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Last month a client told me my caulking looked sloppy on a storefront job and I changed my whole technique
He pointed out the bead was uneven near the expansion joints on a 40 foot glass storefront in Minneapolis, so now I use a wet finger with dish soap instead of a tool and the finish is way cleaner, has anyone else switched methods after getting called out?
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laura_wright16d ago
That part about "a little Dawn soap can mess with the silicone's cure time" grabbed my attention because I've heard that before but never knew how big of a problem it actually is. Have you personally seen a job fail because someone used too much soap when they were doing the wet finger trick? I'm wondering if the soap amount is really that picky or if most guys just get away with it as long as they don't drown the joint. I've been using straight dish soap on my finger for a few weeks now and haven't had any adhesion issues yet, but maybe I'm just lucky so far.
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margaret_kelly5517d ago
My buddy runs a crew here in Chicago and he had the same thing happen on a 60 foot curtain wall last year. The building inspector walked by and said his silicone looked like a 3 year old did it. He switched to a wet finger with a little bit of dawn and never looked back. I tried it myself on a smaller storefront and it's way smoother, no more wiping off excess with a rag every two minutes. That wet finger trick is honestly the best tip I ever got from getting called out.
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zaram9717d ago
The wet finger trick works great but a little Dawn soap can mess with the silicone's cure time if you use too much, just a tiny drop is plenty. Diluting it in a spray bottle with water gives you more control and less risk of contaminating the bead. Your mileage may vary but I've seen guys have to redo whole sections because the soap prevented proper adhesion.
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