Problems Caulking Tub Surround

[jdycus]

Hello, I have a tub surround I've had to replace the caulk on a few times since I've lived in my condo, and this latest time it was with a water- based caulk that came right out a couple months later. So I cleaned out all the old caulk with goof-off and made sure the surface was nice and clean for the silicone I was going to use. I used GE Silicone II and it never set right, it had been four whole days and it was still tacky and didn't seem to be curing at all. So today I have begun removing all the caulk and it's coming out nearly as wet as it was coming out of the tube. Really strange, I must have had a bad tube since it's not too humid or dry in seattle right now, and it's about

68 degrees in my house. The problem I'm having now is that getting the slimy silicone off of my tub. It appears I've gotten most of it but does someone know a good way to get off that last bit of slime? I'm thinking if I wait another day or two maybe it will dry enough so I can remove it a bit easier but I think that might be wishful thinking. Any thoughts would be appreciated...

Thanks, John

[John Grabowski]

The caulk was too old. That is why it didn't cure. Don't buy caulk until you need it. It has a very limited shelf life. Check the tube label for clean up info.

[jdycus]

The thing is that I had just bought this caulk and it had an expiration date of 01/09. Could it be just a bad tube?

[David L. Martel]

jdycus,

Yes, it might be a bad tube. Follow the clean up directions on the tube to get off the uncured stuff. Then wash the area to be caulked well with water. Wipe down with rubbing alcohol and let dry. Then caulk.

Dave M.

[jthread]

To get the slime off use Goo Gone. Let dry completely before applying caulk.

Do you have a second bathroom w/shower?

If you do: latex caulks work really well but you have to let them DRY!!! I let mine dry for at least two weeks. Never have a problem.

Last time I used:

If you don't have a lot of time to let it dry try using a heat lamp to speed things up.

Jim

[Joe]

That was your big mistake. The older types of silicone are superior products, whether GE, Dow or whomever.

Any organic solvent will remove it, but if your tub surround is plastic, there may be problems. Milder solvents like denatured alcohol will do OK, but even if traces of the Silicone II remain it should not interfere with the better silicone cure. Changing sealants at this time won't work as the silicones will prevent bonding of latex or urethanes.

Silicones usually cure by reaction with moisture in the air. Try misting your residue with water to speed the cure. HTH

Joe