Why is caulking coming off?

[Mark]

I caulked the joint between the bathtub and the ceramic tile surrounding it about 3 months ago. I used an siliconized latex caulk which was recommended to me. And I did a very good job of cleaning the area before caulking, and I used denatured alcohol as a final cleaning agents also.

Now, 3 months later, it appears that the caulking is not sticking well to the ceramic tile nor the tub, for that matter. In some areas, it's just loose and in other areas it appears to be lengthening and hence little curls/bulges every inch or so for about 6 inches.

I'm about to remove all of the caulking and use 100% silicone caulking this time.

Before I do so, does anyone have any idea what is wrong?

[RayV]

Caulk has an expiration date, yes it does go bad. Silicone is the only way to go in a shower.

[JGolan]

When you redo it again, put about 1/2 fill of water into the tub, and let it cure before you let the water out. This allow the seal to be installed while weight is in there.

[BobK207]

OP-

I use PolySeamSeal brand caulking, this stuff never lets me down. It is water clean up & can easily be tooled with a wet finger.

The suggestion of adding weight to the tub is a good one. Some alcohols have other trace ingredients that might effect adhesion

Since the caulk appears to be "growing", are there any bathroom cleaning agents in use that might be attacking the caulk.

Silicone is really good stuff but IMO it's a bitch to tool, clean up & remove........I only use it when PolySeamSeal caulking will not do the job.

cheers Bob

[Brian V]

Did you have the tub full of water when you applied the caulk? If not, that could be a cause of it. When a tub fills it does settle a bit, with some caulks it causes it to seperate.

Second possibility is that the caulk was old, there are expirations.

Best bet, GE Silicone II Kitchen/Bath caulk. Clean all the old off, then clean it again. Fill the tub. Dry all the edges and let it air dry for a while. Apply the new caulk keeping the tub full for a minimum of over night (longer if possible).

Good luck

[scott21230]

Does a cast iron tub settle? I could see a cheap fiberglass one settling a lot, but what about cast iron?