what do you use to protect caulk in the shower

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Caulking a shower is a unproblematic projection that most home owners can do themselves. If your shower has peeling caulk or no caulk at all, take the time to get the seams sealed properly. To get the job done correctly, you need to use a caulk and tools that are correct for your surface. So with a scrap of time and the right technique y'all volition have a well-caulked shower that will continue water and mold out of your walls and will look bang-up.

1. ane

   Slice away whatsoever old caulk. At that place are a variety of tools you can employ to remove the caulk, just it's most effective to slice it off with a razor scraper, utility knife, or five-in-one painter's tool. Using quick, abrupt strokes, slice nether the length of all old caulk beads. Proceed each edge of the caulk with your blade to go information technology removed.^[1]

   • If you are caulking a new shower, there won't be any caulk for you to remove.
   • Annotation that metallic blades and chemical caulk removers can damage plastic tubs. Employ a plastic blade if your tub or shower is fabricated of plastic.

2. two

   Pull out loosened pieces old caulk. Once you have loosened the caulk with a knife, pull it off using your fingers. In most cases, if you sliced along both edges of the caulk thoroughly, y'all will be able to grab 1 cease and pull a long strip out all in one piece.^[2]

   • If you lot tin can't get a section out easily, cutting along the edges again and effort to pry it out with the knife.

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3. 3

   Make clean out whatever droppings and residue in the seams. After you piece off the bulk of the caulk, there will probable be some minor pieces left on the walls. Scrub the sides of the shower with a dry, nonabrasive pad or sponge to remove as much of the old caulk as you can. Follow that by wiping down the surface with rubbing alcohol or scrubbing it with a multi-surface cleanser to remove any remaining caulk, shower scum, or grease.^[3]

   • If your sometime caulk was made of silicone, use a pad or rag soaked in mineral spirits to suspension down any remaining $.25 of caulk.
   • Use a soft rag and not an abrasive one, so that the shower surface is not scarred.

   Tip: Different cleaning solutions work better for different kinds of caulk. A not-annoying pad and multi-surface cleanser will likely work well to get small pieces of not-silicone caulk off your shower. Even so, rubbing booze or mineral spirits work best for silicone caulk.

4. 4

   Wipe the area down and and so permit it dry out. Utilize a clammy, clean rag to wipe all seams. This will remove any cleaner, caulk dust, and other dirt from the area. Then dry down the area thoroughly with a dry rag, pilus dryer, or paper towels. Yous can also simply let the area sit until y'all are certain the seams are all completely dry.^[4]

   • If you go out debris or dirt on the surface, the new caulk will not stick also and not last equally long.

5. 5

   Line the joints with painter's tape. Place a strip of record on either side of each joint being caulked. The lines of record should run parallel to each other and exist spaced roughly 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) apart from each other.^[five]

   • The tape is being used to help go along the bead of caulk direct and uniform.

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1. 1

   Pick a caulk that is made for employ in showers. When selecting a caulk for your shower, use one labeled "Tub and Tile" or "Kitchen and Bathroom," equally these are chemically formulated to resist mildew and to stick to polish surfaces similar your shower. In particular, there are 2 types of caulk ordinarily used for showers:^[six]

   • Silicone: This is a very flexible, tough, and waterproof caulk. On the downside, it tin also be difficult to smooth and may crave the use of mineral spirits to clean upwards. The color range tin also be fairly limited.
   • Acrylic latex: This caulk is easier to apply, clean upwardly, and smooth out. It also comes in a wider range of colors. However, information technology dries harder and shrinks more than than silicone caulk does, and so acrylic latex caulk will probably have a shorter lifespan.

2. 2

   Choice out a professional-grade caulk gun. Cheaper guns tend to be less predictable and may lead to sloppier application. A professional-grade gun applies more consistent pressure.^[7]

   • A cradle caulk gun will produce the best, well-nigh even force per unit area and is a better long-term investment than a frame caulk gun. If using the latter, though, become i that is labeled every bit being "dripless."
   • A professional level caulk gun typically does not cost a lot. Power caulk guns can exist very pricey, but all you need is a professional manus-powered caulking gun, which might fit into your budget ameliorate.

