Others might have said this but it’s worth repeating. The advice you give at the end to “Take a step back, take a breath, come back the next day” is great advice. For everything in life! We tend to get caught in the moment and fret over minor things. Your advice is very true! Great video.

I've caulked 1000's of feet of trim in apartments I've fixed up and rented out over the years and have never heard of backer rod. Thanks for the tip.

This is coming from a qualified mechanic, restorer, renovator full time Handyman. Your closing comment is "spot on". Love your vids. Thank you and have a great day.

Someone once said, done is better than perfect. I used to stress over the little things that no one else noticed. Not any more.

I can not thank you enough for posting this video. We had trim at the tops of all our walls. When we removed the trim, that I hated, there was this gap… everywhere! In all the rooms! I have textured ceilings so I couldn’t use the tape! I came a crossed your video and tried it, with one exception, after I used the caulking and let it dry completely I used joint compound and then sanded it flat. Wow!!!! I have done my entire house and repainted all the ceilings and the walls. It is perfect! Can not even see traces that it was once there! It didn’t mess up the textured ceiling at all! You are wonderful! Thank you so much! God bless you and your family! ❤

The backer rod was definitely a missing element in a corner caulking project I botched up! Enjoyed the video and appreciate the info. Keep up the good work!

Just found this guy's videos today and it's one of the few things I can say was great about 2020.

Your last tip on standing back, has to be the best advice " I really need to take that advice we will see! Thanks

Really like the advice you give at the end - and at the beginning with the backer rod. I never heard of them before and it is exactly what I need for a large gap. Thank you.

Reminds me of a quote from Norm Abrams, This Old House: Caulking is not a suitable substitute for quality craftsmanship. I live in a real world held together with caulking and duct tape.

That tip at the end really resonated with me, I recently did drywall in part of my basement (crawlspace actually) and I was not happy with how it went, lot of big gaps or areas it did not line up right etc. But after it was all done I realized it was not THAT bad, and all that will be fixable when I plaster anyway. Sometimes you need to give your work some tolerance to imperfection and I often forget this myself and try to make stuff too perfect.

Really descriptive, step by step video. I appreciate the tips and now feel more confident to attempt this myself. I am a perfectionist and your advice at the end really hit home for me. Thank you so much!

I am really impressed by the knowledge that you have . Thank you very much. Your children are lucky to have you.

It’s expensive, but in this kind of application I prefer to use a urethane caulk overtop of the backer rod. It has up to like 600% elasticity and will fill serious gaps, and is still paintable. Great content for a DIY’er or someone just learning!

BRAVO ! I just mounted drywall in my kitchen ceiling, to cover the recess that housed 3 x 48" fluorescent tubes. The original recess wasn't even close to square, so I have gaps ranging from 0" to 5/8". This video saved countless hours with a kinked neck & blobs of joint compound on my face.

Love the video. I just had one of those "head deep" moments the other day. I had to leave it for two days and went back to look at it. I never even noticed it when I came back to it.

Dude, your videos have saved me more than once. Very thorough, great subjects... from a thankful homeowner.

I got a wall like this in my bathroom I've wanted to fix, but couldn't find a video on your channel.. now a week later you got a vid up!😀

I love your channel! It's especially helpful when you make a small mistake and then show us how to recover.

Great guidance in the most chill manner! Much appreciated, sir.

I caulk the cracks and instead of taping the walls around it, i spray them lightly with soapy water and then smooth the caulk over, nothing ever sticks to surfaces with soapy water. Great job man.

Hey finally a guy that is demonstrating a fix that said step back and have a break from the job because it is not working out for, you are a spot on, great to hear

This literally couldn't have come at a better time, thanks champ!

Used backer rod for years. This is the first video I've seen on about it. 230 is a great chalk. We use tube after tube of it. If you work in old houses you better have backer rod handy.

Another excellent video - Vancouver Carpenter nails it again & NO NAILS REQUIRED!

Good tips, backer rods, never knew they exist, could be a savior, specially for a DIY homeowner. Thanks

I pass some backer rod in Lowes today while looking for weather strips. I had no idea what it was use for and this video just explained that.. Thanks for the info.

I do a lot of caulking and never used a putty knife! Looks awesome and I'll be using that in the future. Thanks!

This guy's the best. Somebody else on youtube was suggesting toilet paper and I promptly searched again and found you. You've provided solutions for a few projects now. Really thanking you for your knowledge shared!

