Shower stall caulking

I have a 1994 built house, had a mouldy shower stall. Stripped off the caulking, hard to tell what kind, it was kind of soft like silicone. The one 'tween the metal door and tile was definitely silicone. First attempt at caulking with silicone miserable failure, stripped it out again, this time when I was smoothing it out, it became like cottage cheese. Stripped it out again (PAIN!). Don't want to get it wrong this time. Any advice as to:

  1. What caulking to use, silicone, latex or hybrid.
  2. If silicone is to be used, should I try to tool (smooth) it out immediately after i finish one side or finsih the entire stall and then do it? Might it not then be too late?
  3. Can I leave the caulking on one vertical side, since it is fine? I cut the bottom 1/2 cm to make room for caulking the side. I guess since the old caulking is silicone, it may have to go?

  1. Should I just hire someone to do it, since a leaky shower is definitely not worth saving money?

Thanks in advance,

Frustrated, somewhere in NJ, Vijay

Reply to
vbajwa
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There are others here who know way more about this than me, but...if it;s acting like cottage cheese, there is probably moisture where you are applying it. Need to get it dry and clean first. Silicone should work beteen tile and metal.

Reply to
A.D.C.

Make sure you have fresh caulk. It does have an expiration date, believe it or not. Try to find mold/mildew resistant type. A few more $$ but worth it. Make sure all surfaces are clean and dry. 100% silicone is perfect for this application, but it sets quickly so smooth as you go along - don't wait until it's all on. Good Luck!

Reply to
siralfred

Kill the mold with bleach , spray it on, scrub the soap scum clean with cleanser, Lime Away, CLR or similar may be necessary for hard water film. rinse well use bleach again, rinse, be sure its dry for a day and use new caulk, find an experation date. You probably had moisture behind it and got it wet to soon, but prepped right it will last unless moisture gets in from behind.

Reply to
m Ransley

And, use masking tape!

Reply to
Stubby

Buy the most expensive stuff you can find. 100% silicone. Expect to pay around $4 or $5 per tube.

Reply to
Les

Use 100% clear silicone. Cut the tip on the tube at a 45 degree angle about 1/4 inch from the tip. Clean the old surface well and make sure it is dry. Use a small amount of caulk in the crack and then run your index finger down the caulk. Let set for double the recommended time on the tube.

Reply to
Hank

I really stunk at caulking until someone added an additional tip to the above advice:

Keep a cup of very soapy water handy to moisten your finger tip before running it down the caulk bead. A clean moistened with soapy water fingertip seems to make a world of difference in making a smooth bead. And of course, making that bead within seconds of laying it down out of the gun. Some caulk sets up pretty quickly and becomes a mess if you try to smooth it afterwards.

YMMV, but this really helped me.

Best Regards,

-- Todd H.

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Reply to
Todd H.

I have had trouble with mildew forming on Silicone Caulk so I quit using it and use Acrylic instead which also mildews but is much easier to clean out to redo. (??)

Walt Conner

Reply to
WALTER D. CONNER

Use masking tape

Reply to
Stubby

there is mold resistant 25 yr caulk in the tile dept like, 8 or 9 DOLLARS

Reply to
chickenwing

I had a similar problem. Mildew in the caulk joints of a sower stall. I first used Phenoseal - recommended to me by a plumber friend. Mildewed very quickly. I ripped it out and replaced with Silicone. Also mildewed quickly. Ripped it out and replaced with DAP. It also mildewed quickly.

Each time I tried cleaning with straight bleach. Would not get it clean. Then I tried a Lysol brand Tub/Tile cleaner. The differenc is that after showering in the morning, I would spray the Lysol on the joints and let it sit all day, till the next morning's shower. I had to do this for 2 or 3 days, and the mildew was gone. It comes back, after a couple of months, so it is a normal maintenance, but now that I know what to do, it's not a big deal.

Reply to
Ken Korona

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