How to apply silicone - Secret Tips and tricks

In this video i will show you the 3 most common ways of applying silicone and caulking along with the pros and cons of each in order to determine which is the best. The three methods are using a finger with soapy water, Masking tape and the cramer fugi tool. Although many people are under the impression that using soapy water or your finger will lead to poor adhesion or mold, this is not actually the case if applied correctly. This video will show you step by step how to use all three best methods, the problems associated with them and also a few tips and tricks.
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U.S Amazon product link
Silicone Profiling Kit - amzn.to/3iYSDHh
Caulking gun - amzn.to/3ZoToP8
Australian Amazon product link
Silicone Profiling Kit - amzn.to/39qGvM4
Caulking gun - amzn.to/3ZoToP8
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[@grandwonder5858]

Jesus man! You do such a thorough and awesome job at explaining how to put silicone on edges of walls that you might put all of the other how-to videos on KZbin out of business! You have earned yourself a like and a subscribe!

[@williamalexander1743]

This guy really knows what he is talking about and he explains it in a clear and concise manner. If you are unsure of your ability you should practice on something that you are going to throw away. Also do not clean your joint with Windex because it leaves an oil residue.

[@vickimachovsky3480]

Wow! The soapy water was definitely an amazing tip! I had already tried a strip with just my finger and had such a miserable mess I had to take it out. I saw the tape method, and with my inexperience and colored silicone I went for that. I found your site when I was looking for how long I keep the tape in place. By the time I got to that I had to rush in and take off the tape. It looked better that I could have done with my finger and stand alone. But, I was able to fine tune my finished product with the soapy method. Thank you!!!!

[@jeffbernals]

Best silicone video I've seen for new surfaces.

[@binnsbrian]

Thank you for putting up this video. I always used the tape method. Your video enticed me to try the soapy water and finger method. It worked perfectly the first time with no mess and in a fraction of the time. It also game me a better looking job.

[@irag1935]

I watched about a dozen of these videos to work out the best way and this is really the best no-nonsense approach.Thanks for putting it out there for novices like me!

[@billshowto]

You’re welcome 👍

[@hanschin8172]

Fantastic Work , thank you Bill 👍

[@edover50]

Really thorough video Bill, excellent info. I rarely use my finger anymore and have been using a $5 4 piece amazon kit for about five years now with no problems.

[@Josh.1234]

Same with me, I used my finger forever. I bought a kit like this too with multiple sizes and I found I can quickly crank out perfectly straight lines with perfect width caulk lines. I watched another video talking about the advantage of these. It creates a triangle in the corner whereas you finger creates like a crescent shape that spreads out thin at the edges. Those edges over time with cleaning/scrubbing will peel but the triangle will stay solid.

[@sailtren2259]

Was really informative and great to watch. Thank you!

[@ansarkhan9777]

Nicely and honestly presented. Covering different types. Good work and I am a DIY with 20 yrs exp.

[@eatmungbeans]

superb demos. super comprehensive, and glad to see you point out the problems with the tape method. the shoulder/lip that it leaves makes it a complete no go in my book. it was done that way in our shower and it's not good. it's got a shoulder with overhang all the way around trapping gunk, and the silicone even lifted up in a couple of spots and I had to fill it in. might seem like a great way to get a nice result but it doesn't bear close inspection

[@joyleenpoortier7496]

You made it look so easy thank you

[@zacj63]

Very helpful video Bill👍👍👍 The last method is my favourite.

[@watergirl5069]

Last method is my preferred one!

[@healthballnut]

Excellent instructions. You Sir, are a terrific teacher. I have been using a cheap silicone kit and a soapy water solution spray. I am going to try your glass cleaner finger method on my next project. I think your finger and glass cleaner method will be better for going over grout lines.

[@stevenellul3443]

Thanks Bill excellent video.

[@InspireDIY]

Great comparison video mate! I love the statement..."hopefully everyone has fingers", Gold! Kent

[@ericmccolough2482]

Thanks, it worked out perfectly. I put more soapy water on my finger after a few practice runs behind doors. Cheers!!

