Spent $30 on a cheap caulking gun... completely ruined my bathroom trim job

Last weekend I decided to redo the caulk around my bathtub. I grabbed a $3 caulking gun from the hardware store thinking it would be fine, but it kept dripping and the plunger stuck halfway through. Ended up with a mess of silicone all over the new white trim I had just painted. The caulk was impossible to smooth evenly because the gun couldn't hold a steady pressure. After fighting with it for an hour I tossed the whole thing and drove back to buy a $15 ratchet rod model. That gun worked perfect on the second try, no drips, smooth bead all the way. Has anyone else had a cheap tool ruin a project like this? What caulking gun do you recommend that won't break the bank?

2 comments

2 Comments

west.claire8d ago

Did you think about checking if the caulk tube nozzle was cut at the right angle? A lot of times people blame the gun but the real problem is a crooked cut or too big of an opening. I've seen guys cut a tiny slit and get a perfect bead with even the cheapest gun. Also if you squeeze too hard with a cheap gun the plunger can slip because the teeth aren't sharp enough to grip the rod. Next time try tapping the plunger rod with a hammer before you load it. That burrs up the metal and makes it bite better. But honestly for $15 you got a decent deal on that ratchet gun.

miller.eva8d ago

I used a $3 caulking gun last year for my whole basement window trim and it worked fine. The trick is you have to cut the nozzle tip at a steep angle, like 45 degrees, and only clip off the very end. Most people cut off too much and then blame the gun for being messy. Also if you push too fast on a cheap gun the plunger will always skip. You have to go slow and steady like squeezing a toothpaste tube. The $15 ratchet gun is good but I've gotten clean beads with the cheap ones just by being careful.