Best caulk for sealing around the tub?

[Bob Marino]

I'm still puzzled by the $16k annual property tax...

Kodi,

Don't be - just check out Glen Ridge/Montclair. That's why when the kids graduate high school, there are many for sale signs popping up.

Bob

 

[Bob Marino]

Well, it seems I had used  GE 100 silicone when I last caulked. It's cracked and has gotten a bit moldy in spots, BUT, I think it's more user error (mine) in not taking the needed pre steps.

I did not properly remove all the old caulking, nor use a backer rod in the wider joints, nor pre clean with mineral spirits and bleach. Things done improperly and/or in haste seldom turn out  well. I'm going to do all of the previously listed items before caulking and hope that the silicone holds well.

Bob

 

[aptpupil]

Not sure what silicone you get but in my experience it sticks to anything. Getting it off when dry is a nightmare

It sticks to acrylic pans for about a week, then it starts peeling up. Not so much that you notice it visibly, but there will be a gap or two that wicks water through to the other side via capillary action discoverable via dental tools and/or food coloring. Maybe you see the leakage, or maybe you just see the damage it's silently caused 10 years later. And if you tear up even a tiny little bit, you're replacing it all, which means days of heck removing every last molecule of it from the surface because it won't even stick to itself. Luckily, it's really hard to damage via normal scrubbing so that never happens... Right? 

Latasil's great for natural stone and comes in lots of colors. Good for change-of-plane joints in tile that you don't want to stand out from the grout, but it's no better than the mass market junk on plastics or metals. If silicone was actually any good at sealing disparate materials then no one would use butyl when they actually need something to stay sealed on a boat or commercial window installation. 

Lexel sticks to wet surfaces, takes paint, stretches to an absolutely ridiculous extreme before tearing, is easily repaired in the event of damage and doesn't discolor at all. Lexel's also $9 a tube, so it's cheap enough to test for yourself. Join two tiles together with it and join two more with silicone. Let them both cure for two days and then try to pull them all apart. It's a pain in the  to work with and I can't even get it here legally, but I'm never buying anything else, personally.

You can't get Lexel in the city legally? We can get it on this side of the bay...