[@user-nb1kg2ls7e]

excellent video with real time examples!

[@DGFX64]

Brilliant…love it…thanks.

[@AidanArentz]

The soapy water + finger trick requires a bit of finesse and is easier to mess up. For any DIYers. I'd just use the profiling tool to push + smooth the silicon in the joint. Also with the water trick, it's easy to accidentally get water under the silicon if you don't get the bead down nicely before applying the water. If you get any water under it, the whole thing is botched and you'll have to scrape it out and start again. Just use the profiling tools. It's way easier.

[@georgekennedy3127]

Thanks. Excellent tutorial.

[@geraldvandewal5788]

This guy's a damn pro . Very nice.

[@alankroit]

Great video. Thanks. You showed all the little tricky bits (and how to fix them) that people often don't show.

[@billshowto]

👍👍👍

[@alankroit]

@@billshowto It gave me the confidence to successfully tackle a job I'd been putting off for about a month and a half. I was so relieved 🙂. Thanks again.

[@stavart13]

Awesome mate!, best technique I've seen so far, that bloody corner just done my head in today but I'll definately try your method next time. Thanks mate.

[@miritam3932]

👍 You tutorial encouraged me to do it ✔ thank you! 👱‍♀️

[@iowa_don]

Very nice work on that corner.

[@ihewer]

Thanks for the review as I’ve just ordered the Fugi pack

[@billshowto]

It’s fun to use, you will enjoy it👍

[@SimaMoradiChannel]

Awesome job mate 👍

[@GoNutsButch]

Awesome buddy, thanks for sharing!

[@billshowto]

👍

[@nevillewhite5193]

Great advice thx mate

[@MuhammadDaudkhanTV100]

Beautiful ideas

[@neekopeeko9054]

Wow excellent tutorial. Thank you for sharing

[@billshowto]

👍

[@stamatissourasis4782]

Bravo file mou.. oraio vid..

[@rasoulahmadi1385]

تشکر. بسیار عالی👍😊🙏

[@PC-rx4ul]

very good way to teach, good demonstratiom, god bless you,

[@billshowto]

Glad it was helpful! 👍

[@harryalexander6570]

great vid

[@thedude33333]

Nice video. Thank you for the tips and tricks. Awesome. 😀

[@billshowto]

👍👍👍

[@TheRealMrCods]

Whenever I have done this type of stuff I always use my finger and Ive been doing this for the last 30 years and I have never had an issue. Top stuff Bill ✔

[@billshowto]

👍👍👍

[@MzCalais83]

👍

[@Russ1007]

Great video bill, corner is the best tip I've seen on KZbin, as you say I lot of people don't show you the corners 👍

[@billshowto]

Glad I could help 👍

[@lordmoreton1762]

hey bill 👋🏻 can i make a suggestion? with trying to get the corner nice, rather than dragging silicon towards the corner joint and then pivoting, start IN the corner and work outwards always dragging the tool (and excess silicon) away. just like how you did with the vertical joint. and if the corner still isn’t exactly perfect i would spray a little soapy water on your finger and delicately “massage” the corner joint into how you want it to look.

[@PKPUADVERTISING]

Thank you

[@Semaj.18272]

I agree with the water part bulk if not full contact won’t stick people don’t get this but what I do is I smith it with a profile tool make sure that bead is within contact then again smooth it twice and last I’ll add the water with my finger to give it smooth finish much safer bro

[@Sherminator2010]

Great video. Could you use the soap spray and the Fuji tool?

[@garrettmineo]

Thanks for an excellent video I love using the tools and after one bad experience I will never use tape again…it is an amateurish joke.

[@vernpierce8836]

Cramer tool kit you get 10 times a stronger bead! Using any water or soap is not good. Only traps moisture behind your bead! But you will definitely get lots of people arguing about that one! But i know where i stand! Water is the easiest way to make it look good that's why most use the method! Each his own. Great video though in explaining to most of the population DIY that don't do much caulking 👍

[@saraswatkin9226]

Amazing to think more than three thousand years ago Eygptians and the Incas builders showed stones could be cut and laid without gaps. In the 21st Century we need glue to cover gaps which is still a proplem !

