How to Paint Baseboard With Caulk

The edges of the wood here appear continuous by filling the gap at the baseboard with caulking.

Baseboards protect your walls from damage and moisture. The corners and edges of the baseboard are sealed with caulking to make the baseboard appear seamless and to make it waterproof. To finish the illusion that the baseboards are seamless, you must paint the baseboard and the caulking to make it appear seamless. Normally it is a simple process to paint the baseboard -- unless non-paintable caulking was used. If non-paintable caulking was used, extra steps need to be taken to successfully paint the baseboard.

Things You'll Need

• Primer
• Paint brush
• Paint
• Paintable caulking
• Caulking gun
• Utility knife
• Needle nose pliers
• Sponge

Instructions

1. Apply a thin, even coat of primer on the baseboard using the paint brush. Use a latex-based primer to prepare the baseboard for paint. Let the primer dry for at least six hours. Inspect the baseboard after six hours and check to see if the primer has bubbled and come off the caulking. If the primer has bubbled and did not adhere to the caulking, you have to remove the caulking.

2. Insert the utility knife into the caulking and slice through the caulking. Pull out the caulking with the needle nose pliers to remove all the caulking.

3. Apply new paintable caulking into the seams where you removed the non-paintable caulking. Insert the caulking tube into the caulking gun and cut the tip with a utility blade at a 45-degree angle. Place the tip of the caulking gun over the seam and squeeze on the trigger moving the caulking gun across the entire seam. Smooth the caulking by passing your finger over the caulking. Wipe any excess caulking with a lightly moist sponge. Let the caulking dry for four hours.

4. Prime the baseboard again with primer and the paint brush. Let the primer dry for six hours.

5. Paint the baseboard with latex paint. Apply a thin and even coat of paint on the baseboard. Let the first coat of paint dry for six hours before applying a final coat of paint. Let the final coat of paint dry for at least 48 hours before touching the baseboards or using water near the baseboard.

References

• Sherwin-Williams: Caulk - Paint Cracking or Crawling
• Popular Mechanics; "How to Remove Caulk in 6 Easy Steps"; Norman Becker; March 2007