From: "RicodJour" 
Newsgroups: alt.home.repair misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Tub caulking wont last.
Date: 26 Dec 2005 10:39:36 -0800
   posting-account=mbRo1Q0AAAAAFRv6h_B5_qDpcpb9zOjH

Sam Nickaby wrote:
> The caulking on the iron tub where the tub meets the plastic panel is
> growing mold, cracking and leaking ad under a year old. Water has
> already penetrated the panels. I'd like to fix this problem myself but
> annually the manager sends the plumber in to strip the old and put in
> white caulking. The plumber hasn't come and I have a GE 100%
> silicone that I will use. Is this the right caulk and what's a practical
> step to fix this?

The typical way of caulking - laying down a bead and smoothing it with
your finger - looks nice but will not last as long as it should.
Basically you're placing the caulk in a way that guarantees that it
will open up at an edge.

Read my recent reply to Chuck B's post regarding a similar situation.
Then look at the diagrams on this page:
http://www.scofield.com/Trafficalk-3gTD9-03.html  You don't have to
read all of the technical stuff.

If you use a GE silicone, make sure it is meant for bathrooms - there
are mold inhibitors in that caulk.  Make sure the surface are CLEAN.  I
mean clean.  Bone dry, shiny like new, and wiped down with alcohol
prior to taping and caulking.  Place the backer rod and/or bond breaker
tape, tape off the surfaces to be protected with blue painter's tape,
and then start caulking.

Run a bead in the joint slightly overfilling it, smooth the caulk with
your finger pressing it into the joint.  When you've finished a
section, pull the tape.  Llightly cut the corners at a 45 degree angle
if necessary, so you won't pull up tape in an area that hasnt' been
caulked yet.

Lightly spritz the smoothed caulk and surrounding with a spray bottle
of water that has a few drops of liquid soap in it.  This will prevent
the caulk from sticking to the area that had been under the tape.  Wet
your finger in a cup of water with a couple of drops of soap, then
smooth the caulk once again - this will flatten the edges that were
raised when the tape was removed.  Wipe your finger dry and wet it in
the cup of water every stroke or two so that no caulk sticks to your
finger.

It usually takes me a full day to caulk a new bathroom installation.
Most people might spend an hour, but as the number one complaint in a
bathroom is leaks in showers and tubs, and the most expensive repair
(often problems don't show up right away and they've already become a
much bigger problem to repair), it's silly to skimp on the first line
of defense in waterproofing.

R