Questions and Answers
on: How to remove dried on caulk from wood trim?
Mumma asked,
I’m currently painting my wood trim dove white . I prepped the wood first by sanding it, washing it and letting it dry and as I went around beginning to paint, there were some joints on near the window where caulk got on and rubbed off, but apparently not enough. The paint beads up and won’t adhere to it. After using a 220 grit sand paper to attempt to rough it off without damaging the wood surrounding it, it still isn’t enough. Is there a product or another way to get the caulk off the wood so I can finish the look
on: How to remove dried on caulk from wood trim?
If the paint is beading up, it is not caulking, it is silicone which should never be used in areas to be painted. Unfortunately it is unaffected by cleaners and solvents. Peeling or scraping is about your only option. Try rubbing your finger quickly back and forth across it while applying pressure. this will cause thin areas to peel up but it is hard on your fingers.
If you get most of it off and the area is in a corner that would normally be caulked apply latex caulking over it. As long as the latex caulking has a reasonable amount of non silicone coated area to adhere to it will seal over small amounts of silicone residue.
Good luck,
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This is some really good information about caulking removal. I need to remove some old caulking. That way, I can put in new stuff easily. It is good to know that you should use sandpaper to get ride of caulking.