help with caulking my tub?

Question

My husband Has caulked the tub twice and after a cauple of months it will mildew and crack agian and we are back to square one. can someone give me any hints on how to do it the right way and a really good caulk that we should buy? My tub i porcelin and the back of the tub is plastic.

Answer 1

Make sure the walls are still sound under the tub surround, and repair if they are damaged. Remove all traces of the old caulk before applying new, and use only high quality Tub & Tile caulk - look for Silicone II types as these are mildew resistant. Do not use normal silicone as it supports mold growth.
Fill the tub near to the brim before caulking, as the weight will pull the tub down away from the surround - if you caulk with the tub empty, filling it will break the caulk line.

Other that, I'd consider why there is such a moisture problem. Opening the shower curtain to allow the tub to dry will help. If you have shower doors, leave them open or get rid of them. Make sure you have a working exhaust fan in the bathroom an use it following showering.

Good luck!

Answer 2

there are several questions that need to be asked first.
1. when the green board was hung over the tub was there at least 1/2 inch to 1 inch gap left between the top of the tub and the green board? if no then that may be the cause of the problem (the board generally goes behind the plastic/tiling).
you need to have a gap for the wall to be able to expand and contract, also the gap ensures that no water is "wicked" into the backsplash. try adding a grap to the connection between surfaces, aslo try using more of a grout type product as it allows for expansion of the materials and will allow for water (as in slate tiled floors that undergo constant contact with water).
if no help here, check out "ask this old house" online....full of useful info.

Answer 3

There are spacial caulks for Bathtubs. You have to clean all of the area you will be caulking. Make sure that you get ALL the old stuff out. Apply more caulk than you think you need. Then gently wipe off excess. Good luck.

Answer 4

Use kitchen and bath calking, it is formulated to resist mold and mildew. Even with that mildew may reappear, because soap film will mildew. I have found the easiest way to clean the mildew is to pour chlorine bleach onto a rag and lay the rag on the mildew. In about fifteen minutes the mildew is gone.

Answer 5

there is mildew resistant caulk........scrap out the old and replace with new......put on more than you need and wipe off excess with damp rag........repeat if necessary after first layer has dried