If you are planning on putting down caulk, you probably have caulk that needs to be removed. Unless you are installing something brand new, there is likely caulk left behind that has to be taken care of. The following is a brief tutorial that will give you some useful tips in removing old caulk easily while preparing your surface to receive the brand new caulk. Just like anything else, preparation really does have a lot to do with how good your final results are, and caulking is absolutely no exception to this rule. You are going to want to remove the old caulk and to clean the surface really well before you put new caulk down.

Using a Manual Caulk Removing Tool

There is a great tool called the Caulk Away, and it is a caulk removal tool that is made by Homax. It has all kinds of little angles and cutting edges with three blades, making it possible for you to remove caulk directly from the joint. There is a corner scraper that is capable of scraping each of the sides of the joint using a plastic edge that is hardened but that will not damage the tile, the tub or the sink on its finished surfaces. The best way to use this tool is with a chemical caulk remover product like the one mentioned below:

Using a Chemical Caulk Remover

One of the easiest ways for you to begin the removal process for old caulk is to use a professional chemical caulk removal solution. One such product is created by the fine folks at 3M. This chemical caulk remover is capable of destroying the bond that exists between the surface and the caulk. The liquid caulk remover product by 3M comes in a handy little plastic bottle and it costs less than ten bucks. For $10, you can remove just a little over 20 feet worth of old caulk material. This is definitely a great way for you to get a jump on the caulk softening process so that you can remove the old caulk much more easily, rather than simply relying on a scraping tool to do the work. In order to use this chemical caulk removal product, the process goes like this:

• The first thing that you are going to want to do is to squeeze the removal product onto the old caulk. You are going to want to make sure that it is completely covering all of the old caulk.
• Now you are going to want to let everything sit for between 2 and 7 hours, as is directed.
• Now you are going to want to take a plastic knife for putty or a tool like the one mentioned above and scrape away all of the old caulking. It should probably come off in nice chunks.
• Finally, you can clean up what's left using soap and water.

Photo Credits: mtsofan

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Handy Man, Remove, Tools

Tags:

3m, caulk remover, cutting edges, finished surfaces, homax, left behind, little angles, removal solution, removal tool, scraper, something brand new, Tile