Does Caulk go Bad?

[Augus7us]

I had some caulk and I left it out in the garage when we had some brutal weather here recently. I know that can ruin glue and paint and what not but I've never heard anything on caulk. I'd prefer to use it vs making a trip in to town.

What's the verdict?

-Clint

Edit: To clarify this is a new tube of caulk, if that makes any difference.

 

[L5wolvesf]

I recently did some caulking and had an old (3 years maybe) unopened tube in my garage. It had hardened up.

 

[xin]

It does over time (not sure if even keeping it in the house will help keep it). The best kind is from sherwin williams for the house.

 

[PoorOwner]

It's probably not recommended to be in extreme cold but unlike paint it is already homogenous, (you don't mix it before using) If anything in the cold caulking takes forever to dry so you are probably ok. The main thing is that you try a little and make sure it cures before using it for a big job.

 

[kd3pc]

dow 795 and 3m 5200 have expiration dates and they do expire. Proved it once or twice.

 

[skruft]

Eventually yes, but I find that some last a long time.

 

[audioworks04]

Becomes much harder to apply, in as short of time as 2 years.


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[jdepiero]

dow 795 and 3m 5200 have expiration dates and they do expire. Proved it once or twice.

go by the expiration date. i tried to cheap out and use some 6 months past the expration date and it never got hard

 

[Augus7us]

Thanks Fella's

I didn't know it went bad that soon either. I got probably a half dozen that I bought for projects over the years that never got used and I've had for years. Guess its time to cull the heard.

The tube in question was bought a month or two ago then sat in a box in the garage when it was below zero here.

I'll open it up and squirt some on a piece of scrap and make sure it cures before I use it.

Thanks

-Clint

 

[jl4c]

I'll open it up and squirt some on a piece of scrap and make sure it cures before I use it.

The best way to preserve caulk is:

1. Protect it from freezing before use. It's never the same afterwards.

2. If you have leftover caulk after a project, squirt a small amount into the cut-off finger of a thin nitrile glove and put that over the end of the applicator/tube. The caulk in the "finger" will cure and protect the caulk in the tube. Easily removed the next time you need to use it.

 

[Jim c]

Silicone caulk has a date on the bottom of the tube and I have found that it is nearly shot at that date; sometimes you can use it but it takes forever to firm up. Most of the time it is goopy or hardened in the tube. Doesn’t seem to matter whether it is stored under the kitchen sink( in warm temp) or out in the shed ( in cold). Acrylic caulks are a good deal different, I stopped using them because a roofing siding guy that I know told me that silicone lasts30 years compared to the 10 for the others.

 

[James-W]

If it were me, I wouldn't use it. It may still be good, but I would not want to take the chance that it wasn't. I realize it may be inconvenient to have to go to the store to pick up some caulk, but I would rather do that than use some caulk that wasn't very good.

 

[dogdog]

I had some caulk and I left it out in the garage when we had some brutal weather here recently. I know that can ruin glue and paint and what not but I've never heard anything on caulk. I'd prefer to use it vs making a trip in to town.

What's the verdict?

-Clint

Edit: To clarify this is a new tube of caulk, if that makes any difference.

Yes, they go bad... I have a 15-year-old caulk that is unopen saved them for rainy days mentality and forgot....I recently found and needed to caulk the windows, it just never cures, and acts like goo tacky all over the place making a mess.

 

[joe_pinehill1]

Try a tube on a test coupon , see how it hardens.

 

[mv213]

Yes many types of caulk will harden in the tube even unopened. I’ve bought one or two from mom and pop lumber yards that were already starting to harden when I bought them!

 

[Tenex]

If you don't use it, you lose it.

 

[Hexen]

I've got a tube of GE silicone caulk under the sink in a big ziploc bag right now. I was hoping that might give it a better chance of surviving until I need some again, but if that just gives it a chance to have the 'never cures' problem develop instead of the 'harden in the tube' problem, I'm not sure what's worse.

 

[The Cobbler]

we keep silicone & latex in the vans year round. freeze for days, extreme heat for days .
latex will stiffen a bit from freezing but seems to have no other affect on it, silicone has zero issues , other than shelf life of about 2 years. Silicone won't cure once it has gone past the shelf life.
infact, when I used to use Dap latex I would purposely freeze the tubes to thicken them up before use as I found it to be very thin .

 

[Hexen]

we keep silicone & latex in the vans year round. freeze for days, extreme heat for days .
latex will stiffen a bit from freezing but seems to have no other affect on it, silicone has zero issues , other than shelf life of about 2 years. Silicone won't cure once it has gone past the shelf life.
infact, when I used to use Dap latex I would purposely freeze the tubes to thicken them up before use as I found it to be very thin .

Good info, thanks.

 

[ilovevocs]

All of the sealant we purchase has an expiration date. We don’t by from home store, but I assume they must all be the same.

 

[FlyBy]

For caulking on any home project with trim interior and exterior, I only use Sherwin Williams 950A in white.