To make the application easier you can also cut the nozzle at an angle of roughly 45° as this makes it slightly easier to fill the gap and smooth the caulk as you go. Flexible filler also known as decorators caulk comes in external and internal grades. Caulk, by definition, means to make water or air-tight by filling or sealing, so decorators caulk is ideal for sealing any gap such as around windows and doors, between skirting and walls and the similar. These more eco-friendly products save a huge amount of waste and if you can use them certainly do, however they do require a special sealant gun and nozzle so they can be loaded and squeezed correctly. Many but not all liquid caulks, sealers, and patches come premixed. Dry mixes require water, followed by hand mixing until they reach the desired consistency—which could be a combination of the manufacturer’s recommendations and how runny you need it to be. It’s best to follow mixing directions as closely as possible, but you can thin the mix with a minimal amount of extra water if absolutely necessary.

Stop periodically and wipe any excess caulk from your finger to prevent it spilling out around the edge of your gap. Use an old cloth to wipe away the excess.General purpose latex acrylic-based caulks can be used for a wide variety of jobs in the home as it is the general purpose workhorse of fillers. Some common applications are: When it comes to flexible filler or caulk these tend to not be quite as elastic as their silicone counterparts but still retain a decent amount of flexibility, more than enough to cope with the general amount of movement encountered in most rooms in the home. Perimeter gap filling around window and door frames; ideal for timber frames where woodstaining is required. Position the nozzle at the point you want the caulk to fill the gap and start squeezing the trigger of the caulk gun gently. As the caulk starts to flow move the gun and nozzle along the gap ensuring that the caulk is fully filling the gap as you move. Work slowly and methodically. Some caulks can be sanded, others rely on the skilled smoothing process for a good job. As with everything else in the building trade. Practice makes perfect.

Though manufacturers don’t typically indicate set or cure times in product descriptions, most quality products will set within the hour and cure within a few hours. If a product requires mixing with water, the amount of water used will have some bearing on cure time.In short the answer is no, caulk is not quite the same as silicone sealant. The main difference between the two is their flexibility or elasticity as silicone sealants tend to be more flexible than caulk-based fillers.