Tips on Caulking a Bathroom Sink

I have a love affair with caulk. I really do. It seemed that we had to use it for a lot of projects during our home’s renovation. If you’re replacing old, cracked, or discolored caulking, you already have a guide to follow for where to apply it. If this is your first time, You’ll want to caulk along the back of the sink where it meets the wall and around your fixtures.

You will need:

Silicone (tub & tile) caulk
A decent, manual caulk gun
Shears or a utility knife
Painter’s tape or masking tape
Plastic sheeting or trash bags
An electric cable cap -or- #2 nail & extra tape
A few old towels
Water available

Prepare your surface. Use a utility knife to cut away and scrape off the old caulk. Slice through the center of the seam and gently pull it off. Be careful not to cut the adjoining wall or scrape your sink’s surface. If there are a few bits hanging on, use a flat headed screwdriver to chip them away. Make sure the surfaces are clean, dry, and smooth before you begin.

Use tub & tile caulk. This is not negotiable. The general purpose caulk may be cheaper, but tub & tile is specially designed to withstand extended contact with water. An added benefit is that many brands have Microban added to the formula, which is an anti-mold and anti-mildew ingredient. Tub & tile caulk is silicone based, which means it’s not going to be paintable like the latex caulk is.

Protect your work area by laying and taping down the plastic sheeting. You can also cut open regular trash bags instead of spending your dough on plastic sheeting.

Wear old clothing when you start, and be sure to use safety glasses.

If you’ve never caulked before or if your mad skills with a caulk gun are a bit rusty, I highly suggest that you practice using the caulk gun. Familiarize yourself with the pressure you need to apply to the gun to get the size bead you need. Get to know how the caulk gun works. I can describe it here, but this is something you need tactile experience with. Writing your name on a spare bit of wood or a trash bag can prevent hours of cleaning up and potentially costly mistakes.

Use tape to get straight lines. I recommend painter’s tape because it stays put yet removes cleanly. Lay down parallel rows of tapes on each side of the area you’re caulking.

Use tape to get curved lines. Yes, you can do this. Tear off little pieces of tape and apply them all around your shower fixtures, layering them to form a curved line. The distance that you put between the fixture and the tape is the width that your caulk line will be.

Have EVERYTHING ready before you start. Ah, I forget this one every time I do a home improvement project! Make sure your towels are easily accessible. Make sure you will have access to a water source for a quick clean up, if needed. Make sure you have shears nearby if you need to enlarge your bead hole.

Always start with a small bead of caulk. Remember that old rule- you can always add more but you can’t take it away. Cut the tip of the tube at an angle so that it flows smoother and has a cleaner separation at the end of your line.

Smooth it out with your wet finger immediately after applying, if you need to. Do not caulk all three walls and go back later to smooth it. The top layer will have dried and you will get ripples.

Immediately wipe off unwanted caulk from your fixtures using a slightly damp towel. Be extra careful to not touch any of your still wet caulk.

Allow PLENTY of curing time. Follow your tube’s directions on how long to wait before getting the caulk wet or painting.

Cap off any unused caulk by either inserting the #2 nail in the tube tip & taping closed or by capping with the electrical cap.