Caulking around your sink helps to close any kind of gaps that could occur between your sink and your wall. White or clear caulk tends to look the nicest, but choosing white or clear caulk around bathroom sinks can be a hard choice to make.
You can use either white or clear caulk around your bathroom sink, though there are several factors that might make one more suitable than the other. The type of sink you have will play a role in your choice, as will the material it’s made out of.
So long as you take your time when installing your caulk, you’re likely to be happy with the choice you make regardless of what color wins out.
Should You Use White Or Clear Caulk Around the Bathroom Sink?
If you prefer the look of one type of caulk over another, picking your preferred color won’t make a significant difference in the effectiveness of your caulking. As mentioned, installation is one of the most crucial factors to make sure your caulking does what it needs to do.
When To Choose Clear Caulk
Clear caulk can do its job well while also blending into the rest of your bathroom. One might opt for clear caulk if their bathroom sink is a dark color, or they have a certain color palette they’re trying not to disrupt throughout their bathroom. Clear caulk works best around the sink itself, where you’re sealing between the sink and the vanity it’s set inside of.
When you install a clear caulk properly, it ends up being virtually undetectable. Even though you can’t see it unless you look very hard, it’ll still get the job done. Clear caulk is also a solid choice for some simple repair jobs where you don’t necessarily need an entirely new layer of caulk, but just need to fill in tiny holes around your sink.
The thing about clear caulk to be aware of is that, when you go to apply it to your bathroom sink, it usually shows up white. Don’t be alarmed by this; by the time the caulking is thoroughly dry, it should be completely clear.
When To Choose White Caulk
White caulking is most suitable for sealing around your bathroom sink vanity from the base to the top. It tends to create a more solid seal between the bathroom sink vanity and the wall and floor it’s attached to. It’s also much easier to detect wear and tear in white caulking since it’s much more visible than its counterpart.
If your plan is to paint your caulk to create a more seamless look between your bathroom sink vanity and the rest of the bathroom, you’ll want to go with white caulk as it’s much easier to paint over.
White caulk can complement a lot of different materials that may be around your sink, so you don’t have to worry about causing any damage to your bathroom fixtures.
What Kind Of Caulk Works Best Around A Bathroom Sink?
Your choice of caulk, outside of its color, will also depend on the material your sink is made from. Most sinks are porcelain, and the most recommended type of caulk for porcelain is one made with latex-based material. However, you can also use a caulk made from silicone. If your sink is made from stainless steel or some kind of metal, a silicone-based caulk is your best choice.
There are some pros and cons to each kind of caulk that may sway your decision. Even though clear caulk can blend in nicely with its surroundings, it also has a habit of attracting a lot of dust and dirt that ends up being pretty visible. White caulk can end up showing a lot of flaws if you happen to make mistakes during installation.
Tips For Adding Caulk Around A Bathroom Sink
Installing your own caulking isn’t very difficult in terms of having to follow a bunch of instructions, and it doesn’t require you to have a lot of tools. Be that as it may, there are ways to make the process much easier for yourself so you don’t end up having to start the whole process over due to a simple mistake.
Clean Beforehand
It’s a good idea to clean around the area you’re applying your caulk to before you get started. Be sure to remove as much dust and debris as possible, and also make sure that if you wash the area, it has plenty of time to dry completely.
The last thing you want is to end up sealing water underneath your caulking. If you do, you’ll have to wait until the caulking is dry, scrape it all off, and start over again. Not cleaning around this area may cause an uneven finish with cracks and bubbles that are difficult to remove.
Take Your Time
Caulk usually comes inside a tube with a thin spout at the end to help you concentrate the caulk to the right spot. Some of them require you to squeeze the tube to get the product out, while others have handles you squeeze. You can purchase an attachment known as a caulking gun that makes it much easier to get a precise squeeze.
You should apply your caulk very slowly to get as smooth of a line around your sink as you can. Once you’re finished, you want to give it ample time to dry. One thing you’ll notice if you choose a clear caulk is that it tends to come out white, which is good because you’ll be able to better visualize where your caulk is going.
Give It Lots Of Time To Dry
You shouldn’t use your bathroom sink for at least 24 hours after applying your new caulk. You don’t want to run the risk of your caulk not being 100% dry before any water comes near it. If there are any spots that are still drying, water could easily seep underneath, causing water damage that will likely turn into mold or mildew.
Don’t Add Caulk Over Caulk
If your caulking is starting to fade or peel off, the best course of action is to remove the old caulk and replace it. It can be a tedious process removing caulk, but simply going over your caulking with more caulk isn’t going to do you any favors. It’s also nearly impossible to make layered caulking look decent.
Adding caulk over old caulk can also lead to you potentially sealing water damage or moisture inside the small cracks in your caulking. This can cause bacteria, mold, and mildew to grow in those little cracks, and there’s no way to get rid of this without taking out all the old and new caulking.
To this end, some might be tempted to add a layer of silicone, clear caulk over white caulk. This won’t improve your seal, and it almost never turns out the way you might imagine it would look. It’s also not an efficient way to try to seal any damage or holes in your white caulk.
Very tiny holes might be able to be sealed up with a small amount of clear caulk, but larger gaps should be taken care of by a completely new caulk job so you can clean out any water or dirt damage beforehand.