Cultured Marble Shower Stall Re-Caulking

I have a cultured marble shower stall that the Silicone caulking looks bad on, black mildew behind the white caulking. I had this shower stall installed 2 years ago & it looks like crap already. Where it looks bad is along where the floor and walls meet. There is not a "pan" for the floor, it is a more flat cultured marble piece that has a rough non-slippery surface that the walls sit on.

I have removed all of the old silicone & was ready to put in new silicone. My dad says to use grout instead, that it will hold up better and be easier to install. I thought I had heard that grout was not waterproof?

My question is, can I use grout in this joint along the floor in the shower stall? Will it hold up? If so is there a type of grout that would work best?

I do hate working with silicone, it is such a mess & the stuff I worked all day to dig out was only there 2 years.

Thanks in advance!

Reply to
forward2office
Loading thread data ...

Once you have used silicones, nothing else will adhere. Any grout will fail in a matter of days. This time, use the right kind of silicone, the stuff formulated for tubs and showers which is mold and mildew resistant. Read the label on the product to be sure you bought the right kind. One unique property of silicones is that they form a terrific bond with old silicone material, so if you develop a bit of a technique for the caulking it will look fine and perform better than you expected. Good luck.

Joe

Reply to
Joe

If you scrape and sand, use Acetone, others will adhere. Just did one last week, Sure it takes time but you know what, I'll never use silicone rubber again. Use an anti-microbial acrylic latex.

Reply to
Meat Plow

snipped-for-privacy@verizon.net wrote on 12 May 2007 in group alt.home.repair:

Grout works poorly in corners, regardless of the surface material. The perpendicular sides flex under load or expand and contract at different rates, causing the grout to crack and pop out. Always use caulk in corners.

As others have said, make sure you buy the right silicone. I use the stuff that specifically says "bath" and "100% silicone".

For neater joints, put tape on either side of the joint before you start applying the caulk. That will give you nice, straight lines. Pull it off after you smoothe the joint, but before the caulk dries.

Wear some TIGHT-FITTING rubber gloves. Have a rag ready with the solvent specified on the tube, because you WILL get some where you don't want it. Have some more of the solvent standing by with paper towels.

Reply to
Steve

replying to forward2office, RDS wrote: Hello Just wanted to let you know I share your pain for exactly the same reasons. I seems that silicone has become a panacea for mitigating bad fit and assembly. It allows you to slap things together and walk away. Its like a pig with lipstick. A year or two later you need a re-do ($$). Would say no to that dress except you aka customer.

Reply to
RDS

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.