If you are somebody who likes to work on your own home, then something that you will probably be working with at some point is silicone caulking. With that being said, the material is quite thick, and this means that sometimes you may need to thin it down for various applications.
Right now, we’re here to teach you exactly how to thin silicone caulk for the best results. There are various advantages and a few disadvantages to doing so, as well as various methods to get the job done. Let’s take a closer look.
Advantages of Thinning Silicone Caulk
Before we get into talking about exactly how to thin silicone caulking, let’s first talk about the various advantages and disadvantages that you will be faced with if you do so.
Let’s start with the advantages.
#1: Easier to Spread and More Translucent
One of the biggest advantages to thinning out silicone caulking is the fact that it becomes much easier to spread. If you are working on any kind of application that requires a very thin layer of caulking that is not visible when the job is done, then thinning it out is a good idea.
For instance, if you are trying to cover an aquarium decoration to make it more waterproof, then thinning the silicone out first would be a good way to go.
Moreover, thinning silicone caulking will also make it more translucent to allow more light to penetrate.
#2: Allows for Mixing with Colors
Silicone caulking is usually either clear or white in color, which is fine but may not always suit your style. That said, silicone caulking is really hard to color if you do not thin it out first. If you thin the silicone caulking out first, you can then easily mix it with something like food coloring.
#3: Can Be Cost-Effective
There is no doubt about the fact that silicone caulking can be quite expensive to purchase, so if you need a lot of it, it can end up costing you a whole lot of money.
That being said, if you mix it with something like some cheap mineral spirits to thin it down a bit, you can end up saving money not only on the cost of the material, but also due to the fact that you get more bang for your buck.
Simply put, if you filled out your silicone caulking with a secondary substance, you end up with more caulking to work with.
#4: Old Silicone Removal
Perhaps the number one advantage of thinning silicone is the fact that it becomes much easier to remove. Now, here we are not talking about thinning out the silicone before you apply it, but rather thinning it out a long time after it has been applied.
In other words, you can use any of these substances that we are about to talk about below in order to loosen and thin silicone caulking to the point where you can remove it. It’s all about easy silicone caulking removal.
#5: Increased Moisture Retention
We’ve even heard of people using thinned out silicone caulking to cover their terra cotta clay pots in order to make them more moisture resistant.
#6: Increased Pot Life
The other big-time advantage that you get with thinning out your silicone caulking is the fact that it allows for a much longer pot life. In other words, when you thin out silicone caulking, it takes a whole lot more time to dry and cure, which therefore means that you have more time to work with it.
At the end of the day, this means that you won’t be nearly as rushed when you go to work with silicone caulking.
Disadvantages of Thinning Silicone Caulk
Next, let’s look at the disadvantages.
#1: Integrity May Get Affected
Now, although this is not always the case, depending on what kind of substance you mix, the silicone caulking with, it may actually negatively impact its overall integrity and strength over the long run.
You do need to be careful in terms of what substance you used to mix with the silicone caulking because you don’t want to make it weaker than it was originally. You also need to be careful about your mixing ratios.
#2: Longer Curing Time
As mentioned above, one of the biggest disadvantages of filling out silicone caulking, especially with something like mineral spirits, is that it will take much longer to cure, up to twice as long or even more. It’s not exactly the biggest drawback, but it’s also not fantastic.
#3: Safety Concerns
When mixing any two chemicals together, you do always want to be careful that you aren’t going to create some kind of poisonous gas, so beware of the ingredients in the various substances that you are mixing.
Moreover, that smell, especially if you mix the silicone caulking with something like vinegar or mineral spirits, will last for a very long time.
Should You Thin Silicone Caulk?
When it comes down to it, although it is completely possible to thin down silicone caulking, it is best if you just buy the right product from the get-go. If you don’t know what you’re doing, especially in terms of mixing the proportions correctly, then you will end up making a product that was worse than before.
With that being said, if all you have on hand is very thick silicone caulking and you need something that is a bit thinner, easier to spread, and easier to work with, then you can definitely try one of the below options.
4 Ways to Thin Silicone Caulk
Alright, so now that we have covered all of the pros and cons of thinning down silicone caulking, let’s take a look at the various ways of actually doing so.
#1: Using Mineral Spirits
In case you did not know, mineral spirits are a clear liquid that is derived from petroleum. Generally speaking, mineral spirits are used in painting as a paint thinner and paint dissolver, and are used as a replacement for vegetable turpentine.
You can use mineral spirits to thin out silicone caulking that you are going to use in the future, and you can also use mineral spirits to dissolve old caulking that you want to remove. Although this method can be used for silicone caulking that is yet to be applied, it is best used for old silicone caulking removal.
#2: Using Vinegar
If you plan on thinning out silicone caulking for use, then what you want to do is to mix it with vinegar. It may take a while to get the proportions right, but start out with something like ten parts silicone caulking and one part vinegar and then go from there.
If you plan on using vinegar to remove old silicone caulking and simply for a few cups of it in a bucket, get a rough scrubber, dip the scrubber in the bucket of vinegar, and then get that scrubbing.
Vinegar will definitely cause quite the smell, but it is the most natural method to consider.
#3: Using Silicone Solvent
Yet another thing that you can do to fit down silicone caulking is to use a silicone solvent. Now, this is best done if you plan on removing old silicone caulking, not for thinning out new caulk that is yet to be used, although it is definitely a possibility.
Silicone solvent is very strong, so you do need to be careful in terms of how much of the solvent you add. Be sure to wear gloves and eye protection when working with this stuff!
#4: Using Alcohol
The other substance that you can use to thin out silicone is some good old alcohol. Yes, here we were talking about pure rubbing alcohol, not a bottle of Jack Daniels. Simply keep adding alcohol into the silicone caulking until it is thin enough to meet your requirements.
Yes, rubbing alcohol can also be used for silicone removal too.
Summary
As you can see, thinning out silicone can have a variety of advantages, and doing so is easily done with a variety of substances.