Sashco 10016 10.5oz 10016 Big Stretch Caulk 10.5-Ounce Cartridge, White

I first learned of Big Stretch in the instructional YouTube painting videos by Russ Olinatz. When he said he used Big Stretch caulk, I didn't think much of it--caulk is caulk, right? That "Alex" brand stuff I buy from Home Depot seemed to be okay, so I never thought twice about caulk. Then a dry heat wave hit Los Angles early this summer and every molecule of moisture was sucked out of the air. After a week of that dry heat, the new MDF baseboards I had recently installed (and even back primed!) and caulked shrank about 1/4" on each wall. I stared at disbelief at the 1/8"+ gaps in each corner. The caulk I had used simply peeled away or split, leaving a big ugly space between the two pieces of baseboard. Only then did the light bulb go off--and now I know why Russ uses Big Stretch. Strangely, the product is not sold at any of the big box stores, so after several minutes of searching on Amazon, where it was also difficult to locate, I finally found a few tubes of it and ordered it. I've subsequently seen it at the local pro Benjamin Moore paint store, so I now have a backup source. Anyway, I will now only use Big Stretch for projects where I need paintable caulk, and will no longer buy the stuff from the local home improvement stores. Big Stretch applies easily, beads easily and smoothly, and seems to work well. I haven't had another dry heat wave yet, so I haven't seen first hand how much it can stretch to cover and prevent gaps, but Russ Olinatz is "The Man" when it comes to detailed professional painting, so I will take his word for it.

How I arrived at my overall rating: ***** (5 star) Value ***** (5 star) Purchase price: $8 Quality/Durability ***** (5 star) Duration of use: 18 months - Has held up well a year and a half after installation. Even with shifting walls and such, seems more forgiving than other silicone caulks. Ease of Use/Assembly/Install: ***** (5 star) - No different than any other tub of caulk. Yes, you need a caulking gun. Tip: the more expensive guns tend to be smoother and require less force making the finished product look better (or at least saves time from having to clean up). Usefulness/Appearance/Fun Factor: ***** (5 star) - Absolutely working as expected and can vouch for other reviews who mention this is a good product. Will buy again for the next project.

So glad I found the Big Stretch online! We live in northern ohio and in the winter we all get cracks and gaps in caulk in molding. Big stretch has been a problem solver for sure! The only downside is that if you like nice straight caulk lines like me, and you tape for nice lines, you need to tape and then caulk and immediately pull the tape. If you let the caulk dry with the tape on you will be sorry as the caulk will stretch at the tape line and you will not have a straight line. So you pull the tape immediately and then after two days for full cure, re tape and paint. Yes its an extra step and more laborious but its worth it as you'll never have to caulk and paint again due to the glory of the stretch. I've got a larger 1/4" gap at the end of a counter top and while it did take a few coats to build up the big stretch, it filled it in and there is no cracking like I had with standard caulk. Looks great and professional. The comments about shrink are true, it shrinks more than normal caulk when drying, so again know that you may need to do a second coat depending on how thick you put it on.

Good stuff. However, I used to pay $8 and the Sashco product page still advertises it at that price. Unfortunately all that is available is now selling for $13.48, which is way too much. You can buy 12 cartridges for $85, which is even cheaper per unit, but what am I going to do with 12? I'm not a contractor.

I am not a trim carpenter by trade but I love working with wood and redoing trim in the house. I have renovated my previous house and found out about this product from "America's Mater Handyman Glenn Haege." Boy, he was right about this caulk. It is amazing. I started using it back in about 2005. Back then it was a little thinner product and had the viscosity of mayonnaise. It was super easy to work with and dried really slow so you had a lot of time to work with to make it look great. A few years ago I believe they changed the formula possible to dry quicker for outdoor use. So, now it is a little thicker and dries faster. At first, I didn't like it but I have figured out how to work with it so that I still get great results. I only apply about six feet at a time then I smooth it out with my finger. Then I go back with a damp paper towel and wipe the excess from the wall and the trim. Then I apply another six feet, etc. It is a lot more work than it used to be but believe me the results are worth it. Also, according to the label you should wait 24 hours before you paint. I remember that the old formula used to have a dry time of two to three days. If this review has helped you, please click the like button below.