How does this work? To understand this comprehensibly, picture a crack or groove in your tiles. This needs to be filled up in order to have it look more presentable. You can use the help of a backer rod which acts like a foam that could fill up the gap. After placing in the rod, you can finish it with the use of some caulking material, more likely a sealant in order to make it airtight and at the same time watertight. The use of the rod will greatly reduce the amount of time needed to fix the crack and at the same time it will give firmness to the material.
Backer rods are used to fill up gaps that are 0.5 inches or more in width. The two types of backer rods commonly used are the open-cell and the closed-cell backer rod. The main distinction between the two is that the open-cell rods are more airy and less dense compared to the closed-cell rod which is usually much denser and less flexible. The caulking material that is used to finish the sealing usually depends on the surface of the material and you need not worry since these are easy to apply.
Here are some quick steps on how to close up that crack or groove. In order to perform the steps below, you need to prepare the following materials: water, detergent, cloth, knife, backer rod, caulk remover, spoon, caulking gun, and elastomeric caulk.
- Step 1: Ensure that you clean the surface of the material where you are to perform the closing of the gap. In cleaning the surfaces, you may make use of a cloth and a detergent in order to get rid of the dirt and grease. This is especially important so that your caulking material will stick fast.
- Step 2: Take away the old sealant using the caulk remover.
- Step 3: Dry the areas that you just cleaned. Place a backer rod in the gap and gently push it to position it better. For cracks that situated outside and are less than .5 inch use the closed- cell rod. On the other hand, for gaps that are more than .5 inch of width, it is recommended that you use the open-cell rod.
- Step 4: Get the caulk tube and place inside the caulking gun. Ensure that the plunger is holding the caulk tube and you may do this by pulling the trigger.
- Step 5: Cut the caulk tube so that its open end is faced down. Gently pull the trigger of the caulking gun so that the caulk may be released.
- Step 6: After the first caulk, apply another coating of caulk and continuously apply until you completely cover the joint.