Oi, Silicone caulk on painted surfaces.
Most probably won't relate, but any of you who do your own work, or do finish construction work may feel this one.
Some dumbass used Silicone caulk at the facility where I work maintenance- Top and bottom edge of the cove base around 80% or more of the building.
Painting walls with Silicone all along the baseboard is a flippin' nightmare.
3 options
>best is to remove all the silicone caulk b4 proceeding with work
(that's the route I choose usually-and what I am doing today)
>option 2 >caulk on top with paintable caulk- a clear adhesive caulk may actually hold, but its a gamble and it would be best to let it cure overnight b4 proceeding
>option 3 >Spray the caulk line with hairspray.. pretty cheesy technique that should last for a few days till the check clears. I don't really approve of option 3.
If you're not changing colors you can get away with taping off the wall above the Silicone line and blending the new finish with the old, down there. Tape wont stick to Silicone so a crisp line at the base is not gonna happen. Not taping is a bad idea. Paint spatter all over your base.
*if stuck with this problem and wanna remove the Silicone>use a fresh razor blade and plane it off. Pray your technique is sound, and the wall does not gouge. Better have a steady hand or the base will get scratched badly. 3M pads may work ,but those are better on surfaces like tile. Careful=razor blade sharp!
This can take a shitload of time ,and hence why painters use other tactics sometimes, like option 2 and 3.
