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Choosing the Best Type of Caulking Gun for the Job! What Are the Different Types of Caulking Gun?
Are all caulking guns the same?
I always thought caulking guns were all the same but actually, there are many different types of caulking gun on the market!
There's the obvious difference of quality and material that the caulk guns are made from but then there's the "Thrust Ratio". - The Thrust Ratio relates to the amount of force that the gun applies to a tube each time you press that trigger.
Investing in a quality caulking gun that delivers a good bead of caulk with a consistent flow and creates the minimum of waste is well worth investing in.
A caulking gun thrust ratio can go as low as 3:1 anywhere up to 26:1 - so why does this make any difference? - The thrust ratio relates to the number of pounds of applied pressure to the tube. For example, a caulking gun with a thrust ratio of 10:1 means that 10 pounds of pressure are applied to every 1 pound of pressure that you apply to the trigger. Getting this right can be the difference in successful application of floor adhesive or silicone or a messy awkward job!
Using a gun with a thrust ratio of 10:1 or more the caulking gun will require less pressure to push out the silicone or adhesive. With an increased ratio however you have to ensure that you allow for the contents of the tube to exit from the tip! - The smaller the tip or the gap in the tip the lower and more steady the pressure you will need to apply to allow for the adhesive or contents to exit. Failure to allow this will result in a build-up in pressure inside the tube and potentially the contents will come out of the back of the tube so, as a rule of thumb nice and steady application will result in a job well done!
With Fix-A-Floor for example we recommend a caulking gun with a thrust ratio of 10:1 as its a very low viscous adhesive. The reason its designed to be extremely fluid is in order for it to reach all those voids and areas underneath the floor and then re-bonding the loose tiles without the necessity of removing or replacing them.
For heavy or thick sealants a thrust ratio of 12:1 or higher will ensure any thick adhesive will flow more easily.
Dripless or standard caulking guns - what's the difference?
Dripless caulking guns work very much the same as standard caulking guns with the exception of once you stop pumping the pressure subsides meaning that the contents stop flowing from the nozzle. On standard caulking guns that aren't dripless you have to manually pull back on the rod to decrease the pressure.
Choosing the right caulking gun for the job is important as it can be the difference in doing a quality job whilst minimising waste saving you lots of money in future repairs.
