Talked to an old contractor who changed how I think about caulking

I was at a supply house last week and this guy in his 70s was loading up on caulk tubes. He told me most people waste money because they buy the cheap stuff that shrinks after a month. He said spend the extra 2 bucks on a hybrid polymer and your baseboards won't crack after one winter. Made me rethink the 50 tubes of cheap stuff I've used over the years. Anyone else got a simple habit that saved them from redoing work?

3 comments

3 Comments

morgan8981mo ago

Nope. Learned that lesson the hard way too.

christopherwilson1mo ago

Buddy of mine had his whole tub surround peel off in a sheet.

the_faith1mo ago

wait the cheap stuff actually shrinks that bad?? i always figured caulk was caulk and the price difference was just branding. i've got like 20 half-used tubes of the cheap stuff in my garage right now and now i'm wondering if half my bathroom trim is gonna crack next month. hybrid polymer huh i'm gonna have to look that up because i swear i've never heard anyone talk about this before. i'm honestly kinda mad at myself for never questioning it. thanks for the tip though seriously this might save me a weekend of re-caulking next spring.