Caulk and caulk accessories can contribute significantly to independent paint retailers, no matter the size of operation. According to HIRI’s Annual U.S. Homeowner Project Activity Tracker Report 2025, out of the building material and structural system products homeowners used for a renovation project, 47% purchased adhesives, caulks and sealants. The key to winning sales in the caulk category is treating it as a strategic opportunity rather than a secondary section in your store. Hear how two retailers promote this category with creative education and a focus on improved product selection, bringing in repeat customers and sales along the way.

Former Contractor Uses His Industry Expertise to Educate Customers

With over 20 years of experience as a professional contractor, Chris Berry, owner of Paint Life Supply Co. in Boise, Idaho, shares his expertise through a popular YouTube channel and comprehensive online courses, ensuring that both professionals and DIY enthusiasts have access to the best tools, products and techniques for mastering caulking.

“When I walked into a paint store when I first started as a contractor, nobody would talk to each other because the mindset was if you tell somebody something that will make them better, you’re taking food off your own plate,” Berry says. “Everybody is your competition.”

Determined to change this mindset, Berry began creating YouTube videos to share his hard-earned knowledge. Over the past 15 years, his channel has grown to boast over 600,000 subscribers and amassed nearly 190 million views across almost 2,000 videos.

In 2019, Berry sold his contracting business to pursue his dream of owning a paint supply store and continuing to share the knowledge he had gathered throughout his 20 years in the paint industry.

Paint Life TV, Berry’s YouTube Channel, and his more in-depth online courses, Paint Life Academy, offer a wide range of paint knowledge, including multiple videos on caulking and an online caulking program. In the first lesson, Berry covers professional tools used for caulking.

“Whether you’re a professional or not, you have to have the tools professionals use,” Berry says. “There are a lot of options out there, many of which are good ones, but there are also many bad options. In the caulking course, I talk about the tools I use that made me successful in applying caulking and sealants in various scenarios.”

Berry then delves into the specific products he trusts.

“There’s good caulking and there’s bad caulking,” Berry says. “You’re never going to have success if you’re using bad sealants. In one of my videos, I show which sealants I trust and go in depth on why I use that specific brand.”

After covering the tools and products needed, Berry addresses specific techniques and special situations.

“Sponge-caulking a door jamb is an art in itself,” he says. “I also walk the student through how to properly caulk a window and other DIY scenarios.”

Berry’s course offers a comprehensive overview of how to become more efficient at caulking, incorporating the techniques he’s honed over the years.

“Our online program is very structured and much more detailed than our YouTube videos,” he says. “The course has quizzes throughout, as well as a final exam, but everything is self-paced, so it’s easy to navigate.”

 Berry hopes students will feel more confident in their caulking skills and ready to tackle any project upon completing the online program and receiving their Paint Life Academy certificate,

“The end goal of the course is to help them make more money if they’re a pro or be proficient at what they’re doing and get professional results if they’re a DIYer,” he says.

The caulking course and all of his online courses aren’t just meant for professionals. He promotes his courses at his store and on his social media accounts.

“We had a customer come into our store who was painting his whole house, and I told him about our exterior painting course and explained the course and how the knowledge gained from it will cost less than if he had a professional come do the job,” Berry says. “He purchased the course and came into the store after he finished and told us everything went great.”

Berry also uses the course to train his employees.

“We require our employees to take the course and give us feedback,” he says. “They’ve all taken the quizzes and passed the final exam, and it’s interesting how much knowledge they gain from taking the course.”

Berry said the courses helped his employees be proficient in answering customers’ questions in-store and through their chat system on their website. Since all of his employees have taken his courses, they’re able to answer customers’ questions without him, and he trusts them because they have the same knowledge he has.

“Over 95% of the time, our employees can answer any questions our customers have,” he says. “If they can’t, they can contact me, and I’m able to help.”

Berry’s store isn’t like most paint supply stores. He sells everything a customer would need to be successful at a project, but focuses his business more on sundries than on paint and coatings.

“We only sell products that I believe in 100%,” Berry says. “I’m not going to sell a caulking or sealant that I haven’t used or tested and trust.”

Sealing the Deal: How To Expertly Merchandise Your Caulk and Caulk Tools Section

At Town Line Wallpaper and Paint in Malden, Massachusetts, manager and buyer Gerard MacNeil’s 25 years of experience has provided him the knowledge and skill to expertly merchandise the caulk category. MacNeil shares how he sells caulk and caulk tools in his store and how other retailers can better showcase these products.

Quality Over Quantity

With an overwhelming amount of caulk, caulk guns, tools, accessories and removal products on the market, choosing the right item can often be intimidating for customers. Providing the highest quality products and not confusing customers with a dizzying array of choices is important to MacNeil and his customers.

Town Line Wallpaper and Paint carries just a few lines of caulk from select vendors the operation has strong relationships with. MacNeil only purchases around $50,000 worth of caulk per year, not including caulking accessories or tools.

The store also carries three to four caulk gun varieties.

“We sell a tremendous amount of caulking guns,” MacNeil says. “We sell removal tools and accessories too, but caulking guns are our No. 1 bestsellers apart from the caulk itself.”

MacNeil works to ensure his customers are educated about the quality of a caulk or caulking product before purchasing.

“Most painters are going to choose a caulk usually by price, not necessarily by what the application is trying to achieve,” he says. “Some contractors will always default to the cheapest caulk and you can have some issues with that down the road, so we encourage them to look at the better products we offer.”

Good, Better, Best

Aiming to prevent decision paralysis among customers and educating them about each product, MacNeil markets many of his caulking products with a good, better, best model. This allows customers to easily see the differences in performance and quality for each item, giving them the opportunity to learn about the options and choose the most practical one for their job.

“I’m not making it too confusing for the customer,” he says. “Having a good, better and best option seems to work well for us. I know some stores have a gazillion different options. I even see that when I go to order products because there are a million brands out there.”

Optimal Product Placement

Selling strategies for caulk and caulk tools are similar to selling impulse items. The key to showcasing this product to the best ability is placing it in clear view for the customer at the entrance of the store.

“Product placement is key,” MacNeil says. “If you’re a paint contractor walking into a paint store and you do this professionally for a living, or even a homeowner working on a project, you should have a tube of caulking. It almost seems to be an impulse item. It took us some time to figure out, but putting it exactly where it is in my store now has worked wonders for us.”

Town Line has multiple power aisles, which are shelf-lined walkways filled with high-impact paint necessities that lead straight to the store’s cash register at the back of the store, MacNeil says. The store’s caulking selection is located near this aisle, allowing customers to see these products right away.

“This category is something that needs to be out in the open,” he says. “You don’t put it in aisle three. We found putting caulking products within the first 15 feet of the store works the best for us.”

In addition to strategic product placement, customers are more likely to purchase items if they can see how they work in person in the store. MacNeil likes to include caulking product demonstrations in his store, and recommends other retailers do the same.

“Some of our vendors provide nice endcap displays and we have a demonstration with some product applied under a backer rod hanging off the channel strips on the shelves,” he says. “Once a customer can touch it, feel it and see it, they can fully understand the product. It’s a guaranteed sale every time.”