The Best Caulks for Small Home Projects

Our tester, José Amézquita, tested eight caulks and sealants from brands like DAP, Flex Seal, GE, Gorilla, Loctite, Sashco, and White Lightning against tests for adhesion, ease of dispensing, permeability, cure time, durability at cold and hot temperatures, and ease of removal from skin. He found that the performance of most products was pretty much indistinguishable from one another. Their differences lie in the manufacturer-recommended surfaces on which the caulk can be applied. 

When shopping for caulk, select a product that lists the area or material you are applying the caulk to among its list of recommended uses. The two products we recommend are ideal for small DIY projects at home. While the best-performing caulk we feature here is the most expensive product we tested, Amézquita says, “Price is not a determining factor for performance among these products. Our testing and cost evaluation performance is mixed among higher and lower cost per ounce.”