Best caulking jobs photos..

Mikey P

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lets see photos of bad tub/wall joints that you've seen or fixed..


20150128_103723_zpsadnvp0jf.jpg
 

dealtimeman

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I can understand the first pic but the second I cannot concieve why.

A wet towel will go a long way and why do some home owners believe a crap load of caulk will seal better.
 
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cameron demille
Cameron, do you peel the tape right away or wait till cured?

I peel the tape as I go. I'll do sections at a time. Like the top of the bench, I'll put the silicone in, peel the tape and tear it off where I want, then I squish it down with my finger to get it as tight as I can before I peel the tape. Then I peel the tape and use Easy Oxy or Denatured Alcohol on my finger to lightly tool the edges.

When you peel the tape, it lifts the edges a little bit. Sometimes you can't even see it, but water can get under there. I spread the edges back down very slightly. If you get it nice and tight before you take the tape off, it makes it much easier, you won't have a bunch on your finger to clean off.

Using a color that matches the stone makes a HUGE difference. It makes it blend much better. You still have to do a good job, but if you use a color that stands out, it will have to be flawless.
 

Dan

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I peel the tape as I go. I'll do sections at a time. Like the top of the bench, I'll put the silicone in, peel the tape and tear it off where I want, then I squish it down with my finger to get it as tight as I can before I peel the tape. Then I peel the tape and use Easy Oxy or Denatured Alcohol on my finger to lightly tool the edges.

When you peel the tape, it lifts the edges a little bit. Sometimes you can't even see it, but water can get under there. I spread the edges back down very slightly. If you get it nice and tight before you take the tape off, it makes it much easier, you won't have a bunch on your finger to clean off.

Using a color that matches the stone makes a HUGE difference. It makes it blend much better. You still have to do a good job, but if you use a color that stands out, it will have to be flawless.

I think that post is worth at least a couple CEC's...
 

clean image

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Carl Maddock
I like to grout if possible, tubs are exception, unless there is obvious movement.

A well built walk in shower should never need any caulk
 
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cameron demille
I like to grout if possible, tubs are exception, unless there is obvious movement.

A well built walk in shower should never need any caulk

I don't know about the rest of the country, but in CA, any time you have a plane change, you are supposed to use caulking of some sort. you're not supposed to use grout. Granted we are on one of the world's biggest fault lines and everything moves. We caulk all showers, tubs and stone/tile baseboards.
 

clean image

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yea, I know.... lets talk real world...
I also know a standard build walk in shower is crap (not schulter (sp) system).
Bad design from get go that will always hold water below tile for multiple reasons
...I know caulk in those shower will fail, given time...black mold/mildew trapped behind the caulk, that will require removal
...I know standard grout is naturally mold/mildew resistant, and very hard to grow on.

I would rather have a hairline crack along the perimeter, that you would never notice, than black mold your always gonna fight.
I have many, many customers with not a lick of caulk, no mildew issues at all
Lets face it, american showers are were designed to leak, aka as weep holes.

Now this shulter system....awesome.....just had my shower done.... was taking a shower without any tiles installed. no hidden water, perfect drain system, NO CAULK.

...
 
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Joined
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Southern California
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cameron demille
yea, I know.... lets talk real world...
I also know a standard build walk in shower is crap (not schulter (sp) system).
Bad design from get go that will always hold water below tile for multiple reasons
...I know caulk in those shower will fail, given time...black mold/mildew trapped behind the caulk, that will require removal
...I know standard grout is naturally mold/mildew resistant, and very hard to grow on.

I would rather have a hairline crack along the perimeter, that you would never notice, than black mold your always gonna fight.
I have many, many customers with not a lick of caulk, no mildew issues at all
Lets face it, american showers are were designed to leak, aka as weep holes.

Now this shulter system....awesome.....just had my shower done.... was taking a shower without any tiles installed. no hidden water, perfect drain system, NO CAULK.

...


All those pictures I posted are 100% silicone. Customs and Laticrete. They resist the growth of mold far more than a cement based grout. The reason acrylic caulk has so many mold issues is because it slowly deteriorates and shrinks, pulling back from the surface. This allows water to stand right under the caulk. The exact same thing can happen with a hairline crack in the grout. It creates a small indentation where water can sit. Grout is not more bacteria resistant than caulk, it just allows the water to migrate through it to a certain extent, where acrylic caulking won't allow any at all. Also, it doesn't take much more than a pinhole in grout to cause major problems if it goes unnoticed.

Also, if the shower is built correctly, a non Schluter system works just fine. Dry pack with a proper pitch, proper water proofing and installation will hold up for decades. The problem is, not many people take the time to learn how to do it correctly.
 
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Gary T

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Oct 8, 2006
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Yep, people who can build are proper shower are very few and far between. And even fewer building inspectors who know WTF they are looking at.
 
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Gary T

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"I would rather have a hairline crack along the perimeter, that you would never notice, than black mold your always gonna fight."

A hairline crack in a crappy shower can cause some pretty nice water damage and black mold where you can't see it. Lots of black mold.

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Mikey P

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Wait till that hairline lets enough funk in that the mold growing on the back side of the translucent white marble starts showing through...
 

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