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Discussion Forum

the best bathroom CAULK?

mizshredder2 | Posted in General Discussion on November 25, 2007 09:01am

I would much rather do a NEW project but instead seems I cannot ignore any longer the deteriorating caulking round my bathtub and in the showers…and do some maintenance/rework instead.  This really irritates me as I had replaced it all about 4 years ago (but don’t remember the brand of caulk that I used at that time).  So I don’t know if the location is tough on caulk or did I use an inferior product or what.

So, since it looks like I gotta do it again:  What’s your fav caulk to use for bathroom locations like round tubs and showers? (Do I readily find it at box stores, or plumber’s supply house…or on the internet?)

And, is caulking sacrificial? what i mean by that is – how long SHOULD it last?  Did I get a decent duration at 4 years, or not?

Thanks y’all!

 

 

De Mimimus Non Curat Praetor!

 

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  1. User avater
    IMERC | Nov 25, 2007 09:10pm | #1

    elastomeric tile caulk in grout matching colors in the tile department at yur favorite BB or tile store...

    stay away from the Dap brand..

    polyblend is one...

     

    Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming

    WOW!!! What a Ride!
    Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

    1. mizshredder2 | Nov 25, 2007 09:33pm | #5

      ok, wait - are you saying polyblend is good?

       

      De Mimimus Non Curat Praetor!

       

      1. User avater
        IMERC | Nov 25, 2007 09:41pm | #8

        it's good but the one with the same name (the brand name escapes me at the moment) as the grout is better...

        sitka is still better...

        and do give it extra time to dry...

        clean out ALL of the old caulk before recaulking.. 

        Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

        WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

        1. mizshredder2 | Nov 25, 2007 09:52pm | #11

          ok,  and

          ok (sigh) as to the cleanout.  I'm gonna do this one bath at a time.  Am thinking of yanking the toilets and replacing them with dual flush (effect of my trip to NZ!) especially since i've got "replacement tiles*" now of the floor ceramic tiles to use to replace the POS cut tiles under toilets that the "pro" builder/tiler left. 

          *replacement tiles are those removed and in one piece from the floor surround of the f/p in the living room - that came up so easy with the bosch bulldog (tks again for that recommendation of long ago!)

           

          De Mimimus Non Curat Praetor!

           

  2. User avater
    BillHartmann | Nov 25, 2007 09:11pm | #2

    What are you caulking to what? And how big of gaps?

    .
    .
    A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
    1. mizshredder2 | Nov 25, 2007 09:29pm | #4

      I have 3 bathrooms in this house. What am I re-caulking to what:

       -some locations it is fiberglass tub joint to surrounding ceramic tile wall'

      -some locations it is ceramic tile counter to ceramic tile backsplash

      -some of shower locations it is fiberglass shower surround to metal/glass shower door

      -some locations it is tub to ceramic tile floor location (there I'll want to use similar caulk color as the floor tile's grout).

      (BTW, now that I've gone back and relooked, the caulk locations doing the best and needing no work are the fiberglass shower surrounds to adjoining drywall.)

      oh and, typical "gap" size is about 1/8"

       

       

      De Mimimus Non Curat Praetor!

       

      Edited 11/25/2007 1:30 pm by mizshredder2

      1. Rich | Nov 25, 2007 09:40pm | #7

        GE Silicon II Kitchen and Bath

        I work in a hotel, we have 205 bathrooms.  This stuff works good for us.  Pretty easy to work with.  I'd say 4 years is a pretty average lifespan before the mold starts to take over. 

        1. mizshredder2 | Nov 25, 2007 09:48pm | #10

          Tks!

          (and, I'll try and stay outta hotels older than 4 years...!?!? yeah, that's gonna happen <g> )

           

          De Mimimus Non Curat Praetor!

           

          1. Stilletto | Nov 25, 2007 09:55pm | #12

            I have used the Titanium bathroom silicone (can't remember who makes it) lately and have had great results.  I resealed around my entire bathtub and surround and over a year later it's still as good as new. 

            Another one I have started using is made by GE I believe and they guarantee it won't crack.  GX or something like that. 

            Matt- Woods favorite carpenter. 

