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Builder’s Tip: Creating an Effective Caulk-Tube Extension
On a recent job, I had a problem with a stainless-steel kitchen countertop and its integral sinks. They had come unstuck from their countertop substrate and needed to be re-glued with silicone caulk — in a hard-to-reach location, of course.
Putting off the task until the next day seemed like a good idea, so I headed out to the backyard to hook up the drip-irrigation system.
I started cutting tubing and slipping it into the fittings, marveling that water pressure didn’t push the tubing right back out.
Then the old light bulb went off: Why not use drip-irrigation fittings to fashion a caulk-delivery system for hard-to-reach locations?
- I grabbed a tube of silicone caulk, snipped its nozzle back to the 3/8-inch o.d. portion and slipped a drip-tube ell over its end.
- I added a 24-inch extension to the other end of the ell.
Using this rig, I was able to snake the nozzle extension through a couple of carefully drilled holes in the substrate into the gap beneath the stainless-steel counter. I squeezed caulk as I retracted the nozzle and weighted the top for a day to let the caulk set up. It worked great.
Since then, I’ve used these cheap, disposable extensions to seal leaks in windows and doors by working from inside, and regluing large panels without having to remove them. The fittings come in both 45° and 90° versions.
— Gregg Roos, San Francisco
Tips & Techniques provided by Fine Homebuilding.
©2005 The Taunton Press
To request a reprint of this feature, e-mail Mary Lou von der Lancken at Fine Homebuilding.
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