Excellent! I'm still a beginner with the gun, and this has inspired me to keep learning. Not a single straight wall in my house.

nice mix of perfectionism and relaxed approach - thanks for the video, Im about to caulk a large gap in my bathroom

Thank you so much for this one. Our house is full of those because some DIY wanna be had the philosophy of 'it holds, it's good enough'. There are gaps every freaking where they went. Thank goodness the original house itself wasn't the same lol

You're one of the best! I like the way you go into detail about how you do what you do...keep up the good work buddy!!!

Backer rod!! That's what I've been missing. Thanks for the tip.

Thank you very much. I'm glad there are you tubers doing this, especially, for girls that have no idea how to be more "hands on" projects.

Last bit of advice regarding taking a step back and looking at it the next day is great advice.

This really helped me a lot! I have some ugly gaps around some doors I need to fix. I am glad to learn about the backing material! Geez....that's really going to help me! Thanks!

I've never seen the backer used. Always learn something from you.👍👍 For perfect chaulk lines I use this handy thing,, works GREAT for me. Homax 5850-10-06 Perfect Bead Caulk Finisher. It's always in my too bucket!! You do GREAT work, great perspective on your work 👍👍

Cool Vid. The big gaps, I normally use expanding foam. Finish it of with some skimming. Here is another tip for anyone who struggle with damp on walls (interior walls).....I use Road Marking Paint and covers easy with any good quality PVA. Chris 🇿🇦

story of my life there...I have done this more times than I can count. thanks for your videos, stay safe.

I'm a huge fan. Whoever is lucky enough to hire you will definitely get what they paid for unlike so many so-called professionals who just want to get in and get out, get paid for a substandard job because the home owners don't know what short cuts they did until they're long gone.

Another informative video by the great Mr. Vancouver Carpenter.

Dude, great advice, awesome skills, thx!!

I didn't know about backer rod. I'm relieved to have found this video. You made my project so much simpler for me. 👍

The best tip was at the end. Take a break from what you are doing. Leave it for a day (if you can) and come back. Best advice! I have learned that the hard way....through frustration..LOL!!! Nice video thank you!!!

Thanks nice tip, you can also use backer rod for control joints in concrete and caulk

Your attention to detail is fantastic!!

I appreciate all your advice. Never used backer rod before .... 👏🏽🇨🇦👏🏽

Had a sizable project and got some helpful tips. Thank you. Project turned out pretty good for a rank amateur.

Backer rod is the best. I've even used it to stop air leaks on a warped door as a temporary measure. We keep three sizes here at home just in case.

The backer rod (or gasket) also ensures that the flexibility of the filler material (caulk/silicone) stays flexible as it only adheres to the two opposite surfaces. If it was adhered to the bottom of the groove as well the filler material would lose flexibility and possibly crack if the building interior surfaces move relative to each other.

Youre actually suppose to leave backer rod for 24 hours before you cover it with caulking.. (I worked for the biggest glazing company here in B.C. used backer rod everyday) Reason being.. Its foam. So when you squish it in. Its going to expand back out as it decompresses.. If you squish it in and cover it right away. As the foam decompresses. It pushes the caulking out with it.. Which is why he said "we'll see what it does" Then said it coved out just a little bit.. Cause he covered it right away and didnt let the foam expand back out.. He got lucky cause its small rod. Bigger the rod. The more it will cove out if you dont let it expand back out first and cover it with caulking right away..

Hey the last couple of minutes really spoke to me haha. I've been remodeling my basement living room since DEC 2019 over 500 square ft. Complete from the ground up, I've been working mainly on weekends, but sometimes after work as well. I about have it framed up completely at this point, and I've been trying to get stuff pretty well perfect. but, the Sheetrock will hide some things ;) :)

Thank you so much for all your videos they have helped me tremendously

Great hint about perfectionism. At these moments I usually think that it is too much of perfection and no one really notice if I made a mistake other than myself.

Great help. Thanks very much. Thanks for making the effort to talk in millimeters.

Another day I learned something, thank you.

I just needed this! This is the case in our bathroom ceiling, and finally know how to get rid of those gaps- I asked a painter before, and he didn't know what would be the best resolution...YAY! I also needed your advice to be not so harsh on my work (I am doing ALL the walls reno in our home, and I was doing over and over and over some parts, because i wasn't happy with the result...but from a real distance it looks waaay better than before- so I guess I'm not that bad :D Thank you! (sorry for my english)

You are incredible, I am just moving to my new house and this channel is a gold mine!

Great vid. But i think it is also worth mentioning that the back-stop is not just there to even out shrinkage. But for strengt of the joint. It is not a coincidence that it is round, this is because the optimal profile of the caulk is thinner in the midle, so the midle remains flexible (especially when connecting different types of material) but the sides has plenty caulk to make a strong bond. At least that is what the manufacturer claims :-)

You do pretty darn good work. And your videos are pretty darn good. And your advice is pretty darn good. I'm pretty darn happy with your videos. Thanks.

