I was on a job back at the end of 2022 and had a fair amount of caulking to do. So, instead of buying new, I opted to clear my stores of all the odd tubes of cheaper caulk I’d picked up over the year. I used 3 different brands of caulk all together. The following day I came back and had a major leaching problem, as well as the dreaded crazing issue that most of us encounter at some point. So this prompted me do some investigating to help find the culprit and avoid in the future. Here is my budget caulk review, I hope you find it useful.
The 3 caulk products I tested are all slightly above the £1 mark per tube.
- No Nonsense Caulk
- Wickes Decorators Caulk
- Everbuild 125 One Hour Caulk
I asses each caulk on the following: ease of use, whiteness, drying & setting time, crazing, leaching.
All these caulk products had been left over night to dry, then I applied 2 coats of Crown Vinyl Matt, 2 hours apart (who ever sticks to the 4 hour recoat time? Not me anyway).
NO NONSENSE CAULK REVIEW
This caulk is easily smoothed and has enough body to get a good finish. The caulk once dry though, is far from being white; it’s more of a deep grey.
It sets fairly hard for a caulk and does not that much flexibility. One thing I’ll say is that although not visible on the tests, I know this caulk is prone to shrinkage. Be prepared to double up on wider gaps!
On this occasion there was no leaching at all, colour of emulsion stayed true and absolutely no crazing visible.
WICKES DECORATORS CAULK REVIEW
This caulk used to be my go to but has very recently changed its formula…for the worst!
It has no body at all, very thin and was difficult to smooth off with a wetted finger. It was the whitest of all the cheap caulk products I tested once dry, but with caulk being painted over most of the time, I can’t see this as much of a positive.
The Wicks Decorators Caulk still didn’t feel fully cured, even after being left over night. Very soft and could easily make indentations with my figure nail.
WE FOUND THE CUPLRIT!!! This caulk, although not very visible on the photos leached out terribly. To the point where it reached way past where the caulk actually sat and darkened the whole of the painted section. To top it off, it crazed badly also. Avoid this caulk at all costs!
Everbuild 125 – One Hour Caulk Review
This is the thickest caulk of the bunch, but I don’t mind a thicker caulk as I find it easier to tool off. As for whiteness, it’s white but not as much as the Wickes.
It felt fully cured, but still had some flexibility still. With some pressure I was able to make indents with my nail.
It did leach out slightly, but only on the thicker middle section and on itself. It crazed near enough to the same extent as the Wickes did.
My Budget Caulk Review
Avoid Wickes “Decorators Caulk” at all costs.
Everbuild 125 would be fine but needs priming, especially if using water-based gloss.
No Nonsense is by far the superior product and surprising winner. Just be ready to apply an extra coat when going over with white paints and be sure to let fully cure.
Hope this saves someone a headache in the future.
So the moral of the story seems to be – avoid cheap caulk or be prepared to do the job twice.