Please some help with caulk

sapphira · #1 04/26/10, 06:45 PM

I used DAP painter's acrylic latex caulk indoor outdoor to fill in some spaces under roof on one corner of my mobile home. Rain was coming in somehow gradually and has bred a little bit of mildew on the corner at the floor inside on the wallboard. This caulk did the trick, but I checked the house out today because I have a million little repairs to do in and out, and the caulk is all cracked and separated, some missing, looks like it freeze dried. After this horrible winter, I guess this is par for the course, but is there a better caulk I should use that weathers better outside? I'd rather spend more for the caulk because I find it hard to get up there and make the repairs. I am good at caulking - very familiar with doing it, but not very knowledgeable about caulks. Lowe's led me wrong about this one. Thanx, Sapphira

tyusclan · #2 04/26/10, 07:01 PM

You need to get an elastomeric caulk for that type of application. It's stays much more flexible and gives a much better seal against moisture that regular latex caulk.

Water Shield is one brand that is very good, but there are others.

sapphira · #3 04/26/10, 07:23 PM

Can I trust Lowe's or Ace hardware to even know what this is? Never heard of it myself. Should I go rather to a specific paint store? S.

Bluecometk · #4 04/26/10, 09:05 PM

sapphira, Find a good marine store or boat yard and purchase 3M 5200 marine topside sealant. It is used on the decking of boats and has the ability to expand and contract with the swelling and shrinking of wood. It works on fiberglass, wood, metal and has a UV resistance. It will cost a good penny but will be well worth the price.I don't know how long it will last past 5 years. The down side, if you get it on your close IT AINT EVER COMIN OUT!

Hope this helps

Bluecometk

**clovis** · #5 04/26/10, 11:33 PM

There is a caulk called Solar Seal.

It should be available at roofing supply stores. It is supposed to be the best on the market.

It is made with 100% terpolymer elastomers.

I too, needed some high end caulk, and am leery of the latest, greatest caulk. When I asked 5 different contractors, every single one of them recommended Solar Seal. Something that I find interesting...all 5 of them had their eyes light up when they started talking about Solar Seal.

Here are snippets of what I heard when I asked them about Solar Seal:

"Awesome stuff."
"Best there is."
"That is the only stuff we use, even on flat roofs."
"Greatest caulk we've ever used."
"The great thing about Solar Seal is that I put it on a roof, and we never get a call back."
"We use it on sky lights."

Cost is about $6 a tube.

Made by NPC Colored Sealants, Maywood, IL.

npcsealants.com

We'll see how it holds up...but when I see eyes light up, and hear an enthusiastic tone, along with rave reviews, from all of them, something has got to be right about the product.

If you can't find it locally, let me know. I could ship some to you at actual cost.

sapphira · #6 04/27/10, 12:59 PM

This is the middle of the shenandoah valley. No hope to get to a marine store. Will try the roofers. Might have to call roofing company as there is no store for roofing. Sorry I am so unknowledgeable. Got some 100 % silicon caulk - best I could do temporarily. I will be going to the eastern shore - Easton MD in May and can stop at marine store, tons of them on rt. 50. Will check out the roofing companies here too. Need to fix today or too much for me to deal with this wall. Got to find paint for my metal roof too - it is silver but wearing off. This is my first experience with a mobile home. I love the community and we are spaced out with longways placement and very large properties. No clue either what roof paint to buy - any store here sells it but everyone has a different opinion as to white or silver, and a lot of people have put asphalt on their roofs. Do NOT want asphalt.
Am going to work on that corner this afternoon to caulk it temporarily. Need to install rain barrel I bought. Had to buy two tools to do it. This should be interesting. S. You all are a terrific help !!!! Thank you so much !

**Ross** · #7 04/27/10, 03:48 PM

We use a tonne of Supra and Flextra. Two other brands you might be able to find. That marine stuff sounds great too! The GE 100% silicone is OK inside sealing around sinks etc. It'll do better than DAP outside at any rate. Dap drives me nutz to use because I don't use it all the time but once you get the application right it makes for a nice finish. I'm stuck with 6 tubes of DAP so I'm trying to think positive!

tyusclan · #8 04/27/10, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sapphira

This is the middle of the shenandoah valley. No hope to get to a marine store. Will try the roofers. Might have to call roofing company as there is no store for roofing. Sorry I am so unknowledgeable. Got some 100 % silicon caulk - best I could do temporarily. I will be going to the eastern shore - Easton MD in May and can stop at marine store, tons of them on rt. 50. Will check out the roofing companies here too. Need to fix today or too much for me to deal with this wall. Got to find paint for my metal roof too - it is silver but wearing off. This is my first experience with a mobile home. I love the community and we are spaced out with longways placement and very large properties. No clue either what roof paint to buy - any store here sells it but everyone has a different opinion as to white or silver, and a lot of people have put asphalt on their roofs. Do NOT want asphalt.
Am going to work on that corner this afternoon to caulk it temporarily. Need to install rain barrel I bought. Had to buy two tools to do it. This should be interesting. S. You all are a terrific help !!!! Thank you so much !

You can also buy elastomeric roof paint. I like it much better than Kool-seal. I know Sherwin-Williams has one, but I'm sure Benjamin-Moore and the other good paint companies will have one as well.

**clovis** · #9 04/27/10, 09:03 PM

Sapphara-

I went to the NPC website for you so you might find Solar Seal:

To find a distributor near you call:

800-654-1042 7:30-4:00 CST

HTH.

jmtinmi · #10 05/04/10, 09:31 AM

I remember hearing about something called 'Super stretch' or 'Big Stretch' as being the best. So we purchased some and used it, but I'm not impressed with it.