Caulking is an old shipbuilding technique used to make long seams on hulls watertight. Today, it's still the same in theory, but instead of just one type of caulk, there are hundreds. They're for all kinds of specialty jobs -- patching rain gutters, for example. There are some good all-purpose caulks. We like siliconized acrylic-latex because you can paint it, use it inside or out -- and it cleans up with water. Paint won't stick to 100-percent silicone caulk, however, so don't use that one if you want a finished look. Siliconized acrylic latex is about half the price, too. Naturally it's not right for everything. You'll need silicone tub and tile caulk in the bath and more elastic urethane caulk for wider gaps and dissimilar materials. And that's the On The House tip for today.