How to Repair Bathtub Caulk

Over time the caulk joints around a bathtub or in the corners where the walls meet will crack and need to be re-caulked. If the cracks are ignored, water will seep behind the wall and cause serious damage. A quick fix is to apply new caulk over the old caulk, but this is a temporary fix. A long-term solution is to remove the old caulk first, and apply a new high-quality, long-lasting tub and tile caulk.

Things You'll Need

• Bathroom cleaner
• Razor knife
• Flat razor
• Putty knife
• Rags
• Denatured alcohol
• Mold and mildew cleaner
• Tub and tile caulk or silicone
• Caulk gun
• Bucket
• Acetone

Instructions

1. Clean the bathtub area including the old caulk joints. Use a quality bathroom cleaner that removes soap scum. Allow the area to thoroughly dry before applying the new caulk.

2. Remove the old caulk. Use a razor knife to cut down the center of each caulk joint. Take a flat razor, and position it flat a against the wall or tub surface. Cut the caulk away from the applicable surface and remove. Use the putty knife to remove caulk in deep pockets. This is a tedious process so take your time and be careful. You do not want to scratch the tub, tile or yourself.

3. Dampen a rag with denatured alcohol. Wipe the cleaned joints down with the rag. This will clean and remove any left over debris. If mold and mildew are present, apply cleaner and saturate the area. Wipe off any excess cleaner, and allow area to dry before applying new caulk.

4. Choose applicable caulking material. Use tub and tile caulk for standard tubs with ceramic tile. For fiberglass tubs with ceramic tile or sectional tub enclosures, use 100 percent silicone.

5. Cut the tip on a tube of caulk so the hole size is a 1/4 inch. Load the caulk gun. Fill a bucket halfway with clean water. Place a couple of rags into the bucket. The best types of rags for caulking are smooth cotton. Lay a bead of caulk in both wall corners from top to bottom. Take a rag, wrap it around your finger and tool the bead of caulk into the joints. The object is to fill the crack with the caulk while leaving a smooth surface. Pay close attention to the edges of the bead to avoid leaving ridges of caulk. Repeat this process for the joints around the tub. If using silicone, the method varies.

6. Cut a 1/8 inch hole in the tip of the silicone tube. Silicone is very messy so take your time when applying it. Run a small bead on just one of the wall corners. Use your finger, and tool the silicone into the crack. Do not apply too much pressure, just enough to make the seal. Wipe off your finger with a dry rag. Repeat this procedure for the rest of the joints one at a time. Clean up excessive silicone before it dries with a rag dampened with acetone.

Tips & Warnings

• Use silicon sparingly.

• Remove excessive silicone using acetone.

• Remove excessive silicone before it dries.

• If the wall is wet from water seepage, after removing the old caulk, allow the area to thoroughly dry.

• Use acetone in well-ventilated areas.

• Read the warning label on the acetone container.

• Use acetone in well-ventilated areas.

• Read the warning label on the acetone container.

References

• The Natural Handyman