3. 3

   Trim the nozzle of the caulk container. Trim it near the tip, cut it off at a 45 caste angle. The hole should be smaller than the joints you are sealing. As a general rule, the hole of the tube should actually be 2/iii the size of the joint you are filling. The measurement for most showers should be about ^three⁄₁₆ inch (0.48 cm).^[8]

   • Use a utility pocketknife with a fresh blade or a i-inch (two.v-cm) wide, razor-abrupt chisel to cutting the tip off the nozzle.
   • Some tubes of caulk volition fifty-fifty take a line on the nozzle to indicate the indicate at which you should cutting.
   • Smooth out the edges of the tip later on cutting it off, if necessary. If a slice of plastic remains hanging on the nozzle afterwards being cutting, peel it down with your utility knife or a slice of sand paper. Otherwise, this little burr can prevent the bead from being smooth.^[9]

   Tip: If you detect that your initial cut produces a bead that is too small-scale, y'all can always cut a footling more off the tip at that betoken. However, you tin can't make a cut that was too big smaller.

4. 4

   Puncture the inner seal in the caulk tube. Push a blast or pocket-size dowel downwardly inside the tip of the caulk to puncture the seal. The seal is at the dorsum cease of the tip where it meets the tube. This releases the caulk into the tip and allows you to apply information technology.^[x]

   • If a blast does not prove long enough, use a thin, stiff wire, such as electrical wire or a coat hanger.

5. 5

   Load the tube into the caulk gun. How you insert the tube depends on what type of gun yous take. In most cases, yous will start by pulling the plunger of the gun out to its fully extended position. Then put the tube in the bedroom of the gun and push the plunger down into the core of the tube until it stops.^[11]

   • In some cases, once the plunger is in place information technology volition put enough pressure level on the tube that caulk will start coming out of the tip correct abroad. Just be prepared for this and catch any caulk coming out with a moist rag.

6. vi

   Give the handle a trivial clasp. Afterward placing your caulk tube in the caulk gun, give the handle a slight squeeze to brainstorm the menses of the caulk. Release the pressure off the handle in one case you come across the caulk at the tip and clean off any excess with a moist rag.^[12]

   • This brings the caulk right up to the tip of the caulk tube, so information technology volition be ready when you bring information technology up to the shower joint.

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1. 1

   Position the caulk gun tip at the top of the seam y'all're starting on. The hole in the tip should exist pointed at the center of the joint and should be in contact with the joint. Also, position the tip at a 45-degree bending down the line of the joint and then that the tip is pointing slightly in the opposite management of how you volition be moving downwards the articulation.^[thirteen]

2. 2

   Use fifty-fifty pressure equally you move the caulk gun along the articulation. Press the trigger gently to release the caulk bead into the joint. As you move the caulk gun forth the length of the joint, go along applying even pressure level to create an even line.^[14]

   • You can either push or pull the gun. It is entirely a affair of preference, so do whichever option feels virtually comfy to you.
   • If you are correct-handed, attempt bracing the nozzle with your left hand and squeezing the handle with your right. For left-handed individuals, try the reverse.

   Tip: After squeezing your nozzle the beginning fourth dimension, do not clasp it once more until there is a practiced size drib coming out of the nozzle. Squeezing it too much could make a agglomeration of caulk come out of the tip earlier you are gear up.

3. 3

   Match the speed you motility the gun to the speed the caulk is flowing. As the caulk starts to come up out, keep moving the gun along the seam you are filling. If the rate at which the caulk is flowing differs as well much from the rate at which you move the caulk gun, you could finish up with too fiddling or too much caulk along the seam.^[xv]

   • If y'all motion the caulk gun too fast, the dewdrop will become also thin and will interruption into chunks along the seam.
   • If you lot motion the caulk gun too wearisome, you will finish up with backlog caulk in the seam, wasting caulk and making smoothing out the seam cleanly more hard.

4. iv

   Smooth the caulk while it is still wet. Utilise a dampened finger or a moist, lint-free fabric rag to smooth out the bead of caulk immediately after applying information technology. If using a rag, press it into and forth the caulk with your finger to apply plenty pressure to make the dewdrop shine. If using your fingertip, clean your finger off periodically with a damp rang to prevent the caulk from smearing beyond the seam.^[16]

   • You can also press the bead downwards with masking record to create an even line. Just be sure to pull the record away earlier the caulk starts to become tacky.^[17]
   • Work in a continuous motion to avert inconsistencies and to create a smoothen, concave line.
   • If you tin do the caulking and smoothing at once, you volition save yourself time. Place the tip of your index finger over the joint as you caulk. Past applying a minor amount of even and consistent downward pressure, you will be able to employ and smoothen the caulk at once.
   • Smoothing is essential for both artful and applied purposes. During the smoothing process, the caulk is forced to adhere more securely to the surface it fills and the finished product looks more neat and professional.
   • Vesture a disposable nitrile, latex, or vinyl glove to protect your fingers from wear and tear and to proceed them clean. Wearing gloves makes the process much easier to make clean up afterwards since the glove tin simply be removed and thrown away.

