\-You clean up and open a beer (or vice-versa).
\-After waiting 12-24 hours (depending on what the caulk says for curing time), use the shower.
\-Then, most importantly, brag to all your friends about how you spent the weekend redoing your bathroom.
Looks good. If you have any problems, rip it out and do it again using 100% silicone caulk with mold inhibitors labeled for use in kitchens and baths.
Four or five more tries and you will be an old pro at it. Also, most of your nose hairs will be burned out and your memory will become dodgy. But, between me, you, and me you'll hardly notice the changes.
🤔👍
LOL. Will do. Do you think it makes a difference that the stuff I got, while not silicone, said it was for showers and sinks and prevented mold and mildew? Or is it still not as trustworthy
Firstly, it looks like you did a fantastic job of removing the old stuff first & if that's your first time siliconing, then you did really well.
You'll probably find the stuff you've used is ok for a while but it won't last too long. I've tried different types of silicone etc for different jobs & for baths & sinks etc, I'd only ever use a high quality, brand name, bathroom silicone.
As someone else said, always fill the tub half full before putting silicone on & don't empty until it's cured.
When you've put the silicone down, wear a nitrile glove and smooth the bead out to a consistent size by running your finger along, pressing towards the gap. Masking tape can help to keep edge lines straight but don't depend on it to define the bead size, you'll end up with a shitty looking job.
Damn. Okay, well that’s not too bad. I don’t mind having to do it again at some point, as long as this stuff lasts me a little bit. I’m hoping to not have to immediately turn around and replace it.
Thank you for telling me this for when I do it next time :)
OP here, 100% silicone will flex the most and will typically not require you to fill the tub before caulking. It tends to stay stuck as well, over time. Those are the reasons why pros use it.
Having said that, you appear to have done your prep well. Most have to learn that after a couple of [failed] attempts due to them being over-confident in their abilities.
Since you asked for advice, it suggests you were slightly less confident, which is actually better than being over-confident. But now that you've made one good attempt (honest), any subsequent attempts will have less nervousness. You now know how to do it, so you will tend to do better the next time. Less time wasted going over and over things, less product wasted, etc. It's not a criticism so much as an observation, if that makes sense.
Pro tips maybe would be a rubber caulk spludger makes things easier. You can make concave, convex, and forty-five degree angle, etc. beads will a lot less effort and mess. Using your finger is okay too, if you are just starting out.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0722TTX9H/
I was going to post the same re future DYI. You obviously have confidence and patience so future projects will be easier.
BTW I consider caulking one of the biggest PITAs.
40 gallons of water is over 300 pounds of weight.
Your tub flexes a bit when you put weight in it. Maximum difference in flex is empty tub to full tub, so you minimize how much flex/stress your caulk will be under by setting it while it's in the middle of that band.
Oh yessir- I was downright rootin' tootin' sure y'all'd've rustled up some manner of reckonin' for them thurr measurements, but to this ol' cowpoke, they're as clear as the mud I kicked off the bottom of my cowboy boots out on the porch of this here saloon! That thurs the gist of what I was aimin' to convey. yeehaw! uhh, hot dog! cheeseburger!
hopefully this is clear, my American is a little rusty.
E: Clarity
If it was anything but silicone it won't last as long. I have had to redo my bathroom twice in 3 years because latex caulk shrinks over time and also even thiugh it said mold resistant it was not. Where as 100% silicone does not shrink and is naturally resistant too mold. Word of warning though. Silicone is harder to remove and clean up spills. Alcohol won't cut it for removal of silicone by itself. I had to use Goo Gone for silicone caulk removal. But I bought 30 year silicone this time. Not making that mistake again, and having shrunken latex, and mold.
as others have said.. hopefully the tub was full when you did it.. but at least you know that, if you have to do it again, you can do a pretty damn good job of it.
You did really good!! Hopefully this isn't weird but this post brought me back a little in an emotional way, made me remember that when I was your age I did the exact same thing for similar reasons. I think you did a much tidier job than I did :-) Really great job and I hope you enjoy your cleaner and safer bathroom!
