# Favorite caulk, and price per case



## Dave Mac (May 4, 2007)

Mine is mex flex @ 33.48 per case


----------



## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

I use *RCS-4 55Year *Acrylic Urethane Elastomeric Sealant for outside and *Quick Gun Plus 45 Year* Siliconized Acrylic Latex Caulk for inside


----------



## painting247 (Mar 18, 2009)

you guys must use alot of caulk. Is this to cover up mistakes or what exactly do you use the caulk for? We don't use much caulk here. Please, fill me in. At the baseboards and at the ceiling on every job? I don't understand.


----------



## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)

I like Acrylic1 from ICI about 1.30ish per tube for the 45yr acrylic, and about 1.60 per tube for the elastomeric which is 55yr


----------



## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

painting247 said:


> you guys must use alot of caulk. Is this to cover up mistakes or what exactly do you use the caulk for? We don't use much caulk here. Please, fill me in. At the baseboards and at the ceiling on every job? I don't understand.


Mainly out side I caulk all openings that could cause moisture intrusion, around windows (interior and exterior), woodwork. is this abnormal?


----------



## painting247 (Mar 18, 2009)

ewingpainting.net said:


> Mainly out side I caulk all openings that could cause moisture intrusion, around windows (interior and exterior), woodwork. is this abnormal?


 
funny, I was thinking interior. Nothin abnormal about caulking the exterior. Guess the paint fumes have gotten to me.


----------



## Dave Mac (May 4, 2007)

nEighter said:


> I like Acrylic1 from ICI about 1.30ish per tube for the 45yr acrylic, and about 1.60 per tube for the elastomeric which is 55yr


 
Thanks NEighter
Mex flex is elastomeric as well, I think I may need to try this stuff your talking about, much better price.


----------



## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)

you got it. Workaholic likes the acrylic1 also. I recently got to side by side test it against SW 1002?? caulking and some crap Alex 25 yr. Way better than either of those two, thicker and just more reliable as far as consistency.


----------



## ProWallGuy (Apr 7, 2007)

Porter's TopGun 200, $13 +/- a case of 12.
I do only interiors.


----------



## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

nEighter said:


> you got it. Workaholic likes the acrylic1 also. I recently got to side by side test it against SW 1002?? caulking and some crap Alex 25 yr. Way better than either of those two, thicker and just more reliable as far as consistency.


ALEX and DAP are by fart the worst caulking out there. And that's what most other trades use, I see some painters every now and then ueing that crap.


----------



## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)

that should say something about their quality for sure. I was finishing up that teacher house and he had a couple tubes of the SW stuff and a couple of the alex stuff. It was good to see the difference. The alex stuff, you could almost see through it.. it was a like looking through a glass of fat free milk


----------



## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

Yep, I use the Acrylic1 from ICI I get a case for about 17.00


----------



## wje (Apr 11, 2009)

Who doesnt caulk? We were doing a house today that closed yesterday (brand new) I never really like to claim to be a caulk master, but boy this place needed me... Too ad we were hired to repaint the walls only or I would have went to town.


----------



## Rob (Aug 9, 2009)

I can go through a few cases a month, I like the SW950A. I think it is about 16 bucks a case.


----------



## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

Rob said:


> I can go through a few cases a month, I like the SW950A. I think it is about 16 bucks a case.


The regional thing is a trip, I went through 2+ cases on the last house.


----------



## Mantis (Aug 4, 2008)

Used to use Elastomeric One caulk from ICI at about $1.25/tube. Used it for years but the last 4 months or so I used it we had horrible luck with goobers and gummies in each tube. We switched to 950A from Sherwin on new res. I'm not exactly sure what I'm paying per tube, but it's comparable.


----------



## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

Have you tried shermax. I have used it once it once, had good results


----------



## jack pauhl (Nov 10, 2008)

ewingpainting.net said:


> ALEX and DAP are by fart the worst caulking out there. And that's what most other trades use, I see some painters every now and then ueing that crap.


Ive used Dap Alex Plus 35yr for 15 years?? and never had a single problem other than air in the tube but thats found in almost all caulk. 

Why is Alex Plus by far the worst?


----------



## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

jack pauhl said:


> Ive used Dap Alex Plus 35yr for 15 years?? and never had a single problem other than air in the tube but thats found in almost all caulk.
> 
> Why is Alex Plus by far the worst?


 
Here we go:blink:'

Maybe, just maybe because that is what is sold to the DYI'S in HD and Blowes???:yes:


----------



## Msargent (Jan 16, 2009)

I have used shermax all summer long and love the product what I dont like about it is you need thinner rag to get hands clean at the end of the day!.