I've never heard of backer rod! Thankyou so much for that tip! On to amazon to order right now

Nicely done. Because I so enjoyed your attention to detail, and as someone with a background in Building Science, I offer you this: a critical detail of backer rod is that it provides the ideal profile for your silicon to perform as intended. The knife trick is great for aesthetics, but with respect to the bead's cross section profile, it may leave your silicon weak and susceptible to failure. :( I myself struggle between aesthetics and performance and it's always a bit of a give-take balancing act...never a dull moment! ;)

Great info for someone who just installed cabinets and ended up with a gap that goes from 1/8” to 3/4” in 9’. Yes, I suck at installing cabinets...

Great tutorial, as always! Thank you!

I think that it came out quite likable. Back in my day, I knew a painter that would follow up his caulk jobs with a soft damp paintbrush to smooth it out. Lol, when I came upon your video, it reminded me of a carpenter I once knew; his motto was, "If I can walk across it, I can caulk it!." God bless.

Thought at first this was from your skateboarding channel and was excited to learn tips on fixing the widening cracks at my skatepark. Still, cool stuff. Thanks Ben.

Always coming out with great content!

After watching this I tried using a knife to smooth caulk and was thoroughly impressed. Thanks for one more tool in the arsenal

Great video, great thoughts, visuals, and tips! Thanks so much. :)

The first time I used masking tape with caulk was at the outside bottom of a bathtub at the floor. I let it dry before removing the tape and it didn’t come up cleanly leaving the perfect edge I wanted, it kind of tore the caulk at the edge of the tape. I still use tape with caulk sometimes but since that experience, I never let the caulk set before removing the tape no matter what I’m doing.

kool i learn something new everyday and today was backer rod

CONSTANTLY SAVING THE DAY!!! THANK U

New Vancouver Carpenter video yes !!!

Backer rod makes a lot of sense for large gaps. One more tip when using water based fillers is to give the area a light mist water spray after filling the gap. that way the filler will not stick to anything other then the gap and you generally only need one pass with no lift offs.

Superb advice there at the end!

Well demonstrated and explained. Appreciate it! God bless.

Hello, thanks for this video. I was looking for a method to fill the gap behind my wardrobe and the wall without cutting off my baseboard coz it was glued rather than nailed. Gonna try your method! Thanks a lot!

I thought you were going to teach me how to kickflip large gaps but this is also good and more relevant to my needs right now.

Thank you for posting, finishing a new tiled shower and have the same issue in my home

Perfect! Exactly the info I was looking for :)

Thank you so much! I was looking for this filler stuff but had no idea what it was called. Thanks!

Great video- awesome camera work!

ona bathroom refurb this just pulled me out the dark the last bit good solid advice roll on tomoorow

Perfect last little bit of advice! Take a step back....:) Fresh look

Before striking the caulking I always spray it with a mixture of water and waster and detergent. This stops the caulking from sticking to the surfaces.

Cool. Just having at some big gaps today so good timing

Agree step back otherwise you make more mistakes. Best to look at it again with fresh eyes. Will defo look into that backer rod stuff. Thanks for sharing.

This type of job is where I really like my electric caulking gun. Thought it would be a novelty - especially as just a DIYer, but big fills and long straight lines the thing just kills it.

that's a good caulking job. I highly recommend the ETS 2000 caulking gun, it's a dripless lightweight plastic caulking gun, have been using it for years.

Very cool mate never seen it done that way before... AC foam cut with scissors would do the same job...

Great tip using your knife to line and cut the tape to the perfect length. Thank you.

Dang. In the middle of renovating both bathrooms ourselves with little to no framing, drywall/mud, electrical, or tile experience. That tip to take a step back and see how big of a deal it really is, is so true.

Thanks for the great advice!!

I just did this today! I had too small a gap at the bottom of a bathroom backsplash for a trim piece but still over 1/4”. I put in some vinyl foam weatherseal, which had the advantage of having a sticky side, and stayed in the middle of the gap where I put it, so I was able to caulk all around. And now I’m stepping back, because I can see every little bump and wrinkle.

Perfect timing for me. I have a bathtub that I need to caulk between the tile and deck. There is a fairly large gap. Can I us backer for this is well?

Great advice thanks for the knowledge

Just what I needed at just the right time!

Thank you! I could’ve used this last week 😆

Thank you for that tip....it really helped.