Caulk is a basic part of the construction and maintenance of any bathroom. It should be applied to all joints in any tiled wall, which includes the corners of the walls, as well and the floor and ceiling (if the tile goes to the ceiling).

Caulk will NOT repair a leaking shower pan, but if you have cracks in the corners, or gaps under the shower curb (step in area) or at the joint of the tub and tile around your bathtub, you can develop a water leak even if all your plumbing is in good working order.

It is a good idea to inspect your shower and tub surrounds on a regular basis, a casual glance anytime you are bathing will let you know if the walls are separating at the corners, but about once per month, or at least a couple of times per year, one should get down and look at the edge of the tub and under the inside of the curb if you have a shower.

How to Caulk/What kind of Caulk?

We use DAP® KWIK SEAL PLUS® Premium Kitchen & Bath Adhesive Caulk w/MICROBAN®, while the are other fine caulk products made by reputable companies, the handy squeeze tube, anti microbe,  and super elasticity of this product makes for satisfactory and long lasting repairs.

Traditionally, you had to buy caulk in large cardboard or hard plastic tubes and load them into a caulking gun, which, if you didn’t buy a high quality enough gun, would sometimes leave you with a trigger  failure, and no matter the quality of the gun, you always had to deal with the dripping caulk between uses. Today, caulk is still sold this way, but it is also offered in a squeeze tube, more like a toothpaste tube. you simply remove the cap, cut the tip of the tube at a sloping angle, and squeeze as you need, replacing the cap to save the remainder for a few minutes later, or a few weeks later. the cost per ounce is pretty close either way.

The second question is how do you actually apply the caulk? I have seen so many bathrooms where a homeowner or a handyman has slathered caulk, not only on the gap, but about an inch on each side of the crack, as well. Besides being terribly unattractive, this method doesn’t even properly seal the area. The surface of most tile is already sealed, some of it even has a high glaze, in either case, tile is not a suitable surface for caulk to bond to. the edge of the tile (in the grout line or at the tub lip) is porous, as is most grout. Caulk bonds nicely to the unfinished tile and to grout. the ideal method of application is to run a bead of caulk down the gap, and then remove as much of the excess caulk as you can.

Years ago, I was taught to use the end of my finger, actually the bottom of the first joint of my index finger to smooth caulk. This works fine on finished wood prior to painting, or even better on old painted wood, but when I started working with tile, I quickly realized that much of the time, an edge or joint that needs caulking, has at least one surface that is a cut piece of tile. the cut edge on tile is about as sharp as a razor blade, so not only do you cut your finger, your  caulk has a tendency to look kind of pink! Today, I always use a commercial grout sponge, these are available at your local home improvement store, for about three bucks, and can be found in the flooring department. If you forget the sponge, an old rag will do fine, dampen it and wrap the tip of your finger in it and wipe. in any event, you should have almost no caulk visible outside of the actually crack. Caulk is cheap. a water leak is not. Apply it generously, and then wipe off the excess.

If you are experiencing a leak, caulk is not the solution to a pan failure, or a tub leak, but as water will go through any opening it find, it is a good idea to make sure everything is tight before you call a bathroom specialist. If a $3.00 tube of caulk can save a $2000-$3000, shower or tub replacement, it is a good investment. If it doesn’t stop the leak, then it is the time to call us.

As a side note, Palm Beach Builders will come to your home and recaulk your bathroom, as needed, and also inspect your bathtub or shower and give you a free estimate if more work is needed. but keep in mind, while our estimates are ALWAYS FREE, for us to caulk your bathroom will run about $100.00, so if you are physically able to do it, there is no need to pay a professional to recaulk your bathing area.

If you’d like help with caulking or any other bathroom repair or remodeling project we can help.