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"  Q:  I hate caulking. Maybe it&amp;#039;s me, but I&amp;#039;ve tried caulk-smoothing tools and masking tape, and it still comes out sort of sloppy and half-baked-looking. Even my kids commented on the sink I caulked. There has to be a better way. Help me out here.  A:  Clean caulking comes down to three things: the position of the caulk gun, the speed that you move the gun and the opening that you cut in the end of the tube. Sure, gadgets may improve the process, but caulking is a simple DIY skill. Once you learn how to do it, it&amp;#039;s easy and predictable without the use of additional devices. It&amp;#039;s also a fact that caulk is overused today. It&amp;#039;s not a building material. It&amp;#039;s often used to fill gaps and make up for sloppy workmanship, but no matter what you do, it will always look lousy when applied in those circumstances. And while I&amp;#039;m on this soapbox, another culprit is the $1.99 caulk gun. Stepping up to a pro-level gun that costs just $5 makes a world of difference in getting caulk to look neat. The pressure you produce with a pro-quality gun is consistent and its pump action is predictable and much smoother. &amp;amp;gt;   1. Cheapo caulk guns tend to extrude a messy bead.   2. A pro gun provides consistent pressure and better feedback. So let&amp;#039;s start with the tube. Cut its tip at about a 45-degree angle. Use a utility knife with a fresh blade in it, or use a 1-inch-wide, razor-sharp chisel. The nozzle tip may have lines marked into it to indicate where to cut it. In almost all cases, I find the caulk extrudes more neatly if the tube opening is cut closer to the tip than the manufacturer recommends. A smaller bead is neater and there&amp;#039;s simply less material to strike off if you need to clean up the joint with your index finger.  If you find that the bead of caulk is too small, you can always cut a little bit more off the nozzle tip. Finally, if a slight burr remains on the nozzle after you cut it, be sure to remove it by carefully paring with the knife.    Plan Ahead: Don&amp;#039;t start caulking at a random corner or end point. Plan ahead to anticipate what your position will be as you move along the joint. For an enclosed tub, start caulking at one corner and then reverse the bead at the far end. Caulk outward from the remaining two corners. Next, hold the caulk gun in the joint so the tube tip meets the surface at a compound 45-degree angle. I&amp;#039;m right-handed, so I usually brace the nozzle with my left hand and squeeze the handle gently while simultaneously drawing the gun slowly down the joint or around the surface. Don&amp;#039;t squeeze the handle again until there&amp;#039;s an appreciable drop-off in the caulk coming out of the nozzle. Get the timing and pressure right and you can produce long, smooth runs with a single pump of the handle. Except when starting to run a bead in a corner, I often place the tip of my index finger over the joint. With a little downward pressure, my fingertip smooths the caulk as it comes out. The result is a nice smooth bead that doesn&amp;#039;t need further wiping. When, despite your best effort, you find that the joint needs extra wiping to look good, draw a moistened finger down the joint (assuming you&amp;#039;re using a latex or latex blend). If you&amp;#039;re using a caulk that requires cleanup with mineral spirits, wear a disposable nitrile glove on the hand that you use to strike away excess material. The glove reduces the wear and tear on your finger and will make cleanup easier when you&amp;#039;re done. Peel the glove. Toss it out. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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