          2. mizshredder2 | Nov 25, 2007 10:04pm | #14

            I'll keep an eye out when I head out to the stores (much as I hate to interrupt the holiday shoppers, ugh).

             

            De Mimimus Non Curat Praetor!

             

      2. User avater
        BillHartmann | Nov 25, 2007 09:41pm | #9

        "(BTW, now that I've gone back and relooked, the caulk locations doing the best and needing no work are the fiberglass shower surrounds to adjoining drywall.)"Most "pure" silicon caulks can not be painted. Although GE does have a type II GST that can be painted. Where you have hard surfaces to hard surfaces I like the regular GE type II. But basically only available in clear and white. But there may be amond/biscuit and a few others available, but not common.But the main thing is that you need to get the surfaces CLEAN. Then CLEAN IT AGAIN. And while you are at it, CLEAN IT AGAIN.Scrap and pick off all of the old caulk. The work it with a solvent/cleaner. If the old is silicon then I like Lift Off Silicon and Foam caulk remover. Lowes had it by the paint strippers and thinners, but when I was in there last they had it on clearance. But I see that HD now has it.Then when you have removed all of the old caulk then clean it. I like to use white vinegar and then rubbing alcholo."some of shower locations it is fiberglass shower surround to metal/glass shower door"One that I worked on the wrong places had been caulked. The track was suppose to drain to the inside of the show. When I removed the old there was a flood of trapped water.So watch where you caulk. And if anyplace is wet then set up a fan and/or hair dryer and wait and make sure that it is well dried out.And if you find any dampness behind/below a tiled surface then check the ground and seal it..
        .
        A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.

        1. mizshredder2 | Nov 25, 2007 10:00pm | #13

          IIRC, the last time I recaulked most these locations I had used a latex caulk.  (should I get 50 lashes for that...?)

          Talk to me please about working with silicon caulking.  I am kinda thinking that's the caulk that sticks to EVERYTING and makes long strands like spider webs when you are trying to pull your finger away from tooling a joint and and and gosh, I suspect there's some KEY aspects to working with silicon caulk?

          How do you get the stuff off your mitts?  (wiping then...solvent???)

          Great info in your post BTW.  I recall when I redid the original caulk, at one of the shower enclosures they had caulked over a drain hole and sure enough, just like you mentioned, I 'freed' up some stagnant trapped water.  Made sure then, and will make sure again this go around, to not replicate that error.

          Do you agree with the other poster that 4 years is about 'right' for duration of a caulk job - especially in bath locations such as I'm talking bout here?

           

          De Mimimus Non Curat Praetor!

           

          1. User avater
            BillHartmann | Nov 25, 2007 10:07pm | #15

            Rubbing alcholo works great on silicon for removing any uncured. Also for wetting the finger and tooling it.Just don't have so much on your finger as you can wash it away.Most of the time I don't tape and just hand (finger) tool it. Sometimes it just get away from me. Wipe it off with a paper towel. The go over it with one dampned with the rubing alcholo and clean as new.Probably the oldest one that I have done like this is about 4 years old and have not heard any call call backs.Only one that I know of "went bad". That is a cheap, cheap, neo corner shower unit. And it is full of mold at the seam. Don't remember what I used. But I have seen 3 others that look exactly the same. I think that it because they are relatively small and air can't circulate in them and they don't naturally shead water very well..
            .
            A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.

          2. mizshredder2 | Nov 25, 2007 10:30pm | #16

            ok and, THANKS MUCH Bill!

            I'm logging off and heading on down the road to the stores now.

             

            De Mimimus Non Curat Praetor!

             

  3. TBone | Nov 25, 2007 09:22pm | #3

    The matching grout color caulk is decent. I've found you should give it an extra day to dry.

    Or my preference, depending on grout color, is to use anything with silicone that resists mildew and is a close match. (we do a lot of white/almond grout so it's fairly easy.)

    1. mizshredder2 | Nov 25, 2007 09:35pm | #6

      "give it an extra day to dry"

      ok, easy enuf since I tend to do these bath projects in series anyway (as in work on one of them and use the others...move onto the next one...repeat).

       

      De Mimimus Non Curat Praetor!

       

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