Caulking Gun Necessary For Caulking A Shower
There are two methods you can use for dispensing caulking when caulking a shower or tub. One is using a caulking gun and the other is a squeeze tube (think toothpaste). I am not a big fan of the squeeze tube as you have to squeeze the tube with your hands while trying to keep the nozzle tip in the right location. This gets hard to do especially near the end of the tube. Sure, you can get the caulk out of the tube, but it's going to be messy.
The caulking gun solves this. By having a trigger to squeeze there is much less fatigue on your hand. This leaves your other hand free to guide the tip of the caulking tube exactly where you want it. This makes for a quick, clean application.
A caulking tube made for a gun has a hard exterior, as opposed to a soft squeeze tube. To load the gun, pull the rod out of the rear of the gun, insert the tube, then push the rod up to meet the tube or just squeeze the trigger until snug.
For general shower caulking or tub caulking, cut the tip of the nozzle with a utility knife. You will see markings on the end of the tube for different diameters of the bead you will apply. Typically start out small, usually 1/8" or 3/16". This will give a nice bead of caulking. I find that less caulking is better. Before you start squeezing the trigger, you need to punch through the skin of the caulking to start the flow. A nail or piece of wire is good for this, although some caulking guns have a small rod attached just for this purpose.
You want to caulking to blend in to the surfaces not be so noticeable that it is unattractive. Here are some tips on caulking a shower.