The diagram of the backer rod & caulk was a great addition to your explanation, making the concept CRYSTAL CLEAR. Some folks need that VISUAL depiction along with the verbal. ❤
It is not just homeowners that don’t understand the importance of backer rod. I find most trades people don’t understand. I once had a general contractor tell me “ don’t use that cheap backer rod fill the joint. We’re paying for caulking not backer rod.” I told him “ you are obviously not qualified to make that decision “ and came back the next day with the material tech rep.
Thank you for making this video. I have been a professional caulker for over 40 years. I get so tired of all of the misinformation on RUclips.Everything from shoot the sealant as deep as you can to spray the joint with soapy water to ease tooling. Backer rod provides one more essential function. It gives the sealant something to push against when you tool it forcing the sealant against the sides of the joint. Allowing the sealant to properly bond.
Thanks! It's midnight, I was just about to caulk my first ever bit of silicone to get the job done but I'm so glad I looked up what backing rod actually is 😅 Seems like another trip to the hardware shop is on my to do list tmoro 😅
Thank you. Man, this is a problem because all I did was make sire I had at least 1/4 expansion gap. But this varies wildly from plank to plank-up to a half inch, because in the basement the drywall is raised. (For context, I'm not using quarter round- I took off the baseboard and plan to put that back to cover the gap.). Anyway, in my case, I dont see how the backer rod will help based on what you explained because in most places, it can't touch both the plank and the stud. I know I should have educated myself on this ahead of time but, well, here I am. Here is the best visual I can give using text: W|=wall side o = backer rod |P = plank edge Ideal: W|o|P Mine, half the time: W| o |P Again, *some* planks are ideal, but most are not and some are severely unideal. This varies literally from plank to plank. The reality is that I cannot undo the flooring I have done. I just finished today. Given that less-than-ideal-situation I put myself in, is there a better-than-nothing approach to sealing? One that won't fill me with utter regret? Lol I appreciate any constructive comments here.
Can this be put between a brick wall and laminate floor? Whoever put the floor down left a big gap between the wall of the building ( I live in a conversion) and the floor someone tried to put the scotia but doesn’t work because of heating pipes are exposed and low. I thought this might be a solution? Many thanks
If my control joints are 3" deep but my backer rod is just 1 or 1.5 inches tall, do I need to fill the void underneath the backer rod with sand, or can I leave it empty? In the pacific northwest where it barely freezes.
thank you. do you want the backer rod to be the exact size as the gap or slightly bigger. for example, if your gap is 1/2 in wide. do you buy backer rod 1/2 in or 5/8 in?
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The diagram of the backer rod & caulk was a great addition to your explanation, making the concept CRYSTAL CLEAR. Some folks need that VISUAL depiction
along with the verbal. ❤
It is not just homeowners that don’t understand the importance of backer rod. I find most trades people don’t understand. I once had a general contractor tell me “ don’t use that cheap backer rod fill the joint. We’re paying for caulking not backer rod.” I told him “ you are obviously not qualified to make that decision “ and came back the next day with the material tech rep.
You sir, just saved me! You have the only explanation on this backerrod subject!
Thank you for making this video. I have been a professional caulker for over 40 years. I get so tired of all of the misinformation on RUclips.Everything from shoot the sealant as deep as you can to spray the joint with soapy water to ease tooling.
Backer rod provides one more essential function. It gives the sealant something to push against when you tool it forcing the sealant against the sides of the joint. Allowing the sealant to properly bond.
Thanks! I just ordered some 1/4” backer rod to fill a gap between the sink and a cabinet .
Best explanation I’ve seen.
Thanks! It's midnight, I was just about to caulk my first ever bit of silicone to get the job done but I'm so glad I looked up what backing rod actually is 😅 Seems like another trip to the hardware shop is on my to do list tmoro 😅
I appreciate your information. Thank you.
Thanks! Glad it’s helpful.
Thank you
Thank you. Man, this is a problem because all I did was make sire I had at least 1/4 expansion gap. But this varies wildly from plank to plank-up to a half inch, because in the basement the drywall is raised. (For context, I'm not using quarter round- I took off the baseboard and plan to put that back to cover the gap.).
Anyway, in my case, I dont see how the backer rod will help based on what you explained because in most places, it can't touch both the plank and the stud.
I know I should have educated myself on this ahead of time but, well, here I am.
Here is the best visual I can give using text:
W|=wall side
o = backer rod
|P = plank edge
Ideal:
W|o|P
Mine, half the time:
W| o |P
Again, *some* planks are ideal, but most are not and some are severely unideal. This varies literally from plank to plank.
The reality is that I cannot undo the flooring I have done. I just finished today.
Given that less-than-ideal-situation I put myself in, is there a better-than-nothing approach to sealing? One that won't fill me with utter regret? Lol
I appreciate any constructive comments here.
If you’re working indoors with fairly stable temperatures, you probably don’t have anything to worry about.
@@genehatke7410 thank you. To be honest, caulking is such a nightmare, this is what I'm hoping to hear.
Thank you.
Thanks for the video!
VERY GOOD !
Can this be put between a brick wall and laminate floor? Whoever put the floor down left a big gap between the wall of the building ( I live in a conversion) and the floor someone tried to put the scotia but doesn’t work because of heating pipes are exposed and low. I thought this might be a solution? Many thanks
If my control joints are 3" deep but my backer rod is just 1 or 1.5 inches tall, do I need to fill the void underneath the backer rod with sand, or can I leave it empty? In the pacific northwest where it barely freezes.
That’s a different situation and I can’t really offer a solution from here. You may need some trim.
Thank you for your video. Do they make a larger size backer rods for larger sized gaps?
They come fairly large, but there is a limit to how large a gap you can bridge with caulk.
They make backer rod up to 4”
thank you. do you want the backer rod to be the exact size as the gap or slightly bigger. for example, if your gap is 1/2 in wide. do you buy backer rod 1/2 in or 5/8 in?
You want the rod to compress enough that you can be confident it will stay in place.