Caulking

So what is Caulking? The simple answer is Gap Filling. You may have stumbled across Selleys ‘No More Gaps’, that’s a caulking sealant and a great one.

Caulking comes in a whole range of different varieties that includes Exterior/Interior, UV resistant, Paintable, Mould Resistant, just to name a few.

As a building consultant that predominately gets involved in building disputes, the 3 main construction problems involving caulking are as follows;

1.CRACKING: Any cracking of materials such as plaster or timber mouldings at the handover or completion of a project is considered defective. In short, builders and trades warrant cracking for the first 24 months up to 2mm. Building movement and shrinkage of materials is typical…but the cracking is normally a result of cheap gap fillers with poor elasticity. It is worth every cent to upgrade and specify a caulking sealant with high elasticity or elongation break. This will often provide an adequate defence against typical building movement and eliminate cracking.

2. COLOUR MATCHING: I would always recommend that the builder or caulking contractor provides some sample dobs of sealant on the end material to be caulked for the client to sign off on before proceeding. Caulking comes in so many different colors that finding a really close match to the material being caulked should be an easy task. When caulking floor and wall (skirting) junctions or stair stringers ALWAYS match the floor colour. When caulking wet areas match the grout colour. When caulking a wall and ceiling junction match the ceiling colour (ie white).

3. WORKMANSHIP: I recommend that you ALWAYS use a professional caulking contractor for exposed finishes such as tiling, joinery, and flooring. They charge by the lineal meter to supply and install and can give your project the finishing touch that it deserves. Poor gap filling not performed with reasonable care & skill with automatically trigger section 8d of the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995, and can be difficult and costly to rectify.