I hate caulking

Anyone else feel the same way? Caulk is my absolute least favorite chore, next to folding clothes and scrubbing toilets. Now it's warm enough and dry enough to do some caulking in the bathrooms, gutters and windows for general home owner maintenance. Thank you Dad for teaching me the ways of responsible homeownership.

As I was caulking our bathrooms this week though, I did learn a nice little trick. Let's start at the beginning, silicone caulk should be used in kitchens and baths. The one I used (2nd from the left) is GE brand, silicone in white and it's 3 hours to shower-ready and has a 5 year mold and mildew resistance guarantee. FAB! Why should you use silicone? It is flexible, doesn't crack and totally waterproof. It's also a big pain in the butt to apply because it is not water soluble and therefore, a pain to clean off your finger as you smooth the bead of caulk and a pain to clean up if you mess up. BUT... (thank you youtube) if you dip your finger in soapy water before running your finger along the bead of caulk it won't stick and you get a nice smooth line. To clean it up, just use mineral spirits. Above all else, before you do any caulking, remove all of the grody old stuff with a putty knife and exact-o knife.

That liquid nails is for the front steps, those tiles that had been dropping like flies are going to be re-stuck, regrouted and given a new lease on life. More on that in the future.

I'm off to break out the caulking gun and get back to it.