[@mickfalvey6045]

good on ya Bill... just a quick question...any tips to get silicone off hands after the job?? cheers buddy

[@topher.m]

Paddlepop stick for the win

[@MzCalais83]

100% 🤣

[@vanmeredith6551]

Wonderful skills. May you apply into aluminum - glass windows and doors with the same quality? I do appreciate and look forward to hearing from you.

[@HBFREEWORLD]

You are a ⭐️

[@mcfunthomas_mc]

Last the best.

[@sw86241996]

I use many different method at the end the best one is finger plus soapy water. Just need to practice and practice you will find finger is much better control

[@peterpage7322]

To be fair, you picked the easiest surface to seal. I’d like to see how you tackle widows to brickwork?

[@manla8397]

I wonder if you soaped the blue little tool before scratching. Thank you

[@perrogrande]

Billy - do you have a video on Cleaning Windows, 2nd storey!??? Keep it up mate you’re a legend

[@billshowto]

Unfortunately not, I’ll add it to the to do list 👍👍

[@perrogrande]

@@billshowto 🤙🏼🤙🏼

[@Zar2244]

Thought silicon was cancer causing, I'd be using a well fitting glove. Great tips, especially the soapy water, I didn't know that one

[@vc8160]

Hope you don’t have to fill up your car with petrol! You would die if you knew what petrochemicals do to your brain and healthy bacteria

[@Zar2244]

@@vc8160 lucky I have an electric car

[@wheres_bears1378]

@@Zar2244 makes sense now haha

[@boyasaka]

Bacon , sausage and all processed meats are carcinogenic They are all class 1 , in the same class as cigarettes and asbestos If your eat any of the above The last thing you have to worry about is a bit silicone on your finger

[@paul914]

I'st method everytime! I can pick faults with all the others. Ok methods for diy'rs

[@vahidbagheri1835]

👍

[@downundergarage6968]

Raised edge has always been my issue with tape..

[@firefighterretired]

What is the water & soap mix?? How much soap & what kind

[@tubetaz]

Great, however I would be even more impressed if you showed how to apply in tricky areas around the back of taps, or uneven joins. I'll look out for it if you do, many thanks.

[@billshowto]

You’re welcome 🇵🇸

[@johndi1962]

I have only used the soapy water on my finger to wipe the silicone. Is there a reason why you would want to spray the silicone directly as well as getting soapy water on your finger?

[@marlenemcadam1460]

How do you use the profile kit on an uneven surface i.e. mosaic floor and small diamond tiles on wall?

[@peterpage7322]

This kit does come with a clip on piece that glides over tile joints, but this guy has picked the easiest surface to seal.

[@imoafaq]

I’ve used half the silicone for small job.. how can i clean the nose afterward to be able to use again? I run water but it’s thick couldn’t move it outside.

[@teresastrydom7090]

I have to seal between aluminum windows and plaster walls. What would be the best method and do I first paint the plastered wall and then chaulk or first chaulking

[@billshowto]

Caulk and then paint. Generally caulk is paintable while silicone is not 👍

[@teresastrydom7090]

@@billshowto thank you

[@teresastrydom7090]

I will have to use clear silicone then after paint? because of the colour difference. Windows are bronze and walls will be light colour. We don't have bronze in our country that is paintable

[@Jcccc23]

I used silicone to fill a rat hole and pressed it down with a moist napkin did I mess up ?

[@randydearing7355]

What type of soap do you use? Is it liquid dish soap?

[@billshowto]

Dishwashing detergent 👍

[@randydearing7355]

@@billshowto will certainly give that a try on my next go around!

