I was on a job back at the end of 2022 and had a fair amount of caulking to do. So, instead of buying anything new, I opted to clear my stores of all the odd tubes of cheaper caulk I’d picked up over the year. I used three different brands of caulk in total. 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 to do some investigating to help find the culprit and avoid the issue in the future. Here is my budget caulk review; I hope you find it useful.
The three 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 assess each caulk on the following: ease of use, whiteness, drying and setting time, crazing and leaching.
All these caulk products had been left overnight to dry, then I applied 2 coats of Crown Vinyl Matt, 2 hours apart (whoever 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, is far from being white; it’s more of a deep grey.
It sets fairly hard for a caulk and does not have that much flexibility. One thing I’ll say is that, although not visible in 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, the colour of the emulsion stayed true, and there was absolutely no crazing visible.
WICKES DECORATORS CAULK REVIEW
This caulk used to be my go-to, but its formula has very recently changed… for the worst!
It has no body at all, is 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 Wickes Decorators Caulk still didn’t feel fully cured, even after being left overnight. It was very soft and I could easily make indentations with my fingernail.
WE FOUND THE CULPRIT!!! This caulk, although not very visible in 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 as well. 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 white as the Wickes.
It felt fully cured, but still had some flexibility. With some pressure, I was able to make indentations with my nail.
It did leach out slightly, but only on the thicker middle section and on itself. It crazed to nearly the same extent as the Wickes caulk did.
My Budget Caulk Review
Avoid Wickes Decorators Caulk at all costs.
Everbuild 125 would be fine, but it needs priming, especially if you’re using water-based gloss.
No Nonsense is by far the superior product and the surprising winner. Just be ready to apply an extra coat when going over it with white paints, and be sure to let it 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.