Despite what I routinely see, caulking is not intended to be used as a filler.
Caulking is a sealer! It is a weather guard! It can also act as a glue!
But it is not putty. It is not foam. It is not intended for gaps or openings wider than 1/2"! Typically the gap should not exceed 1/4". And for the most part, the better things are fitted together and the smaller the bead of caulking the longer the job will last.
Read the label. All caulking comes with labels that explain the parameters of any application - where, how, when, with what other products, and under what conditions to apply it.
So why do I so often see new construction where the "professionals" have carpentry skills that regularly cut things too short or too narrow, and then to make up for it try to fill the gap with caulking?
Window trim all over this expensive new construction was cut such that the large gaps will filled like the photo on the left. Who know when this caulking was applied, but it was soft and bulging outward.
The trim around the palladium window on the right was cut such that the gaping 1" space was also filled with caulking. It was similarly soft to the touch and bulging.
Such large amounts of caulking will eventually come loose, separate from what it is intended to seal, deteriorate more quickly, and admit water. And then what would or could the remedy be? More caulking?
The old adage measure twice and cut once could not be more basic or appropriate. Why the "professionals" from 7-11 can't get that right speaks to their "professionalism!"
From my Oxford English Dictionary, sitting over my desk which I consult nearly every day:
PRIDE - noun - a deep sense of satisfaction or pleasure derived from accomplishments or achievements; to be proud of a particular quality or skill.
My biggest beef with what I see every week in new construction concerns the word professionalism.
Professionalism is on display less and less.
Professionalism seems to be sought less and less.
Professionalism is diminishing as people seem to care less and less.
Years ago I wrote a blog entitled "A Golden Rule Business." It is a truth. Truths survive the years. The Golden Rule could not apply more. It has become The Tarnished Rule.
My recommendation: The Golden Rule might not always be the easiest course of action, but it is ALWAYS the best! It is truly a Best Practice.
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