To apply caulking in hard to reach places, such as behind a toilet, push a piece of 1/4″ I.D. (inside diameter) clear flexible plastic tubing (available at home centers) over the end of the caulking tube nozzle. Position the end of the tubing where you want the caulking, and squeeze the trigger until the caulking comes out.
When you’re finished caulking, remove the tubing from the caulking tube nozzle, insert a 1/4″ diameter wooden dowel in one end of the tube, and push the dowel through the tube to remove the caulking so the tubing can be used again.
Watch this video to find out more.
Further Information
- Homeowner’s Guide to Caulk (article)
- How to Get More Caulking from a Caulking Tube (video)
- Reusing Latex Glove Fingers for Caulking (video)
- How to Seal a Partly Used Caulking Tube (video)
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Joe Truini: Caulking around a bathroom is a simple enough job until you need to caulk around the back of the toilet. Because the space is so restricted, there’s no way to easily get the nozzle of the caulking gun back behind the toilet. So here’s the trick.
Go out and pick up a roll of tubing. This is clear tubing. It’s 1/4″ inside diameter—that’s what you want, the inside diameter. And cut off a piece maybe 8 to 10 inches long. And then just wedge it onto the end of the caulking cartridge—right on the nozzle—put it on nice and tight. There you go. Just like that.
Now, you’ve a nice flexible tube that allows you to deliver caulk exactly where you need it. Just squeeze some through, here it comes. See that? Nice and easily, right through.
Once you get to the end of the tube, then you can apply it where you need it, back behind the toilet. Here it comes. Look at this, it reaches all the way around.
Now, it won’t be too neat, because you can’t really see what you’re doing, but it comes out real easy. Then you can come back later and spread it with your finger. And once you get out here, you know, you can pull off the tubing and just apply it with the caulking gun.
Now, if you want to reuse the tube, which is a good idea, all you need to do is pick up a length of wooden dowel that’s about the same size as the inside diameter—in this case, again, it’s 1/4 inch.
Just push it through. Clean out most of it. You’re not going to get it all out, but you get most of it out. There you go. Now you can reuse it for your next caulking job.
I was always taught NOT to caulk or silicone around a toilet, reason being that some toilets can have hairline cracks inside of it (error from manufacturer) which will cause water to run out from the base of the toilet. If its caulked the water will just pool up inside the base on the floor causing issues further down the road.
Count me in the pro- “caulk the toilet” camp.
I’m more worried about goo from my bathroom floor (overflowing toilet, anyone?) getting under there, that I can’t clean without removing the toilet.
I’ll take my chances with the caulk.
Also, it helps stabilize.
I used this trick to get under the edge of some swanstone that needed a little more caulk- no other way to get in there. Very helpful.
Thanks!
Great tip for hard to reach atrium windows, will give it a shot tomorrow.
Hi Thome. There’s no time like the present! Let us know how it goes!