Tips on Caulking a Bathtub

Since I've had some successful experiences with caulking bathtubs, I thought I'd share a few tips I've found helpful to make a neat, effective seal between the tub and the walls.

Materials needed:

-Caulking material: I prefer pure silicone caulking on bathtubs; it comes in various colors to match your tub or walls, it applies (fairly) neatly, and it is probably the best seal for the job at hand.

-There are other caulking materials you can use, but since I've only used silicone, I cannot speak about others. You may want to Google 'bathtub caulking' to learn more.

-Caulking Gun: Don't buy the "cheapest" unless you want the squeeze trigger to buckle under your hand pressure. Don't buy the most costly either, unless you plan to use it professionally! Get something 'middle-of-the-road' and you'll be fine. Be sure to get the right sized caulking gun for the caulking tubes you'll be using!

-Painters' Tape: Believe it or not, I like to tape off the "bead" area to prevent getting silicone on the walls or tub surfaces "outside" the bead. It can be time-consuming to apply the tape, but I think it's worth the extra effort. Apply the

tape as parallel to the wall/tub joint as possible...approximately 3/8"-1/2" from that joint, on both surfaces. Press firmly to ensure consistent adherence.
-Plastic spoon: Yes, a plastic spoon works quite well on smoothing out wet silicone caulking. It has just the right radius, and it's not expensive, either! Just don't bear down too hard, or you'll break the handle. If possible, use one of the 'heavy-duty' ones.

-Newspapers: To place in the tub for protecting the tub finish.

Instructions:

-Place some newspapers in the bottom of the tub so you won't scuff up the tub surface with your shoes (or, you could take off your shoes if you'd rather-I find that disagreeable for me, but it's up to you!)

-Place a tube of caulking into the caulking gun. Press the squeeze trigger until you feel slight resistance. With a razor knife or diagonal wire cutters, cut the tube nozzle on a slight angle (45 degrees or less). Some caulk tubes have an 'inner seal', which you'll need to puncture with a long nail or screwdriver (be sure to remove any caulk material from whatever tool you use for this!).

-To prevent caulking material from escaping from the tube, be sure to release the pressure on the caulking gun, until you're ready to use it.

-Working inside the tub area, start in one of the corners. Hold the caulking gun with two hands (primary hand on squeeze trigger, other on 'barrel' of gun for support) and set the nozzle in the corner with the nozzle angle-cut against the wall and tub surfaces.

-Squeeze the trigger and begin drawing the 'bead' away from the corner, and in one, continuous motion, slowly apply an evenly sized bead of material within the confines of the painters' tape; all the way to the opposite corner. Reposition yourself if necessary, and repeat this along the other two wall/tub intersections.

Now that you've applied the material, you can begin to smooth it out and press it into the joint area.

-Using the plastic spoon 'rounded side down', gently pull it along the caulk material, applying slight pressure to begin shaping the radiused bead. Frequently wipe excess caulking from the spoon, to prevent overspreading to other areas.

-Continue around the tub to form a neat, continuous bead. You may want to have a paper cup with water nearby, to wet your spoon occasionally...to prevent it from sticking to the bead while you're shaping it.

Once you're satisfied with the shape of your bead, inspect the painters tape to be sure the silicone is 'feathered' smoothly and thinly at the edge of the tape. This ensures ease of removal of the tape.

-Wipe any excess with moist cloth or paper towel.

-Wait about 2 hours before removing the painters' tape. You'll want to remove it when the silicone is still fairly wet in order to ensure clean removal.

-Starting with an "end" (I'm sure you remember where they all are, no?), gently pull the painters' tape (as perpendicular to the surface it's stuck to as possible). If you notice any of the 'bead material' starting to be picked up by removing the tape, stop and try to separate that from the tape; reshape the bead as necessary with a wet finger or plastic spoon.

-Clean up any mess(es) you might've made............then wait!

Allow the silicone to dry for 24-48 hours to prevent uncured material from losing its sealing effectiveness.

Silicone takes a long time to cure completely, but I'm convinced it's worth the wait!