That old guy at the supply house in Tacoma told me to stop using so much sealant

I was loading up a cart with tubes of silicone for a big storefront job, maybe 30 of them. He walked over, looked at my cart, and said, 'Kid, you're sealing it, not gluing it to the building.' He showed me a bead he'd done on a sample pane that was maybe half as thick as mine. Said a fat bead just looks sloppy and fails faster. I've been using about 40% less sealant on every job since. Anyone else get a tip that changed how you use a basic material?

3 comments

3 Comments

terrym452mo ago

Did he get into why a fat bead fails faster? I've always heard it, but never got a good reason beyond it looking bad. Is it a cure time thing, or does the extra material just have more room to flex and tear?

troyh551mo ago

Yeah, that's exactly what @lucask11's painter was talking about with the trap. A fat bead can't cure right, so the outside gets this hard shell while the inside stays like goo. Then when the building moves or the sun heats it up, that shell has to do all the work and it just splits. The old guy was right, it's not glue. You just need enough to stick to both sides and keep the water out. Anything more is a waste and makes a mess.

lucask112mo ago

Funny you mention that, @terrym45. Had a painter tell me the same thing about caulk once. Said a fat bead skins over fast but stays wet inside forever, then just cracks. He called it a "trap." Makes sense now.