----------



## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

jack pauhl said:


> Ive used Dap Alex Plus 35yr for 15 years?? and never had a single problem other than air in the tube but thats found in almost all caulk.
> 
> Why is Alex Plus by far the worst?


The caulking can lose it's initial adhesion and flexibility, causing painted caulk to crack and/or pull away from the surfaces to which it is applied.


----------



## mistcoat (Apr 21, 2007)

ewingpainting.net said:


> ALEX and DAP are by fart the worst caulking out there.


What is you mean "by fart"? 

Do you mean like this..? :laughing:


----------



## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

ewingpainting.net said:


> The caulking can lose it's initial adhesion and flexibility, causing painted caulk to crack and/or pull away from the surfaces to which it is applied.


Caulking pulls away because there is movement. If there is any movement there is no caulk that will last. Dap sticks as good as it needs to stick, the only thing that it could do better is not shrink as much. The one thing I have learned about caulking is that the more you pay for caulking the longer it takes to cure, and the more it will flash on you if you don't let it cure.So if you don't have much time after you caulk for it to cure,use a less expensive caulk. If you don't believe me test it with a few strips of diff caulking painted on a board. The one thing that bothers me most about caulking is shrinkage. I wont use one if it shrinks too much.


----------



## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

I agree jhon, however different caulks will not adhere as good as others. We used to buy Alex plus, 6 to 7 cases a week, caulking mainly doors jambs. We would get lifting, and cracking before the house was even finished. The drywall guys would use the same for all their angles. We had a big meeting over why it would delaminate and cause the coating to alligator on us. We changed caulks after that. I changed to NR4000 and had much better result until we started getting chunks that would clog the tub. I then stated using NCS ###. Forget the #'s. It's the same thing I get now just has a different label.


----------



## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

I've never experimented flashing. I was talking to another painter about caulking that would flash on him. But he was talking about caulking stucco cracks, which I don't do. Is that what your talking about jhon?


----------



## Mantis (Aug 4, 2008)

For about 1.5 years, we used to use Alex plus on every production home we painted. While it did cure relatively quickly, nearly every 45 and joint would crack out by the time final punch came around. We switched to Elastomeric One for that exact reason.

I've never noticed a flashing issue either. The only problem i've noticed with applying finish on caulk that isnt quite cured is minor alligatoring. 

I do like the 950A though. Decently workable stuff that doesnt need 1/2 gallon of lacquer thinner to remove from your hands afterwards.


----------



## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

ewingpainting.net said:


> I've never experimented flashing. I was talking to another painter about caulking that would flash on him. But he was talking about caulking stucco cracks, which I don't do. Is that what your talking about jhon?


Well: Exterior work is where I notice the most flashing, and that would mostly be hardyplank butt joints are the worst for me.


----------



## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)

caulking on houses that you paint flat on will flash. You have to prime to caulking otherwise it will.


----------



## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

nEighter said:


> caulking on houses that you paint flat on will flash. You have to prime to caulking otherwise it will.


And that be mostly what I like to use. I'm one of those painters that does not like any gloss on the exterior, unless it's trim boards.


----------



## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

Ya I'm the same jhon, I don't like to put it on the trim aswell. I get worried it will pop off due to moisture. I seen a lot of guys do it. I know it works. I just don't feel comfortable doing it. I only put enamel if it is requested.


----------



## MAK-Deco (Apr 17, 2007)

nEighter said:


> caulking on houses that you paint flat on will flash. You have to prime to caulking otherwise it will.



we do mostly rough cedar and have played with caulking issues for years.. solid stains do the best at not flashing over paints. i usually seal the caulk with clear shellac yes i know shellac doesn't hold up outside but its use to stop the flashing and nothing else...

I dying to try the new gennex solid from Bm to see how it flashes or not over caulk.

but really guys two pages worth of talking about which caulk is best?? must be slow out there...


----------



## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

Well Nov and Dec is the slowest months for me. I'm kind of enjoying it right now, but caulking is a big issue for me in the summer time.


----------



## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)

Wise just needs to chime in. I know he messes with caulk all the time!:jester:


----------



## MAK-Deco (Apr 17, 2007)

johnpaint said:


> Well Nov and Dec is the slowest months for me. I'm kind of enjoying it right now, but caulking is a big issue for me in the summer time.



yeah but if the search function was used its an topic that been threaded about in the past


----------



## Msargent (Jan 16, 2009)

Nov and Dec are slow?? where I am it is the busy time people want stuff looking nice for holidays after xmas good luck!!.


