I’ve got a number of tubes of caulk in my basement, on my shelves, that are dried out. And that number is 10. Yes. Ten 1/2 full or 3/4 full tubes of caulks of assorted colors and types that have all dried out.

I discovered this the other day when I, of course, needed to do some caulking. And, of course, I didn’t buy any caulk because I knew I had at least $40 worth of caulk on my basement shelves. However, when I went down there to get it, I quickly realized that all of those tubes were no good.

I had used them earlier and had never sealed them correctly to prevent them from drying out. And, as a result, they dried out.

Well, I know that I can at times be pretty dumb when it comes to home improvement stuff, but I also know that I’m not the only one. So, I thought I’d share with you two great ways I discovered after that experience that will help you keep your caulk ready to use.

METHOD 1: The Wax Ring Method

The first way is my favorite and I owe credit to a wood working blogger I discovered here.  This method is very simple, very cost effective, a little gross (when you think about it), and very cool.  Here it is:

• Buy a wax ring for a toilet from a hardware store.  (Should be under $4 in price.)

• Take the wax ring and put it in a small container that you can seal.  (you could use a tape cannister, possibly film cannisters, or anything along those lines.  The goal is to put the wax in a container that you can seal so it stays pliable, but also so it doesn’t get all over the place and make a mess).

• When you’re done caulking for a day or for a month or whatever, simply open up this cannister with the wax and press the tip of the caulk into the wax (preferably a couple inches).

The wax will fill the nozzle perfectly and will create a perfect seal.  When you’re ready to caulk again, simply pop the tube into your gun and squeeze the trigger.  The wax seal will be expelled just ahead of the caulk–which will still be perfectly good!

METHOD 2: Latex Gloves

Another method I’ve read about for sealing up a tube of caulk in-between jobs is this:

• Start by taking one of those little latex “doctor’s” gloves and then cutting the finger off.

• Drape this “cut-off finger” over the nozzle of the tube of caulk and then wrap some tape around the base to seal it.

• When you’re ready to use it again, simply pull the seal off and your caulk should still be usable.

• Now, while both of these methods are inexpensive and should work well, I still like the simplicity of the wax  ring idea.  I don’t have to mess with tape, I don’t have to worry if I got the little finger thingy taped down tightly enough, etc.  And, best of all, when I want to use the caulk again, I just pop it in the gun and pull the trigger.  I don’t have to mess with pulling tape off after it’s been sitting on a tube for 4-5 months.

If you do any amount of caulking, give one of these methods a try–either one is way better than the old “put a nail in it” method and will produce much better results!

OK, that title is convoluted at best.  But it’s more attention-grabbing than the first title I tossed up there:  Silicone Caulk–Use With CAUTION.  Yeah, after typing that, I almost fell asleep.  So I changed the title in the hopes of infusing it with energy and lively interest.

Anyway, if you read the earlier post about cheese graters, you’ll realize what I’m getting at here.  If you missed the post about cheese graters . . . well, you need to check it out (here!).

The point of that post was to poke fun at myself and stress the point that there are certain items out there . . . in the wide, scary world . . . that look innocent, but can really screw up your day.  Cheese graters and dental picks are just a couple.

Today, we’re shifting back into the world of home improvements and were going to talk, as the title suggests, about the Cheese Grater of the Home Improvement World:  Silicone Caulk.

See, silicone caulk, if you’re not familiar with it, is a type of caulk that sticks tenaciously to almost any surface.  It’s also extremely water resistant.  Those two qualities make it tremendously useful . . . but also, “sneakily” dangerous.

Let me explain:  silicone caulk is so resistant to almost everything, that nothing . . . NOTHING . . . will stick to it.  It repels water, moisture, paint and even itself.  And that’s where the danger lies.

Every now and then, folks pick up a tube of silicone caulk by accident at a home improvement warehouse.  They just wander down an aisle, grab a tube and take it home.  Then, they go ahead and do all their caulking.  They caulk around their woodwork, around their windows, around their crown molding . . . they caulk everywhere.

And then, after all that work is done, they start painting.  And that’s when they notice that the paint doesn’t seem to be sticking.  At all.  Wherever they applied their caulk, they discover the paint won’t adhere.

Now normally, when this happens, people are sad.  They’re frustrated.  They’re angry.  But they’re usually not flipping out yet.  And this is because they don’t understand the nature of silicone caulk.  They figure they’ll just buy some new caulk–some paintable caulk–and they’ll put that over the silicone.  Or, worst-case-scenario, they’ll prime all the silicone caulk with a special primer before they paint.  Either way, they figure there’s a relatively simple solution.

But unfortunately, there’s not.  As I mentioned earlier, nothing will stick to silicone caulk.  I even used ALL CAPS to express that idea.  Nothing will stick to silicone–not even silicone.  And that means the only way to truly fix the problem is to remove the caulk.  Completely.

Now, for some people, caulking and painting a room is bad enough.  Not everybody wakes up every morning, just longing for another paint job to accomplish.  But even if you like painting and caulking, nobody likes caulking, painting, discovering a problem, removing the caulk, scrubbing the walls, re-caulking and finally re-painting.  That’s just no fun at all.

And that’s why I’m suggesting that silicone caulk needs to be used with caution.  In the right situation, it can’t be beat.  In a bathroom, between your tub surround and your tub, it’s ideal.  But in an area where you plan to do some painting . . . avoid it like the plague.