Me and my bright ideas. It’s a disease I tell you, as soon as spring has sprung I get the urge to rip something apart. My big project for this year is my bedroom but there will be more on that later. Right now, it’s the caulk around the tub. I misspoke in my previous blog and called it grout, I’m not talking about the grout between the tiles, I’m talking about the caulk around the tub.
You know it’s time to replace it when no matter how much you scrub it won’t come clean. The reason for that is when caulk gets old the seal breaks and moisture gets behind it and that’s where the mildew grows. You can’t remove the mildew from the back by scrubbing the front. Instead you have to remove and replace.
This isn’t a hard job or one that’s too time consuming but it is important to do it right. You must first completely remove all the old caulk, including any residue. Use a utility knife or painters tool to remove the caulk, be very careful, if your tub is plastic the sharp blade can scratch it.
After you have removed all the caulk clean the area really well with a bleach solution to kill any existing mildew and prevent it’s return. Scrub the area really well to remove any caulk residue. Wipe with a clean cloth and then dry with a hair dryer.
Buying caulk is the easy part, head to the hardware store and look for the stuff labeled tub and tile. You will also need one of those little caulk guns and some blue painters tape.
Use the painters tape to tape off the area to be caulk. Tape on both sides of the joint so caulk only goes where you want it to.
Cut the end off your tube of caulk at a 45 degree angle and load it in the caulk gun. Using steady pressure and consistent speed, pull the trigger on the caulk gun and move down the joint. Watch your speed, if you go too fast your caulk bead will be too thin, too slow and it will be clumpy.
After the caulk is in place wet the tip of your finger and drag it along the caulk bead. This will push it into the crack and also make the surface concave. Immediately remove the painters tape. Smooth the bead again if you need to. Allow this to cure for 24 hours before using the tub or shower.
Easy as pie and the tub already looks cleaner!