Need help with finish work material

[hriehl1]

1968 Hinterhoeller 28

I've finished chiselling out a problematic plastic headliner and finished and painted the exposed fiberglass ceiling. Where the ceiling meets the wood cabinetry had been finished with caulk which I had to dig out to remove the headliner. With cabinetry now sanded & oiled and the ceiling freshly painted, it is now time to finish that ceiling-cabinetry seam.

I know the accepted approach would be to set a bead of some sort of caulk and give it a smooth look with one's finger or a tongue depressor (as it was originally). My prior attempts at setting a good bead out of a caulking gun with a nice finish have all been aesthetically lame(bathtubs,storm windows, etc.)... I just do not have an artist's eye or touch... I get caulk all over everything, the overall look is inconsistent with uneven runs of first too much then too little caulk... the end result is just awful.

So... what I am wondering is whether anyone can suggest an alternate more-forgiving product I might use. I'm thinking something forgiving like butyl tape which is malleable that can be worked and re-worked into the seam but will then dry in a few days. I'd be OK with any color from Almond (ceiling color) to brown (cabinetry color) but would not want white. I do not think butyl tape would actually work because it does not dry out and my butyl tape is gray.

Anybody have any suggestions?

[jlroberts280]

Have you tried painters tape on both surfaces leaving a consistant gap between them? Apply caulk, smooth with tool or finger, then remove the tape. This makes caulking much more consistant and managible.