so I warch these adds on TV showing this beautiful caulk bead being applied by this little rubber squeagy thingy and I remember in the past caulking windows and getting pretty good joints with just a finger. So I dive in and strip all the caulk out from around my vanity. When I applied the new caulk it is really sticky, GE Silicon II, and I cannot get the round bead alone but a thick film around the top and bottom edge. I figured it would peel off in the thin areas when it dried, no dice. Now it looks horrible. I tried to edge it with a razor but it looks horrible. Likely I will spend all day today removing all of this attempts caulk. Am I using the wrong stuff? Why is this turning out to be so difficult? Is there something I can use to get this off of everything to start over? right now I am using a razor and since everything is curved it is taking forever and still looks like crap.

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1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably)
1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style)
2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails)

I have made similar messes. Now I try to use just a thin bead - just enough and no more. Better yet, I use tile grout for almost everything, since its not so messy and lasts longer. The tub still needs something flexible because it moves slightly with water weight. I don't know of any better cleanup method than just carefully trimming the stuff away.

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1985 380SE Blue/Blue - 230,000 miles
2012 Subaru Forester 5-speed
2005 Toyota Sienna
2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible
1999 Toyota Tacoma

Use 'DAP' the next time. Not too thick,,,,use a wet sponge...or wet rag to remove the x-tra splooge...then finish it with your finger...I found that the biggest trick, is to know when to lift your finger.
Hope that helps.
(Removeing it sucks..no way around that task)

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CHILCUTT~
The secret to a long life. Is knowing when it is time to leave.

Yeh I did lay down a pretty big bead, now its everywhere. Bummer. I think I'm going to lift the sink out of the vanity to get it clean. I think it had grout originally but it was really old and couldn't be cleaned. Next time ill cut a tiny opening in the caulk and try the wet sponge.

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1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably)
1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style)
2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails)

Anybody know what type of caulk to use that won't discolor over time?

I've tried clear silicone but even that turns brown in a few months!

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2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

If you lift the sink...make sure you have x-tra plastic 'gaskets' on hand, if your drain is pvc, and more than 2 years old. It sucks to put everything back together...get the caulk just right...and then the trap/tail-piece assembly leaks.

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CHILCUTT~
The secret to a long life. Is knowing when it is time to leave.

Oh thanks, the trap could use a cleaning too. Ill go to home depot and get a couple rings before I pull it apart

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1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably)
1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style)
2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails)

If I'm doing a caulk job in a conspicuous area like around a sink, I take the time to mask all the way around it. Put a strip on the counter and a strip on the sink leaving about a 1/8" gap between the two. Take your time and make the tape strips parallel to each other.

Then caulk and smooth with your finger. Push down hard and don't worry about a small amount of caulk on the tape. Remove the tape immediately after. Don't let the caulk dry.

Silicone caulks are much harder to work with than acrylics or silicone/acrylic blends. I use a lot of DAP Alex Plus.

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Behind every great man is a great woman. Behind every great woman is a great behind.

Ther reason why GE Silicone II caulk is so difficult to apply, is the very reason it works and lasts so long. It remains pliable and bonds to tile very well.

You do your clean up on your finger tips and caulk-squeegee tool as you go, with paint thinner and a white cotton cloth.

HINT: Use less quantity in the bead before squeegeeing it down the joint. I use a finger instead of the PITA 'tool.'

That entry level grade of DAP is cr&p, losing it's pliability, pulls AWAY from the tile/stone, getting brittle in just a few months.

To answer the collecting of discloring mold in the body of the caulk? That's a tough one. You will have to graduate to something called butyl that is customarily used in exterior and interior flooring and wall concrete and brick expansion joints. You're not gonna find that at a big box or Mom and Pop hardware store. You will have to go to perhaps industrial grade supply house to get that stuff.

I'll second this method as a great way to get a good bead. I did the floor of our shower this way and it turned out great!

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Current:
2014 VW Tiguan SEL 4Motion 43,000 miles.

2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport (wife's).

Past:
2006 Jetta TDI 135,970 miles. Sold Nov. '13.
1995 E-320 Special Edition. 220,200 miles. Sold Sept. '07.
1987 190-E 16 valve. 153,000 miles. Sold Feb. '06.
1980 300-D 225,000 miles. Donated to the National Kidney Foundation.
1980 240-D manual, 297,500 miles. Totaled by inattentive driver.

Funny this would come up just now. I see SRJ's comments re: resistance to mold. Anyone else care to comment on the best mold-resistant caulk? The caulking I did in our bath/shower has lasted a year and already has permanent black mold (and yes, we clean regularly). I need to tear it all out and start over. Grrrr...

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

I never even thought of masking (hand hitting forehead)

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1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably)
1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style)
2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails)

This is par for the course. My residence's tiled floor to ceiling master bath shower stall is a black mold "test capsule." It's freakin' maddening to be in the biz and still not be able to conquer the black stuff. Grrr.....

So, let's look at the RV and commercial construction industries for a moment...... My over-the-road diesel motorcoach (yes, it is a coach, has a motor in it, and is diesel powered) has some approximation of the GE Silicone II clear caulk on it's exterior seams/joints. The exposed caulk joints themselves discolor from road grime, asphalt residue, etc. It is impossible to scrub the discoloration out of the caulk. However, the interior fiberglass shower stall of the coach has off-white colored, W I D E butyl joints that are A) pliable, and B) NEVER discolor. They are in effect - friggin' bulletproof. Same with the butyl composition W I D E joints that I encounter in the concrete expansion joints, and directional surface changes used in commercial construction. terry allison or walgamuth could probably call one of their former/current GC (General Contractor) buddies, or, a specifier or specifying studio they have/has used to source this colored butyl material, for construction. It is packaged & dispensed in large caulk tubes for the jobsite. I guarantee you that the butyl may likely last longer than the home itself.

I always use pvc pipe (for electric cables) cut at an angle.
Put a lot of caulk in the joint and push the pipe over it.
The excess caulk goes it the pipe, when it is full take an other one.

Rob

I lay a bead, then finish it off with a wipe with a damp sponge...works everytime.

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1987 560SL
85,000 miles