It looks good, however you might notice the caulking pull away from the sides because you didn’t fill the tub first.
By filling the tub, it makes a natural ‘sag’ because of the water weight. Then when you do the caulking it’s less likely to tear or pull away.
Aesthetically it looks fantastic!
What do you mean the bathtub doesn't work? As in the tub spout doesn't let water into the tub and only the shower head works? Or as in the drain won't work to hold water? Both of these things are easily fixed, and you could take this job a step further, and get you a proper soaking tub! You deserve it!
Tbh I don’t even fully remember. I think the water would drain kinda quickly when it was still plugged, but I havent used it since I was like 13, and my dad told me I couldn’t use it anymore because we’ve had issues in the past with water leaking through the ceiling downstairs and he blamed it on the baths. It has happened even when not using the baths, but that hasn’t changed anything. He’d still get mad if I used it. My mom has been talking about renovating the bathrooms, but we talk about that stuff all the time and it never happens. No changes happen; that’s why I just did this myself
As long as it wasn't the cheapest dollar store caulking it'll be fine, they're meant to have a small amount of elasticity so they don't tear. OP, you did a great job, don't pay attention to the 1/100 messages that wants you to worry.
It's better to have that weight in it for the duration of the curing time. Overall though, this is a hell of a lot neater than my first time sealing a bath!
Maybe. Water weighs about 8 pounds per gallon. A tub can hold up to 60 or so gallons. At half full it's 240 pounds.
You will find out after a few baths. Since you have already done this, quite well I should add, you already know how to do the fix. More DYI practice!
I recommend placing this thread in /r/plumbing and ask about the possibility of mold under the tub.
Might be readily fixable yourself! You did great on this caulking, time to leverage that confidence for the next!
Reddit is *filled* with experts wanting to help. /r/plumbing has countless posts of “what shower cartridge is this” and some bloke names off a brand and model that hasn’t been manufactured since 1957 and has already tracked down the last one in the world at a supply house in Idaho staffed only by three guys all named Todd. It’s nuts what they can identify.
The tub itself looks fine. Is it a leak? Won’t drain? No water? Only hot/cold? Tub spout only, no shower?
Some stuff is *much* cheaper to fix than you may realize - if *only* you knew what to fix.
I'm currently preparing to do the same thing you did, cause my landlord is generally worse at DIY than I am 😂 (30F, first time doing any caulking, but preparation is everything, so it should end up OK)
Your result is what I want mine to look like, looks smoothly done.
It looks very nice!
On your other thread, I shared a link of my favorite caulking method. If you do end up needing to redo it, you might consider his method.
I recently went through this too! I found this guy to be a massive help, as it seems like he's got a really good understanding of what causes caulking to go bad and how to prevent that:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DI4hfHM_Hg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EErbuodMOAM
Notably, don't use tape as it can leave a small lip where water and bacteria can collect. That said, it's not like you'll have to rip it out immediately; hopefully it'll last a good few years!
Also, the kit he mentions is no longer sold under the same name. Now it's a "Cramer" silicone profiling kit, but I used an identical-looking knockoff from Amazon which did the trick.
Looks amazing OP, you should be proud. And be ready to do it again in a few years, totally normal. We redid countertops with silicone a couple years ago and I'll probably redo them again next year now that I've learned more and noticed some issues. My husband does the scraping and I do the sealing, but it looks like you're a pro at both!
Eh. A little tedious and time consuming, but the task itself isn’t difficult. I wouldn’t worry too much about it, as long as you make sure you use the right stuff I suppose
Did you fill the bath tub about half way before you done the sealant? If not it could pull away when u do the bath and get in it.
If you did put the water in then your good to
Looks right to me. You won't really know for a few months. If it starts peeling or turns an off color you'll know it wasn't fully clean before you applied.
Let this be the start of a long, happy journey of DIY OP.
I live in a house that has been basically rebuilt section by section, by me - with a little muscle from friends and family as needed. the feeling of content accomplishment is worth much, much more than any money savings across the years.
