History Of Caulking And Its Uses For Home Repairs
When caulking first came out, it would fill small cracks
with very little problems, of flaking or checking in the future, but as
people began to feel larger cracks, the caulking itself would start to
crack and separate from the sides of the areas that they were suppose to
bond to.
Then they came out with silicone caulking, but you couldn't paint it.
There were plenty of contractors who use silicone caulking, because it
promised not to separate or crack. This solves one problem but created
another. Once the painter was finished painting, there were little
cracks or checks in the paint that was over the caulking.
Don't go away yet, they came out with paintable silicone caulking. Now
everyone was happy, accept that silicone was hard to clean and work with
and of course it's bad for the environment. Silicone worked great, but
was still a little pricey, compared to the regular caulking that was
sold at that time.
In the building industry, one thing that stands out more than others is
an, if a product is too expensive, it won't be used that often.
Then comes the miraculous 15 year caulking, only to be outdone by the 25
year caulking, and then the ultimate 35 year caulking. What's the
difference between these? I couldn't really tell you what the difference
is, but I can tell you this. Caulking was meant to fill small gap's,
usually less than a quarter of an inch and that's when it works the
best.
Any gaps that are larger than that, at less than a half inch wide,
should use a polyethylene-based caulking. If you are going to fill a gap
that's larger than a half inch wide, you should use a filler piece and
then caulk between the filler piece and the edges of the crack or gap.
As always, read the instructions on the caulking to make sure you can
use it on the products you will be repairing or filling. Using the right
home repair product to fill the right hole, will prevent you from
repairing the same spot in the future or at least the near future.