Nothing is worse than trying to get clean in a dirty shower or tub. Getting soap scum and grime off the tiles isn’t a problem, but those pesky cracks filled with caulk around the edges of the tub are another story. No matter how hard you scrub, the black mold spots will not go away. The thing is, these black spots aren’t just a cleanliness issue, if left unchecked they can damage the caulk and lead to water damage. The caulk acts as a seal to keep water out of the cracks, preventing the walls behind your bathing area from getting water-damaged. Therefore, if you notice the caulk in your shower is moldy, cracking, or missing chunks, it’s time to replace it. This is exactly what was happening to the tub in our upstairs bathroom, and so I took on the task of replacing the caulk.
MATERIALS
| MATERIALS NEEDED |
|---|
| Silicone-Based Caulk* |
| Caulk Gun |
| Caulk Application Tool |
| Plastic Putty Knife |
| Box Cutter |
| Painter’s Tape |
| Vacuum |
*Make sure when selecting the caulk that you purchase a silicone-based caulk or a modified silicone (MS) polymer sealant. Most caulk tubes will say what they’re best used for, so buy one that is made for bathtubs/showers/water.
TIME COMMITMENT
| ACTIVE TIME: 1-2 hours |
| TOTAL TIME: 24-48 hours |
STEP BY STEP
STEP 1 – REMOVE THE OLD CAULK
The first step in replacing the caulk in a shower or tub is to remove the old caulk. Take your box cutter and run it along the caulk seams at the top and the bottom. While using the knife, be very careful to not scrape it along the edge of the tub as this can cause permanent scratches.
After cutting along the seams, use a plastic putty knife to pry the old caulk out of the cracks.
Continue alternating between the box cutter and the putty knife until you’ve removed as much of the old caulk as possible from the crack. Then vacuum up the old caulk scraps with a hose attachment.
After vacuuming, check to see if more caulk remains in the crack. If there is, continue cutting, scraping, and vacuuming until the crack looks clear of all the old caulk.
STEP 2 – CLEAN THE AREA
After removing all the old caulk, the next step to replace the caulk in a shower or tub is to clean the area. Use Clorox wipes, rubbing alcohol, or some other disinfectant agent to wipe down the crack. If there’s mold present, you’ll want to use bleach or another mold-killing solution.
Make sure to allow the area to dry thoroughly before proceeding to the next step. You can point some fans at the area to speed up the drying process.
STEP 3 – TAPE THE AREA
After everything has dried, it’s time to tape up the area you want to caulk. Run painter’s tape along the edges of the seams on the top and bottom, leaving a gap about 1/4”-1/2” wide.
Make sure to press down firmly on the tape to ensure a good seal.
STEP 4 – APPLY CAULK
It’s the step you’ve been waiting for – applying the caulk! Get out your caulk gun and tube of silicone-based caulk. Trim off the tip of the caulk bottle using a box cutter, scissors, or the tube cutter on your caulk gun, if it has one.
Insert the tube into the caulk gun and then line the seam with a small bead of caulk. Do this by applying slow, even pressure to the gun’s trigger as you move at a consistent pace around the seam.
After you’ve applied caulk to the whole seam, push it into the crack using a caulk application tool. Starting at one edge, spread the bead out by placing the caulk tool’s corner into the crack and moving slowly across the entire seam in one smooth motion. Wipe off the excess caulk as needed.
Examine the seam and touch up any areas that may not have enough caulk in them by adding a little more caulk to the area and then running the caulk tool over the seam again.
When everything looks good, proceed to the next step.
NOTE: You can also use a wet finger to spread out the caulk, rather than the application tool, if you’d like, but be warned this gets messy!
STEP 5 – REMOVE THE TAPE
After spreading the caulk evenly along all the seams, the next step to replace the caulk in a shower or tub is to remove the tape. It’s important to remove the tape before the caulk has dried because it will make removal much easier. Starting at one end, carefully pull the tape up, making sure to angle it away from the caulk so it doesn’t smear it.
After removing the tape and while the caulk is still wet, clean up any areas where unwanted caulk landed during the application. A Clorox wipe works extremely well for this.
Once everything looks good, avoid using the shower for 24-48 hours to allow the caulk to fully dry. Then enjoy your waterproof and clean shower or tub!
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