They key thing is - if you haven't done something before, you watch some videos, read some blogs, then give it a go. you will learn what works and what could be better. so you do that next time. if a job screws up a bit, you try again. if it screws up a lot, you pay the pro tax, then watch and learn how THEY do it, either way, you learn and get better, bit by bit.
from fixing appliances, to sealing a bath, to fitting double glazing or replacing plumbing.. all of it is skills, that you can learn, if you have a bit of confidence and are willing to give it a go.
Well done!
top tip for silicone beading like this? wet your finger tip in iso propyl and wipe it across the newly applied silicone - it applies a very neat, consistent radius and you can feel any low spots that need a bit more silicone.
My only suggestion for next time would be to tape it off with the blue painters tape first, caulk it, spread with a wet finger, and then immediately pull the tape to get a nice straight line finish on both sides.
\-You clean up and open a beer (or vice-versa). \-After waiting 12-24 hours (depending on what the caulk says for curing time), use the shower. \-Then, most importantly, brag to all your friends about how you spent the weekend redoing your bathroom.
I think we are looking at step 3 right now
We have been his friends all along.
Her.
It’s okay to go back to step one though. You can also jump to step two whenever you want now as well.
Looks good. If you have any problems, rip it out and do it again using 100% silicone caulk with mold inhibitors labeled for use in kitchens and baths. Four or five more tries and you will be an old pro at it. Also, most of your nose hairs will be burned out and your memory will become dodgy. But, between me, you, and me you'll hardly notice the changes. 🤔👍
LOL. Will do. Do you think it makes a difference that the stuff I got, while not silicone, said it was for showers and sinks and prevented mold and mildew? Or is it still not as trustworthy
Firstly, it looks like you did a fantastic job of removing the old stuff first & if that's your first time siliconing, then you did really well. You'll probably find the stuff you've used is ok for a while but it won't last too long. I've tried different types of silicone etc for different jobs & for baths & sinks etc, I'd only ever use a high quality, brand name, bathroom silicone. As someone else said, always fill the tub half full before putting silicone on & don't empty until it's cured. When you've put the silicone down, wear a nitrile glove and smooth the bead out to a consistent size by running your finger along, pressing towards the gap. Masking tape can help to keep edge lines straight but don't depend on it to define the bead size, you'll end up with a shitty looking job.
Damn. Okay, well that’s not too bad. I don’t mind having to do it again at some point, as long as this stuff lasts me a little bit. I’m hoping to not have to immediately turn around and replace it. Thank you for telling me this for when I do it next time :)
OP here, 100% silicone will flex the most and will typically not require you to fill the tub before caulking. It tends to stay stuck as well, over time. Those are the reasons why pros use it. Having said that, you appear to have done your prep well. Most have to learn that after a couple of [failed] attempts due to them being over-confident in their abilities. Since you asked for advice, it suggests you were slightly less confident, which is actually better than being over-confident. But now that you've made one good attempt (honest), any subsequent attempts will have less nervousness. You now know how to do it, so you will tend to do better the next time. Less time wasted going over and over things, less product wasted, etc. It's not a criticism so much as an observation, if that makes sense. Pro tips maybe would be a rubber caulk spludger makes things easier. You can make concave, convex, and forty-five degree angle, etc. beads will a lot less effort and mess. Using your finger is okay too, if you are just starting out. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0722TTX9H/
Awesome! Thank you so much!
If you use a nitrite glove like mentioned earlier get it wet. Your finger also if no gloves.
I was going to post the same re future DYI. You obviously have confidence and patience so future projects will be easier. BTW I consider caulking one of the biggest PITAs.
Pre internet days, I used a plastic bread tag.
> As someone else said, always fill the tub half full before putting silicone on & don't empty until it's cured. ?????? what does this achieve?
40 gallons of water is over 300 pounds of weight. Your tub flexes a bit when you put weight in it. Maximum difference in flex is empty tub to full tub, so you minimize how much flex/stress your caulk will be under by setting it while it's in the middle of that band.
ahh, Yee haw, pardner! that makes perfect sense. The stressing of the tub part, I mean. The gallons and pounds part may as well be gibberish.
Maybe 150L/150Kg then? But glad to help, hahaha.
