Things You'll Need:
- Painter's tape (the blue masking tape)
- Silicone caulk (comes in various colors)
- Caulking gun
- Newspapers
- Wet rag
- Rubber gloves
- Plastic spoon
- Paper cup with water
- Paper or plastic trash bag
- Knee pads
-
Step 1
This procedure to caulk a bathtub with silicone assumes either new construction installation, or the old caulking has been removed cleanly from the tub/wall joint already.
If the old caulking is still there, read my article about How to Remove Tub Caulk, to learn some simple ways to make that task easier. See link below.
Place some layers of newspapers in the bottom of the tub so you won't scuff up the tub surface with your shoes; or, you could take off your shoes if you prefer. -
Step 2
Apply two horizontal lengths of painter's tape parallel to the wall/tub joint; both approximately 3/8"-1/2" from the joint; apply on both the tub and the wall surfaces, all around the length of the joint to be sealed with the silicone caulking.
Press firmly to ensure consistent adherence. -
Step 3
Place a tube of silicone caulking into the caulking gun. Press the squeeze trigger until you feel slight resistance. With a razor knife or diagonal wire cutters, carefully cut the tube nozzle on a slight angle (45 degrees or less).
Some caulking tubes have an inner seal, which you will need to puncture with a long nail or screwdriver (be sure to remove any caulk material from whatever tool you use for this!).
To prevent caulking material from escaping from the tube, be sure to release the pressure on the caulking gun, until you are ready to use it. -
Step 4
Working inside the tub area, perhaps in a kneeling position; start applying the silicone caulking in one of the corners. Hold the caulking gun with two hands, with your primary hand on squeeze trigger, and your other hand on the barrel of the caulking gun, for steady support.
Set the nozzle in the corner with the nozzle angle-cut against the wall and tub surfaces. Gently, but firmly squeeze the trigger and begin drawing the bead of caulk away from the corner.
In one, continuous motion, slowly apply an evenly sized bead of silicone material within the confines of the painter's tape, all the way to the opposite corner.
Reposition yourself if necessary, and repeat this along the other two wall/tub intersections. -
Step 5
Now that you have caulked the tub with silicone, you can begin to smooth it out and press it into the joint area.
Using the plastic spoon with the rounded side down, gently pull it along the caulk material, applying slight pressure to begin shaping the radiused bead. Frequently wipe excess caulking from the spoon, to prevent overspreading beyond the painter's tape. Continue around the tub to form a neat, continuous bead.
You may want to have a paper cup with water nearby, to wet your spoon occasionally, to prevent it from sticking to the bead while you are shaping it. -
Step 6
Once you are satisfied with the shape of your bead, inspect the painter's tape to be sure the silicone is feathered smoothly and thinly at the edge of the tape. This ensures ease of removal of the tape. Wipe any excess with moist cloth or paper towel.
Wait about two hours before removing the painter's tape, as you will want to remove it when the silicone is still fairly wet in order to ensure clean removal. -
Step 7
Removing the painter's tape:
Starting with an available end of the tape, gently pull the painter's tape away from the tub or wall; as perpendicular to the surface it is stuck to as possible.
If you notice any of the caulk bead material starting to be picked up by removing the tape, stop pulling, and reshape the caulking that pulled away. -
Step 8
Clean up any mess you might have made, then wait!
Allow the silicone to dry for 24-48 hours to prevent uncured material from losing its sealing effectiveness.
Silicone takes a long time to cure completely, but I, for one, am convinced it is worth the wait!
Now that you know how to caulk a bathtub with silicone, you can use some of these techniques to caulk other things with silicone, too. The main trick is the painter's tape, really. It just makes the job so much cleaner!
Comments
w1z111 said
on 11/17/2007 To ncblu66: Thanks for your version of caulking bathtubs, and the helpful hints you share here. I have used silicon quite successfully many times, and it always works well for me, however I must say the acrylic, water-based caulking is easier to manage; and I know some of the newer materials are probably better than those I tried years back.
Thanks again!
ncblu66 said
on 10/14/2007 a better way
1- do not use silicone - it will fail, plus it's too hard to remove it later
2- put in the stopper andfill the tub half full of water before you start, this way the seal wont crack later when you get in and out.
3- use an acrylic caulk, it should be water based.
4- cut the tube with a sharp knife on an angle, half an inch from the tip
5- position the tip so the angled face of the cut faces the direction you're going in, squeeze the trigger and keep steady speed.
6- the tip will smooth out the caulk as you move along. dont use a finger, all you do is spread it out too thin and it will fail later.
7- use a wet rag to gently clean up any that excess that squeezed out along the bead.
8- leave the water over night if you can, or at least a minimum of 6 hours.
once again - DO NOT USE SILICONE
w1z111 said
on 9/6/2007 Hi...thanks for the feedback.
Re: removing old caulking: Home-centers or hardware stores sell a small, plastic tool designed for caulking removal (can also be used for shaping new caulking!). Normally these are quite inexpensive, too.
Good idea on writing another article for that...perhaps I will!
Thanks again and good luck!
ariadnescurse said
on 9/5/2007 Good article...would you happen to know also how to remove existing caulking? That would be a helpful article to write in companion to this one.