Vent: Everyone says to caulk baseboards but nobody warns you about the cleanup

I read on the Fine Homebuilding site that caulk actually shrinks by up to 10% as it cures, which means you have to go back and fill cracks anyway. That made me rethink the whole "caulk everything" advice people push around here. Has anyone else found a brand that doesn't shrink that much?

2 comments

2 Comments

holly8986d ago

Ten percent shrinkage? That's insane for something that's supposed to seal gaps, what's the point then?

jason7525d agoMost Upvoted

10 percent shrinkage is normal for polyurethane foam. It cures and dries out a bit, that's just how the chemistry works. The stuff is still gonna fill the gap way better than caulk or anything else you can spray in there. If you're seeing way more than 10 percent, you probably got a bad batch or didn't shake the can hard enough before using it. I've used a ton of this stuff and it always shrinks a little but still does the job. Just make sure you're using the window and door kind, not the big gap filler for like foundation cracks.