This is not as exciting as talking about the different grades of paint; however, it is just as important as using the right grade of paint.  Every store that sells paint sells caulk. Benjamin Moore, PPG, Sherwin Williams, Lowes, and Home Depot have their own lines of caulk. Using the proper caulk is as important as using the proper paint, especially when doing exterior painting.

In the above chart, these are the different types of caulks that Sherwin Williams carries. I am using Sherwin Williams as an example because these are the caulks I have found that hold up the best for both interior painting, and especially exterior painting.

I do not want to get too technical regarding the ASTM grading of caulk, but what I have found over the years is that using a quality caulk that is an elastomeric caulk,  has never failed me. The most crucial factor when applying caulk to any surface is to allow the caulk to cure a minimum of 6 hours before applying paint. The cure time is extremely important; this allows any moisture to evaporate and be drawn out of the caulk so the caulk can do its job between two surfaces that it is being used to seal a gap in several types of surfaces. The first caulk I have found that works best for me is Sherwin Williams Max-Flex urethane elastomeric caulk in white only. This caulk is a heavier bodied caulk, which is slightly gritty. Max-Flex works really well for any exterior gaps and surface. Being an elastomeric caulk, once it cures it expands and contracts between the two surfaces due to our Florida climate.     

My second favorite caulk is Sherwin Williams Sher-Max which is also a urethane elastomeric caulk which comes in white only. I like using the Sher-Max on the interior of my projects, it lays out nicely and will leave you with a nice smooth fine finished surface, and  once it is cured, it keeps its elasticity so it can expand and contract between the two surfaces it is used on.   

I do have to be fair with PPG Paints, they have a caulk that I do use quite often, it is the Top Gun line of caulks, Top Gun 300 and Top Gun 400. I do prefer the Top Gun 400 line, it is also an elastomeric urethane caulk, the advantage of the 400 line is it not only comes in white, but you can also get it in black, clear, bronze and stone color. When we paint the exterior of homes, many times the homeowners have bronze or black window frames. This is when I use the Top Gun 400, usually in black or bronze color. I always have this product in my truck, so I have it on the job site.   

I will admit, I never use a silicone caulk. Silicone caulks can’t be painted, unless you apply an oil-based bonding primer to the caulk first, before applying paint. I always avoid silicone caulks.

Choosing the right caulk for the right job is extremely important, however it the caulk that you use does not cure properly before applying paint, you might as well not even caulk, the caulk will shrink and the gap you were trying to seal up will reappear.

This is another reason when we do exterior painting, we pressure clean day one, then allow the home to dry thoroughly. On day 2 we cover windows and screens with plastic, apply the chalk sealer to chalky surface, this takes 1 hour to dry. Then we do our caulking and we always allow our caulk to cure overnight before applying the paint on the house on day 3.

In this last photo, I am preparing a door to be painted. I chose to use the Top Gun 400 Bronze caulk for this project. The reason is the finish coat of paint for the door and casing will be a darker gray, and the gray will cover over the bronze caulk a lot better than over white caulk.   

I hope this helps.

 

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