Best Clear Caulk for Exterior

[Researchhound]

Have some areas around the black plastic fender wells on my 2017 kodiak Ultra where the factory applied clear caulking is coming loose. Seems I read on here awhile back that clear silicone caulk will not stick well to the fiberglass exterior which my unit has. If so, can anyone recommend the correct product which I should use?

Thanks,
Dan

[franktafl]

Gorilla Caulk, if you are going to use caulk.

[Researchhound]

Originally Posted by franktafl

Gorilla Caulk, if you are going to use caulk.

Well, perhaps "caulk" may not be the correct term in this situation. Guess I was simply thinking of a product that would likely come packaged in the form of a caulking tube and would be applied like caulk would be. Not necessarily true caulk as is used in the painting industry.

[persistent]

Frank is correct. That is good stuff.


Both of my TT's used a lot of exterior silicone. None of it ever separated from my fiberglass walls. It is extremely hard to remove when replacing parts like light fixtures and such. It also is unsightly when it ages.


Proper sealing materials are different for different uses. Roof, windows, electrical fixtures all have different needs. However, tube caulking is always an easy way to quickly seal a leak.

[cdesero]

Here ya go this is what I came up with.

[Lagman]

Silicone is pretty much the only clear. Everything else I use the Dow 690 or 790, whichever was available. It has a good amount of stretch and is strong as all heck. When it’s small joints I get one of those turkey injectors or syringes.
Makes it easier and cleaner.

[KECoats]

1) Lexel® is 19 times clearer than silicone. Lexel® makes "clear" silicone look just plain silly for calling itself "clear." ... Silicone tends to lose adhesion over time, and can't stick to wet surfaces at all. Lexel® sticks to a wider variety of surfaces, and can be applied to wet surfaces.

Best goop ever used. Will never buy another kind again.

[acdii]

+1, used it myself and it is very good, just make sure you use it all, it's doesn't store for long, so whatever is left will be wasted.

[KECoats]

That surprises me. I use the yellow spike/cone apparatus that covers the tip with a ring on top to pull it out and have not had a tube solidify yet. The spike sticks way down in the tip so maybe that helps?? And I leave it in the basement of the camper where it freezes/thaws. Anyway I love it.

[acdii]

Originally Posted by KECoats

That surprises me. I use the yellow spike/cone apparatus that covers the tip with a ring on top to pull it out and have not had a tube solidify yet. The spike sticks way down in the tip so maybe that helps?? And I leave it in the basement of the camper where it freezes/thaws. Anyway I love it.

Got a link to that thingamabobber? I always hate when I grab a tube the next year only to find it plugged up all the way down even though it was capped.



The one I had of that really clear stuff solidified down past the neck and you could see where it cured in the tube. Had half a tube wasted.

[Researchhound]

I own and operate an interior painting company and if an opened tube of caulk sits around for over six months it is likely to have solidified enough to be trash. Electric wire connectors make pretty good screw on caps for caulk tube tips.

Many caulking guns have a thin metal rod attached to the front of the gun ( it can swivel to point out or back in to rest against the body of the gun) for using to puncture through caulk that has dried in the nozzle.

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

[KECoats]

Lowes photo attached. Lexel isn't really like caulk. It's more like silicon sealant but much better. Dries as clear as it is in the tube. Overall just better than silicon. Sorry for poor photos. Using camera to take shots of my computer screen.