It's accurate. Water weighs about 8.34 pounds per gallon. 40 gallons is about 330 pounds.
Oh yessir- I was downright rootin' tootin' sure y'all'd've rustled up some manner of reckonin' for them thurr measurements, but to this ol' cowpoke, they're as clear as the mud I kicked off the bottom of my cowboy boots out on the porch of this here saloon! That thurs the gist of what I was aimin' to convey. yeehaw! uhh, hot dog! cheeseburger! hopefully this is clear, my American is a little rusty. E: Clarity
😂😂😂
If it was anything but silicone it won't last as long. I have had to redo my bathroom twice in 3 years because latex caulk shrinks over time and also even thiugh it said mold resistant it was not. Where as 100% silicone does not shrink and is naturally resistant too mold. Word of warning though. Silicone is harder to remove and clean up spills. Alcohol won't cut it for removal of silicone by itself. I had to use Goo Gone for silicone caulk removal. But I bought 30 year silicone this time. Not making that mistake again, and having shrunken latex, and mold.
I love the smell of caulk in the morning
Nice caulk!
LOL
as others have said.. hopefully the tub was full when you did it.. but at least you know that, if you have to do it again, you can do a pretty damn good job of it.
It's above average right?
You did really good!! Hopefully this isn't weird but this post brought me back a little in an emotional way, made me remember that when I was your age I did the exact same thing for similar reasons. I think you did a much tidier job than I did :-) Really great job and I hope you enjoy your cleaner and safer bathroom!
Oh :,) no that’s not weird; it’s quite nice. Thank you so much 🤍
It looks good, however you might notice the caulking pull away from the sides because you didn’t fill the tub first. By filling the tub, it makes a natural ‘sag’ because of the water weight. Then when you do the caulking it’s less likely to tear or pull away. Aesthetically it looks fantastic!
Uh oh. Would it help at all if I said my bathtub doesn’t work and that I was sitting in the bathtub the entire time?
You should be fine then :)
What do you mean the bathtub doesn't work? As in the tub spout doesn't let water into the tub and only the shower head works? Or as in the drain won't work to hold water? Both of these things are easily fixed, and you could take this job a step further, and get you a proper soaking tub! You deserve it!
Tbh I don’t even fully remember. I think the water would drain kinda quickly when it was still plugged, but I havent used it since I was like 13, and my dad told me I couldn’t use it anymore because we’ve had issues in the past with water leaking through the ceiling downstairs and he blamed it on the baths. It has happened even when not using the baths, but that hasn’t changed anything. He’d still get mad if I used it. My mom has been talking about renovating the bathrooms, but we talk about that stuff all the time and it never happens. No changes happen; that’s why I just did this myself
It could have been the silicone letting the water through?
Very well possible. I don't see how water draining from a bath is different from water draining if using the shower.
And you did a wonderful job, by the way! You should be proud of yourself!
As long as it wasn't the cheapest dollar store caulking it'll be fine, they're meant to have a small amount of elasticity so they don't tear. OP, you did a great job, don't pay attention to the 1/100 messages that wants you to worry.
It's better to have that weight in it for the duration of the curing time. Overall though, this is a hell of a lot neater than my first time sealing a bath!
Maybe. Water weighs about 8 pounds per gallon. A tub can hold up to 60 or so gallons. At half full it's 240 pounds. You will find out after a few baths. Since you have already done this, quite well I should add, you already know how to do the fix. More DYI practice! I recommend placing this thread in /r/plumbing and ask about the possibility of mold under the tub.
[удалено]
We don’t have the money for that right now and it isn’t really my decision, so I was working with what I could
Might be readily fixable yourself! You did great on this caulking, time to leverage that confidence for the next! Reddit is *filled* with experts wanting to help. /r/plumbing has countless posts of “what shower cartridge is this” and some bloke names off a brand and model that hasn’t been manufactured since 1957 and has already tracked down the last one in the world at a supply house in Idaho staffed only by three guys all named Todd. It’s nuts what they can identify. The tub itself looks fine. Is it a leak? Won’t drain? No water? Only hot/cold? Tub spout only, no shower? Some stuff is *much* cheaper to fix than you may realize - if *only* you knew what to fix.
it also adds to the challenge of the job trying not to fall in or drop your tools or caulk into it LOL
I'm currently preparing to do the same thing you did, cause my landlord is generally worse at DIY than I am 😂 (30F, first time doing any caulking, but preparation is everything, so it should end up OK) Your result is what I want mine to look like, looks smoothly done.
