What Is A Backer Rod & How To Use It For Caulking?

Caulk is any material that is used to seal gaps between two layers of building materials, or anywhere else to ensure that buildings are protected from the effects of water, dust, insects and much more. From the use of caulk, the word caulking has become a common term in the building industry and refers to the process of applying caulk to help seal any gaps in a structure. When applying caulk, one of the most commonly used tools is a backer rod. In this article, we are going to look at caulking and the use of backer rods in more detail.

What Is Caulking

caulking has been around for a long time and has been used by builders across many different industries for hundreds of years. The earliest known use of caulk was in ancient ship building, where caulk was used to protect ships from the effects of water. Remember that wood and metal were the most common materials used to make ships. Ship builders realized that by protecting their structures from water, they could help strengthen the ships and also ensure that they were functional for a lot longer. When the industrial revolution rolled in d steam engines became popular, caulking was used to ensure that boiler plates were protected from the effect of steam and moisture. This in turn made the age of steamships, trains and other steam engines possible.

Benefits of Caulking

As noted, there are numerous benefits when it comes to caulking. Not only does waterproofing structures help to protect them from the effects of moisture such as rot and rusting, caulking has direct benefits to our health. Protecting structures from the damaging effects of water ensures that there is minimal chance of mold growing on our structures. Mold requires warm moist places to flourish and without waterproofing membrane, many structures would have mold infestation. When breathed in, these mold spores can cause severe respiratory problems for some people. Caulking also helps structures to last longer and also make them stronger.

One of the ways that caulk is applied is by the use of a backer rod. Let us look at this useful tool in greater detail

What Is a Backer Rod?

A backer rods are used for sealing gaps between structures to ensure that they are water-resistant. Backer rods are made of a polyurethane foam and form a rope like structure that is easier to apply on gaps that are not very wide. There are two main types of backer rods, namely the open backer rod and the closed-cell backer rod. When it comes to the open backer rod, it is more widely used in an indoor environment because it is less flexible and less dense than its counterpart. This is because it can be compressed to fit into gaps in an indoor environment. The closed-cell backer rod on the other hand features a harder constitution and increases in density when applied. The net result is that it works better in areas that are likely to be severely affected by water damage and thus require a more heavy-duty caulk. This makes the closed-cell backer rod more ideal for use in outdoor environments.