I insisted on using a cheap caulk gun for my bathroom remodel and paid the price

Last month, I was re-caulking my tub in Indianapolis and thought, why spend $12 on a decent caulk gun when the $2 one works the same? After fighting with it for 45 minutes, the plunger slipped and I squeezed out a giant blob of silicone right onto my new tile floor. I spent another hour scraping it off while my wife watched and asked why I didn't just buy the better tool. The caulk line itself came out all bumpy and uneven, so I had to rip it out and start over with a proper gun from Ace Hardware. Anyone else learn this lesson the hard way?

2 comments

2 Comments

wyatt_green17d ago

Brought back memories of my own cheap caulk gun disaster. That plunger slip is the worst, feels like you're fighting the tool instead of the caulk. Once you fight through the mess and get a decent one, you realize it's like night and day difference.

grant_perry17d ago

My buddy Dave did this exact thing caulking his basement windows last fall. He bought the dollar store gun thinking he was being smart and the handle snapped right off halfway through the first tube. Silicone went everywhere, all over his hands, his jeans, the concrete floor. He spent the next 30 minutes trying to finish the job with pliers and a screwdriver while his kid laughed at him from the doorway. Finally gave up and drove to Lowe's at 9pm for a real gun.