How to Caulk Molding

After you secure your base molding in place and before you paint, you need to caulk the gaps, seams and nail holes. You should use a painters latex caulk so you can paint it the same color as your base molding or the wall.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Utility knife
• Caulk
• Caulking gun
• Damp sponge

1. Cut the tip off the caulk with a razor blade at a 45-degree angle. You can use the smallest marking on the nose of the caulk as a cut line, about 1/8 inch diameter. Insert the caulk into the caulking gun.

2. Apply a little caulk to your fingertip and fill any nail holes in the base molding. You don't need a lot of caulk for this, but you want the hole flush with the baseboard before you start painting.

3. Lay the flat tip of the caulk gun against the seam you want to fill.

4. Apply steady, even pressure to the trigger of the caulk gun and move slowly down the length of your wall along the base moldings. Use the smallest amount of caulk that you can.

5. Take your finger or a wet sponge and smooth out the line of caulk. Get rid of any gaps or bumps in the caulk and any excess caulk.

Tips & Warnings

• If you fill a large gap where the baseboard meets the wall, let it dry and paint it the same color as the wall. Painted caulk hides gaps well.