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1. 1

   Clean upward with a damp rag or mineral spirits, if necessary. Clean up any areas where caulk has accidentally gotten on the shower surround before it dries. For acrylic caulks, employ a damp rag to make clean upwards mistakes. For silicone caulks, wipe down any excess caulk with a soft cloth rag soaked in mineral spirits.^[eighteen]

2. ii

   Remove the tape before the caulk is dry out. Peel the record off slowly and do not let it affect any of the fresh caulk. If the tape left ridges of caulk behind along the edge, make clean these up by smoothing the area out again with a damp rag or clammy finger.^[nineteen]

   • Pull the tape off at a downward, outward angle. This will go on the removed tape away from the dewdrop, minimizing the adventure of messing it up.

3. 3

   Permit the caulk cure earlier using the shower. Look at the label on your caulk tube for curing times. In about cases, it'due south a expert thought to wait at least 24 hours before running the water or using the shower.^[20]

   • If you lot run the water over the caulk before it finishes curing, yous might rinse some of information technology away or crusade it to smear and run, creating a big mess and weakening its seal on the seam.
   • Some quick-curing caulks only need to cure for near 30 minutes before you can get them wet.^[21]

   Tip: This is why information technology'south a practiced thought to program out when you will use new shower caulk. If you do it right after taking a shower, you won't have a hard time waiting a day to shower again.

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Add New Question

• Question

  Should I reapply caulk to a shower drain?

  

  Art Fricke
  Home Renovation & Repair Specialist

  Fine art Fricke is a home renovation and repair specialist and the possessor of Fine art Tile & Renovation based in Austin, Texas. With over 10 years of feel, he specializes in bathroom and kitchen renovations. Art focuses on a single contractor approach to customized renovation work, and performs projects such equally installing custom tile showers, fixing tiled shower leaks, replacing cracked tiles, and installing flooring and wall tile.

  

  Home Renovation & Repair Specialist

  Practiced Respond

  

• Question

  Can you lot use caulk in a shower?

  

  Art Fricke
  Domicile Renovation & Repair Specialist

  Fine art Fricke is a domicile renovation and repair specialist and the possessor of Art Tile & Renovation based in Austin, Texas. With over 10 years of experience, he specializes in bathroom and kitchen renovations. Fine art focuses on a single contractor arroyo to customized renovation work, and performs projects such as installing custom tile showers, fixing tiled shower leaks, replacing cracked tiles, and installing flooring and wall tile.

  

  Home Renovation & Repair Specialist

  Expert Answer

  Yeah, merely keep in mind that caulk will not waterproof your shower. Moisture volition still exist able to become backside it, and if you have a leak somewhere, you'll eventually see mold and mildew reappear if you don't address it.

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Things Yous'll Demand

• Caulk
• Caulk gun
• Painter's tape
• Rags
• Utility pocketknife or other abrupt blade
• Fine sandpaper
• Smash, minor dowel, or wire
• Mineral spirits, if necessary
• Dispensable gloves (optional)

• Keep in mind that caulk won't make your shower waterproof, and then if you have a leak anywhere, you need to address that before you caulk.^[22]

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About This Article

Commodity Summary X

To caulk a shower, outset past lining the joints y'all'll exist caulking with painter's tape, which will help keep the caulk straight and uniform. Then, load a caulk gun with caulk designed specifically for utilise in showers. When yous're set up, position the tip of the caulk gun at the beginning of one of the joints, and squeeze the handle and then caulk starts coming out. As you're squeezing the handle, move the caulk gun along the articulation. Once y'all're finished filling in the joint, smooth out the caulk with your finger while it's still wet. Repeat the process with the rest of the joints in the shower. Finally, remove the painter'south tape while the caulk is nevertheless wet, and permit the caulk cure for 24 hours before using the shower. To acquire how to remove sometime caulk in a shower, read on!

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