[@tjx657]

I love using my finger

[@The_Handyman_Can]

Great video with a lot of trouble you went to in filming. I don’t agree with your technique of the tape method, but knowing you’d not done it before not only explains it failing, but also means you shouldn’t be so quick to say ‘it doesn’t work’. The ‘ridge’ was a vertical wall of silicone, where you didn’t push firmly enough with your finger, meaning it left that part too thick. It’s not actually a ridge that water will get beneath. Also, taping means you don’t need the soapy water for anything other than your finger. You want almost no silicone left at the point it touches the tape. This is critical. If it’s too thick there, peeling the tape will only be pulling through a gooey thickness of silicone, creating that tiny wall you saw, which catches light, or creates shadows and looks average. The correct technique leaves taped jobs looking a million times better than the lone finger, but yes, far more time consuming. I start by taping the corners with small bits of tape I’ve cut with scissors and stuck somewhere in a big line to grab easily. That means the right angles of the cut tape are faster to work with, to get the corners spot on. Pulling a straight line of tape comes down to gently stretching either the inside or outside edge of the tape as you hold it close to the wall with one end already stuck down. Working from that end, touch down on the points where the gap is correct as you go. When done, peel the tape off by pulling it more over itself and the line will be razor sharp. People will wonder how you got it so perfect. It can look so good that your silicone will become a feature instead of just a sealant. The greatest downside… trying to lay in a small tiled shower, to get the correct tape gap for the tape at the base of the walls! 🤦‍♂️. The greatest upside… Peeling all the tape off to look at the results of something done perfectly 🥳. Play with the method a bit more, then choose when you want the million dollar look 😉.

[@bentennyson6009]

Are you Akmal Saleh's brother ?

[@jagwarz]

Do you prefer the soapy water technique or the Fugi kit technique?

[@jerrys576]

I want to know where I can get the spray bottle!

[@brentonasmith]

Bunnings for those based in Australia

[@Josh.1234]

Those tools have the sharp side and the angled side.. not sure which is best when pulling across.

[@leecromer3289]

The flat side pushes against the silicone…

[@mickyt2470]

I got the same shitty silicone gun, it has that breaking sound with every squeeze of the trigger.

[@porkchop10]

For best results, go with #3.

[@MzCalais83]

Morning fresh bucket of water and a pop stick

[@michaelisherwood7146]

Make sure your horse is ok outside the house your working on

[@MzCalais83]

You forgot the POP STICK

[@billshowto]

Lol Next time 👍

[@MzCalais83]

@@billshowto it's the best 👍

[@AXharoth]

fuck i didnt know i needed a gun

[@mule666]

Everybody these days thinks they know how to aply sillicone and make videao about it ...but you do allot of things wrong here...like using dishwasher

[@justmood7913]

Are u lebanese??

[@billshowto]

No

[@elizakallis6148]

“Use high quality silicone” proceeds to use the cheapest $6 Bunnings rubbish. That silicone is absolute trash

[@AidanArentz]

The cheap stuff degrades fast and gets mouldy pretty quick. I learnt my lesson re-applying silicon sealer to the glass panels in my shower. I used the cheap stuff and it fell apart after about 6 months

[@dointheokecoke5548]

@@AidanArentz fully agree , for shower a BIG no ! that cheap shit will go semi-hard , Do it with good quality silicone , Parfix yuk

[@diliabobadilla8629]

Just do more talk less. Great Tips thank you!

[@afterburner3999]

Tape is Rubbish Idea.

[@dragan3290]

Acetic acid in the silicone. As an ex glazier/aluminium joiner I had to do silicone joints on glass to glass panels with neutral cure on laminated glass. Acetic cure silicone on toughened glass, shower trays, my boots. Lol. But you're spot on with the angle, soapy water. I wipe surface with methylated spirits first and then caulk, spray my finger and tool off. Excellent tutorial btw! I saw the plasterboard repair on the ceiling video. Acetic cure is Acetic acid in vinegar. Try using a glaziers spatula. You will never use anything else! Cheers

[@billshowto]

👍👍👍

[@DoctorMeatDic]

Come on, masking tape? No need for that shit at all. If you make a mess of it, wipe it out and start again. It's not expensive. It does take practice. Messing about with masking tape is pointless.