the right caulking - paintable vs. non-paintable - is a critical first step in any sealing job. Why? Because a good-quality non-paintable caulking is most likely made of silicone, which will not hold paint. Good-quality paintable caulking, on the other hand, is typically made of acrylic latex. That material will hold paint beautifully, but it will not stand up to weather, water, heat and cold very well unless it is painted.

If you want to caulk the vertical joints and window headers on the exterior of your home after painting the siding and trim, you should use non-paintable caulking. The same guidance applies if you need to run the caulking where you would never apply paint - along the joint between unpainted brick and painted trim, for example, or along the joint between your kitchen counter and its backsplash, or where the tile on the bathroom wall meets the edge of the tub. Non-paintable caulking comes in a variety of colors, plus clear. For the right price and in sufficient quantity, you may be able to get it made in a non-standard color to match your design.

If you're going to caulk some gaps inside your house before you paint, be careful not to accidentally use non-paintable caulking. That's because, as of now, there is no known material, process or technique to get paint to stick to non-paintable caulking. The only known remedy is to thoroughly remove all of the silicone and then re-caulk with paintable caulking, and that's a lot of work.

Paintable, acrylic latex caulking is the material of choice for filling and smoothing gaps that you will be painting. It is specifically designed and made to accept and hold paint.

If you've just installed new crown molding, or any new trim, and you're getting ready to paint, use paintable caulking to fill that wavy-looking gap between the molding and the wall. If you only plan to paint the wall, because you've stained and sealed the trim, just be sure to keep the caulking behind the trim piece.

Paintable caulking needs to completely cure before you paint it. That's because it shrinks slightly as it cures, and any paint on it is likely to flake off as that happens. In addition, the volatile compounds that kept the caulking pliable enough to apply are being given off as it cures. Trapping the volatiles under the paint will not only impair the paint bond, it will keep the caulking from bonding as well as it should with the wall and the trim.

Enjoy!