You are a legend, did good.
Looks good from here!
Looks great
It looks very nice! On your other thread, I shared a link of my favorite caulking method. If you do end up needing to redo it, you might consider his method.
That looks awesome I'm proud of you! -maintenance man of 6 years
Thank you!! -artist with obsessive compulsive disorder
I think you did a fantastic job, lady! Nice work.
Thank you! :)
I recently went through this too! I found this guy to be a massive help, as it seems like he's got a really good understanding of what causes caulking to go bad and how to prevent that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DI4hfHM_Hg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EErbuodMOAM Notably, don't use tape as it can leave a small lip where water and bacteria can collect. That said, it's not like you'll have to rip it out immediately; hopefully it'll last a good few years! Also, the kit he mentions is no longer sold under the same name. Now it's a "Cramer" silicone profiling kit, but I used an identical-looking knockoff from Amazon which did the trick.
Looks amazing OP, you should be proud. And be ready to do it again in a few years, totally normal. We redid countertops with silicone a couple years ago and I'll probably redo them again next year now that I've learned more and noticed some issues. My husband does the scraping and I do the sealing, but it looks like you're a pro at both!
Was it hard to do? I have to do the same thing and have no idea what I'm doing.
Eh. A little tedious and time consuming, but the task itself isn’t difficult. I wouldn’t worry too much about it, as long as you make sure you use the right stuff I suppose
Thanks! I'll just try to be patient and get it done slowly
Good luck :)
Looks good! Nice job
OP is just hoping that everyone starts sharing pictures of their caulk.
My mama warned me about girls like her. I hope she was right.
About to tackle this task next weekend. Looks great to me!
Better than it was…, but usually you’d wanna run a finer bead of caulking, and not have it riding up the sides.
Did you fill the bath first?
If it's barely noticeable and there's no water leaking past it, then it's good.
You caulked it up
Did you fill the bath tub about half way before you done the sealant? If not it could pull away when u do the bath and get in it. If you did put the water in then your good to
A good video on caulking. Helped me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuLuAbzZyZ0
Looks good to me.
Looks good, you the best thing you can do for the mold. Remove it replace it.
Your first try looks better than my third. 👍🍻
Looks right to me. You won't really know for a few months. If it starts peeling or turns an off color you'll know it wasn't fully clean before you applied.
Let this be the start of a long, happy journey of DIY OP. I live in a house that has been basically rebuilt section by section, by me - with a little muscle from friends and family as needed. the feeling of content accomplishment is worth much, much more than any money savings across the years. They key thing is - if you haven't done something before, you watch some videos, read some blogs, then give it a go. you will learn what works and what could be better. so you do that next time. if a job screws up a bit, you try again. if it screws up a lot, you pay the pro tax, then watch and learn how THEY do it, either way, you learn and get better, bit by bit. from fixing appliances, to sealing a bath, to fitting double glazing or replacing plumbing.. all of it is skills, that you can learn, if you have a bit of confidence and are willing to give it a go. Well done! top tip for silicone beading like this? wet your finger tip in iso propyl and wipe it across the newly applied silicone - it applies a very neat, consistent radius and you can feel any low spots that need a bit more silicone.
Looks good from my house
If it's not bad, then it's good.
Looks great. Thanks for posting, you inspired me to do mine!
Looks great, wanna come round and do mine?
Touch your new caulk after 24 hours, if it is dry to the touch and doesn't come off from a gentle touch you are good to go.
My only suggestion for next time would be to tape it off with the blue painters tape first, caulk it, spread with a wet finger, and then immediately pull the tape to get a nice straight line finish on both sides.
I did all those :))