Caulk cracking/ pulling away on new bathroom

9 years ago

Can someone tell me why the caulk where the tub meets the tile wall is already cracking/ pulling away in my new bathroom? I'd like to be prepared for this conversation with my contractor. Thank you!

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Vertise

9 years ago

The joint should be cleaned appropriately and dried before recaulking. I have read to wipe joints clean{{gwi:807}} using alcohol. I don't know if a siliconized acrylic latex residue is compatible with the 100% silicone or what to use, though.

Those tile edges look cut with an old blade, ie, jagged and chipped. Maybe they could be smoothed out by sanding or a with a tile stone/file before being refilled. The dark color accentuates it.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Fri, Jan 23, 15 at 11:46

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Comments (13)

kudzu9
9 years ago
Several things come to mind:
1. Cheap caulk, or improper type
2. Movement of the framing (too green studs can shrink as they dry)
3. A slight settling of the tub or the surface it's sitting on
4. Contamination of one of the surfaces by oil or some other substance

How wide is the crack? How long is it? what kind of caulk was used (i.e., silicone, latex, etc.) Can you post a picture?
jellytoast
9 years ago
... or, not enough caulk was used, revealing holes as it dried and shrank.
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glargle
Original Author
9 years ago
thank you! This contractor we have is not well seasoned and also does not like my researching. (and I have had to research almost every area of building a house.) I no longer trust him.

The idea of not enough caulk intrigues me. There are also holes in the grout between some tiles. In one bathroom I marked with blue tape all of the gaps and there are probably about 7 markings. I am also interested in hearing how to handle those gaps.

I will post pics in a moment.
glargle
Original Author
9 years ago
caulk used:
glargle
Original Author
9 years ago
picture1 of cracking (pretty much around the entire tub)
glargle
Original Author
9 years ago
another picture:
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
9 years ago
You need 100% silicone, no latex.
StoneTech
9 years ago
Yeah...100% silicone, fer sure. Dig ALL the old stuff out and use that. You can try www.coloriteinc.com to match the grout.

THEN, fill the tub at least 3/4 full and caulk it. Let the water stay for at least a day. When you drain it, the caulk will "roll" up to the original height and will l not pull away when you're taking a bath. (don't ask me how I know this)
glargle
Original Author
9 years ago
I am looking at coloriteinc.com's site and I can't figure out where to order it. The color matching page also says under construction.

Also, is it terrible if I buy this and tell our contractor to redo the caulking with your instructions? Or am I in for a project for myself?
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
9 years ago
"Also, is it terrible if I buy this and tell our contractor to redo the caulking with your instructions? Or am I in for a project for myself?"

Is it terrible to pay for something you're not getting? I always think so. You're paying for a proper caulk job. Demand it.
glargle
Original Author
9 years ago
well put. he hasn't enjoyed my "googling" over the course of our house being built. Clearly I don't trust him. :(
glargle
Original Author
9 years ago
yup. I have noticed the jagged edges and the dark grout doesn't do good things for it. :(