Home Repair Tips

I was doing some minor repairs to our upstairs bathroom last night, after we discovered that every time we took a shower, water would begin seeping through the ceiling above our stove downstairs. The upside was that we now had a second sink, albeit in a rather inconvenient place. The downside was that the leak, if left unfixed, would eventually rot the wood between the floors of our house and probably cause the whole structure to collapse. Probably not worth that extra sink, especially since I was getting shower water all over my scrambled eggs in the morning.

I took out my trusty caulk and used it to fill in a few leaky areas around the faucet and in the walls. I have become quite good at home improvement, especially as it pertains to the bathroom, and I thought I’d share some tips and tricks to ensure that your family’s plumbing achieves maximum satisfaction.

1) Always shake your caulk before you use it. If your caulk is too soft going in, it will not adequately plug the hole. If your caulk is too hard, however, it could injure the delicate area around the hole.

2) Move your caulk up and down the edge of the hole prior to using it. This will make it considerably easier to get all of your caulk in when you’re ready.

3) Try not to squeeze your caulk too hard. This could lead to too much coming out too fast, creating a sticky mess around the hole.

4) Some caulk may have an unpleasant, medicinal smell. This is actually normal and no cause for alarm.

5) Make sure that the hole your caulk will be plugging is as open as it can be, even if you need to reach inside the hole and massage it to make it a little wider. It’s very important that your caulk fill every inch of the hole.

6) Use your caulk in slow, rhythmic motions. Do not use your caulk too fast, as this will not adequately fill the hole. Using your caulk too slow, however, will cause too much to come out too quickly. The hole will be plugged, but you’ll be left cleaning up the sticky residue left behind.

7) Do not use your caulk around children. Remember, as fun as caulk can be, it is not a toy. Many children have been needlessly injured or killed as a result of their parents’ caulk.

8) Not all holes can be plugged with caulk alone. There are times when you’ll need other materials such as spackle, duct tape, or plumber's cement to plug the hole. Once you’ve used these materials on the hole, it’s best to not try to use your caulk on it anymore.

9) Unfortunately, there are times when your caulk simply won’t do what you want it to; it comes out too fast, to watery, or, no matter how hard you try, it will not plug the hole. When that happens, it’s usually best to just dispose of your caulk and look into buying a replacement. In addition, after the initial use, good quality caulk will take up to twelve hours to get hard. In the event that your caulk is still not hard after twelve hours, consider replacing it and trying again.

10) Always clean off the tip of your caulk when you’ve finished. Failing to squeeze out those last few drops can cause your caulk to become plugged up, and you’ll have to clean it out with a nail the next time you want to use it.