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Larry Caldwell

In article . com,
) says...

I planed to re-caulk my bathtub and kitchen sink and came to a
decision which caulk to buy. After searching online to educate myself
(I am totally new to home repair, so please bare with me if I ask
stupid questions), apparently I got confused by some discussions.

I absolutely refuse to take my clothes off. If you want to bare
anything, please do it in the privacy of your own home.

Lowe's website has some good advice for caulking. As far as I
understand, acrylic latex caulk is not water resistant while silicone
caulk is. So given my usage in kitchen and bath, silicone caulk seems
to be the choice. However, Lowe's website also gives 2 types of caulk
that seems for my usage:

A retailer is the last place to look for advice. Big box stores are run
by salesmen who know nothing about building materials.

1=2E Tub and tile: Acrylic sealant gives a flexible, watertight seal. It
is mildew resistant with water cleanup.
2=2E 100% silicone kitchen and bath sealant: Has the same
characteristics as plain 100% silicone sealant.

There are more than two. There are also adhesive caulks, plumbers
caulks, butyl caulks and poly caulks, just to name a few.

My question is if the first one is acrylic, how can it be used for
tub? that is, how can it be both watertight AND water cleanup?

The same reason that acrylic paint doesn't wash off the outside of your
house. The water is just a carrier.

One such type of product is Polyseamseal=AE White Tub and Tile Adhesive
Caulk. The description for this product is

Good stuff. It hardens after a few years, and will crack if the joint
flexes.

Guaranteed mildew-proof
Seals around tubs, showers, sinks and all bathroom fixtures
Resets tiles, fills cracks and joints
Seals around windows and doors
Stays flexible
Won't crack or peel
Goes on easy
Soap and water cleanup

If it can be easily cleaned up by water, then why should it be used to
seal around tubs, showers, sinks, etc in the first place? can anyone
answer the question?

Already did. For your purposes, it's magic.

I like to use straight silicone caulk in the bathroom. It has a couple
advantages. First, it stays flexible forever. Second, almost nothing
will stick to silicone caulk, not even paint. Mildew cleanup is a snap.
Third, if it starts to get ratty, just pry up one edge and pull the
caulk out. A little scraping and you have a clean joint, which you can
just caulk again.

Another question I have for the job I am going to do is that I have a
vinyl floor in my bathroom, the edge of the vinyl at the foot of the
bathtub is kind of curved upward, i.e. the edge is not tightly adhered
to the floor, how do I caulk the joint between the vinyl floor and the
bathtub in this situation? Do I have to fix the problem of curvature
of the vinyl floor first before caulking?

The best thing to do is replace the vinyl flooring and make sure the new
flooring gets glued all the way to the edges. Then seal the edge with
caulk. If that's too much work, get a bead mold as wide as the loose
vinyl, pump some of your adhesive caulk along the edge, and nail the
bead mold down to the floor along the tub edge. You will be glad the
stuff cleans up with water, because you don't want to leave any voids.
Be generous with the caulk. If your tub is porcelain, you will probably
be able to scrape the caulk off when you finally get around to replacing
the flooring. If the tub is fiberglass, plan on replacing the tub when
you replace the flooring.

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