----------



## MAK-Deco (Apr 17, 2007)

Msargent said:


> Nov and Dec are slow?? where I am it is the busy time people want stuff looking nice for holidays after xmas good luck!!.


that's usually the case here as well but I feel people are saving there dollars for the holidays and letting the house stuff go


----------



## johnisimpson (Oct 5, 2007)

I've tried the ICI caulk and felt that it tended to have a lot of air bubbles in it. I haven't had that problem with most of the TopGun caulk we use.


----------



## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

ewingpainting.net said:


> Ya I'm the same jhon, I don't like to put it on the trim aswell. I get worried it will pop off due to moisture. I seen a lot of guys do it. I know it works. I just don't feel comfortable doing it. I only put enamel if it is requested.


Interesting. It is the norm here to run Semi


----------



## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)

and satin here, but it is really split on the flat/satin here


----------



## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

Ya sean they do it here, I just don't prefer it.


----------



## Dave Mac (May 4, 2007)

Thanks for all the replys guys, its always nice sometimes to start a new thread on a old topic, with new technology and new opinions being formed all the time I think its a plus, the more info the better.


----------



## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

Dave Mac said:


> the more info the better.


That is all we are really lacking. Right?


----------



## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

Dave Mac said:


> Thanks for all the replys guys, its always nice sometimes to start a new thread on a old topic, with new technology and new opinions being formed all the time I think its a plus, the more info the better.


Funny part about it is if you look at a similar old thread my answer is still the same, I am in a caulking rut.


----------



## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

Workaholic said:


> Funny part about it is if you look at a similar old thread my answer is still the same, I am in a *caulking rut*.



That might not be the rut you wanna be in.


----------



## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

ewingpainting.net said:


> That might not be the rut you wanna be in.


:laughing: You are right about that. 

Funny gif


----------



## MAK-Deco (Apr 17, 2007)

this thread still going???


----------



## The Gooman (Apr 6, 2010)

For interior use: _*Pecora AC 20* _siliconized acrylic also works well for exterior and can be painted.

For exterior Dow Corning Contractors weatherproofing Sealant (non-paintable)

Don't believe the 20 to 45 year life expectancy on non-silicone products.

We sell over $6 mllion a year in caulk to contractors. Half of that goes into new construction. Theother half is sold to replace failed caulk.

If you can't find it locally, visit www.sealantengineering.com
or email me at [email protected]


----------



## NEPS.US (Feb 6, 2008)

Somebody's gonna be in trouble...........:whistling2:


----------



## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

Yeeekiii its feeling gooooey! Now I know why they call you Gooey


----------



## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)

NEPS.US said:


> Somebody's gonna be in trouble...........:whistling2:


It's ah.. gunna get messy in here...


----------



## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

painting247 said:


> you guys must use alot of caulk. Is this to cover up mistakes or what exactly do you use the caulk for? We don't use much caulk here. Please, fill me in. At the baseboards and at the ceiling on every job? I don't understand.


This is a funny statement for a painter.


----------



## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

nEighter said:


> It's ah.. gunna get messy in here...


Oh, I seeeeeeeee.


----------



## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

painting247 said:


> you guys must use alot of caulk. Is this to cover up mistakes or what exactly do you use the caulk for? We don't use much caulk here. Please, fill me in. At the baseboards and at the ceiling on every job? I don't understand.


John's fault for getting this post to stand out. 

I see a lot of interior trim, layers of crown, wainscot, headers built above windows and doors, ect ect. Add that in with the some of the wood butchers I follow and most of it is new never prepped before. 

I suppose a lot of you guys see a lot of interior stained trim and that would greatly reduce the caulk use along with repaints.


----------



## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)

It is sad to see another painter not being able to use his caulk much. I mean, what a boring life it the caulk always stayed on the shelf. I myself would probably have to find something to use it on if I were unable to use my caulk. Not every crack would get my caulk though.. I am select I guess like this guy!


----------



## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

This is funny a painter w/out caulk is like a butcher w/out a cleaver. I mean I have painted for many years, but I have only owned a couple brushes.


----------



## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)

cause you like to paint yellow? Cause yellow only has so many shades mista johnpaint?


----------



## VanDamme (Feb 13, 2010)

Heck......I might as well add to this 5 month old thread!

Big Stretch I use this on interiors and exteriors. It's not cheap, but neither am I.


----------

