So kid, you think you’re fast with a caulking gun? You fancy yourself a silicone slinger, do you, a butyl-broncin’ Buffalo Bill, a… Uh, you get the point. Well set yourself down, pilgrim, and let me tell you a thing or two.
You know something, kid? The right gun’s gonna help you do the job right. Get a good solid one, but not too heavy. Make sure it’s got a thumb release; if you don’t you’ll find you’re wasting caulking.
Load ‘er up now, and cut the nozzle at a 45 degree angle. Hang on to that piece you cut off; you can use it as a cap later by sticking it in point-first.
Hold your gun carefully, 45 degrees to the work, and keep the pressure constant, but not too hard. Push forward if the gap you’re sealing is small; pull toward you if it’s big.
Keep the bead at least as deep as it is wide. If you’re using latex, leave a convex surface so it won’t shrink away.
You wanna seal trim properly? Take it off, then insulate and caulk behind the trim and replace the trim.
Someday, you’re gonna get caught in a tight spot. If you can’t reach the spot you want to caulk with the nozzle on the tube, you could smear the caulking manually with your finger or a stick. But a real master keeps his (or her) hands clean. Stick a good solid drinking straw over the end of the nozzle, and attach it by wrapping it tightly with electrician’s tape. Now you can draw a good bead where your plain ol’ gun just wouldn’t cut it.