Shower Pan - Wall caulking questions ...???
 

My sister called last night with some questions I couldn't answer. Any body
got any ideas on these?

Sister bought a "new to her" house, its about 200 miles away, and I have
not seen it, so please bear with my probably poor and inaccurate written
description.

In master bath, hasa walk in type shower stall. No "step" over to get into
it. Shower walls are tiled she tells me. Says there is a "soft rubbery"
line of caulking along the seam / joint of the shower "floor" (I think she
means the pan) and the tile, which she says is very dirty and coming out in
little strips. From her description of this joint, and her description of
what is between he tiles, she clearly knows the difference between grout and
what ever is in the lower seam / joint.

My gut reaction is that the lower seam/joint is sealed with some kind of
caulking, silicon or otherwise.

How to remove the old caulk, and what to relace it with.

My instant reaction last might was a utility knife and a lot of patient
scraping and cutting. Maybe also a small, small flat bladed screw driver to
scrape the old caulk out with?

As to recaulking, a silicon caulk, either clear or white? Alex is one brand
I know of, and there are several versions of GE brand silicon caulks. Any
suggestions?
--
Jim McLaughlin

Reply address is deliberately munged.
If you really need to reply directly, try:
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Shower Pan - Wall caulking questions ...???
 

I've seen caulk remover at the Borgs but never tried it. White vinegar
is good to clean up caulk before it sets, maybe it will help remove old
caulk. If nothing else it will remove any hard water deposits.

Shower Pan - Wall caulking questions ...???
 

clipped

My gut reaction is that the lower seam/joint is sealed with some kind of
caulking, silicon or otherwise.

How to remove the old caulk, and what to relace it with.

My instant reaction last might was a utility knife and a lot of patient
scraping and cutting. Maybe also a small, small flat bladed screw driver to
scrape the old caulk out with?

As to recaulking, a silicon caulk, either clear or white? Alex is one brand
I know of, and there are several versions of GE brand silicon caulks. Any
suggestions?

A razor-blade scraper is my favorite tool. Screwdriver might chip tile.
Utility knife point is good for gap between pan and tile. What is pan
made of? Not tiled? I would take pains to keep the stall dry for about
a week in case (probable) that water has seeped into the gap. Wipe with
pure bleach and let dry just prior to re-caulking with silicone caulk.
Painters tape is nice for keeping caulk where you want it - be sure it
is dry and smoosh it down into grout lines so's the caulk doesn't go
under the tape. Take tape off right away.