Therm

Hi everyone,
I recently got a job as a plumber.
I'm currently in training and one of older plumber was teaching me how to apply caulking today.
I saw him apply the caulking on the countertops edges and he didn't smoothed it at all afterward so I asked him why he didn't use his finger to do that (weted of course) and he told me that he, in fact all the other guys told me that, never smooths the joints even though there were some little bumps on it and it looked uneven.
I was curious to find out to proper application of the caulking tonight and all the how-to's I've read on the net so far say you have to smooth it somehow, be it with your finger or a special tool.
Is there any reason why you shouldn't smooth it, what's your take on that?
Thank you.

MinConst

A good caulk person can lay a bead that will look finished. Most of the rest of us smooth it after application. I doubt there is any reason not to if it is not perfect out of the tube. I've been caulking counters for over 25 years and am not of the chosen ones that lay it down perfectly out of the tube. I smooth it with my finger and always have a bucket of water with a rag on the bottom to keep my finger wet and clean.
Sounds like these guys are plumbers not finishers

I try to put as little caulk as possible. Cut the tube with a very small hole and generally you don't even see my caulk lines. If the counters fit correctly there will only be a minute line of caulk when I'm done. Just enough to make the seal. This all depends on several factors. Mostly fit.

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Therm

Thanks for the reply,
You'r right, they are definitely not finishers hehe.
I guess it's all in the practice, I'm starting to get the hang of it.
Take care.

travelover

I don't have a steady hand, so I cheat. I lay down parallel lines of masking tape and use my finger, being careful to not allow a thin skin to remain on the tape. If you leave the thin skin layer, it will stay attached when you remove the tape.