A painter told me today of the problem with many caulks that seem to bleed stickiness through the paint, causing lines of dirt to appear after a few months on caulked joints of otherwise clean trim. He said that he had once used a caulk that would not do that, but he can’t find it any more.
Anyone know the problem and the best caulk to avoid it?
BruceT
Replies
The kind you can paint. Seriously.
Jeff
According to my painter friend, many caulks have components that can bleed through the paint, making the caulked areas a little sticky so that they catch airborne dust more than the rest of the surface.If it actually does happen, I haven't noticed it and apparently neither have you.BruceT
the best caulk to avoid it?
He might be apinting over it too soon or not well. I have never seen it happen
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>>He might be apinting over it too soon or not well.<<
Seems to be SOP for some painters to caulk and immediately paint over. I would believe it could bleed if this is how it is applied.
Have even seen some paint crews with a caulk man running ahead of the painters -- caulk application to paint over = less than 15 minutes.
I think it all goes back to the good / fast / cheap triangle; this practice would be produced by choosing fast + cheap. I am sure the job looks good at least long enough to get paid.
Jim
Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
Edited 8/28/2009 4:56 pm ET by JTC1
Have even seen some paint crews with a caulk man running ahead of the painters -- caulk application to paint over = less than 15 minutes.
FWIW, the recommended minimum drying time before painting is two hours, for the Dap painter's acrylic latex caulk, commonly used in the trade for both interior and exterior filling.
Edited 8/29/2009 12:19 am by Hudson Valley Carpenter
>>.....minimum drying time before painting is two hours.....<<
I understand completely, and that it is not the proper procedure.
I'm just saying that I have seen this caulk-to-paint elapsed time of 15 minutes more than once. "Professional" painters, not my jobs.
If one were to apply latex caulk and paint over it before the caulk dries; I would think the caulk would tend to dissolve (at least a bit) in the paint. The resulting caulk+paint areas would probably not dry properly, possibly remain somewhat tacky and attract / retain dirt -- the condition mentioned by the OP.
The resulting paint job would probably look good because the dirt lines will not appear for a while -- long enough for the painter to get paid.
Good, fast, cheap - you only get two.......
Jim
Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
Jim, I probably should've just written that post to the OP but you and Piffin got me thinking about precise drying time so I checked what it said on the tube, then added it as a tag to your brief discussion.
I can't say I'm surprised to read that some crews paint over latex caulk almost immediately after applying it. The only paint contractor I ever worked for, back in the sixties, never worried about drying time with caulk or glazing.
Me? I read and follow the manufacturer's recommendation on all the many kinds of caulk and paint products.
>>Me? I read and follow the manufacturer's recommendation on all the many kinds of caulk and paint products.<<
That takes the sport out of it!
Also changes the good, fast, cheap equation, as now you have selected "good" as an option ---- consequently either fast or cheap suffers somewhat.
Keep up the good work - always my choice.
Jim Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I was skeptical of the guy's statement, but, as my wife so willingly tells me, I don't know everything, so I asked.Since most caulking that is visible is at top edges of trim, I'm guessing that he's seeing accumulated dust in those areas and associating it with the caulk.BruceT
I have experienced this problem many times, even when the caulk was dried thoroughly before painting. With a year or two the caulk bleeds black through the paint. My remedy is to prime the black caulk marks with an exterior stain-killing primer and repaint with the finish paint.