Shoutout to the old timer who told me my caulk gun technique was all wrong

I was at a Habitat for Humanity build in Nashville last summer and this 70 year old volunteer named Ron watched me struggle with a tube of Big Stretch for like 10 minutes. He finally walked over and said 'son, you're squeezing too hard and moving too slow, let the gun do the work.' He showed me this trick where you cut the tip at a 45 degree angle and poke a hole in the tube's inner seal with a nail first. After that I laid down a perfect bead in half the time with zero mess. Do you guys prefer the push rod style guns or the ratchet ones for smoother control?

2 comments

2 Comments

fisher.adam1mo ago

Honestly that nail trick is the real MVP. Most people don't realize that inner seal is the main reason you get those air bubbles or uneven flow. I always clip the tip, then use a finishing nail to punch through that foil seal before I even touch the caulk. It's a game changer for control.

oliver21mo ago

Gotta ask @fisher.adam about that inner seal though - are you telling me I've been wrestling with air bubbles for the last five years for no reason? I always just clipped and hoped for the best, never thought about that little foil piece being the problem. Next tube I open, I'm trying the nail trick for sure. Might even save me from that crap where the caulk just spits out in a big glob.