Questions and Answers
Brian P. asked
on Caulk:
I want to use a clear caulk to fill in gaps between my floor and the baseboard. The floor is finished hardwood (original), and I live in a humid area so a mildew and mold resistant product would be nice.
Hello Brian,
There really shouldn’t be any cracks between the floor and base board. If there are substantial sized cracks you should install shoe molding. (not quarter round) If the cracks are small and you just want to caulk, DO NOT USE SILICONE if you ever want to paint the base board. Paint will not stick to silicone and once you apply silicone it is extremely difficult to ever completely remove it. If the floor and the base board are the same color use a color matched caulk. If the base board is painted use a clear latex caulk. Clear latex caulk is milky white when applied and turns clear over time. The thicker the application the longer it will take to turn clear, thin application will turn clear in a few hours, thicker applications will take up to a week. Use painters tape to protect the floor smoothing the caulk out thin over the tape and then removing the tape immediately after caulking to leave a clean line at the floor. Clear latex caulking can be painted over with latex or oil based paint when thoroughly dry.
Good Luck,
Tony
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