Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - Caulking between tub and tub walls
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Jwhitman
03-25-09, 03:05 AM
I installed a tub wall kit recently and the install went well. I waited 5 days to take the first shower and with-in 3 days one area od the caulking between the tub and the wall started to peal off the tub side and then as I scratched it with my finger nail it flacked away. I cleaned the area up and re-applied
( Perhaps a bad spot in the tube) This time I put a oil heater in the tub and let the caulking cure for 7 days. Then began showering again. 5 days later another area started to do the same thing. The caulking appears to be not staying stuck on the tub side. This is seemed to be why the first time this occured. I thought perhaps the tub was too cold, causing it not to stick well. Prior to showering the caulking in both cases looked real good. Any ideas on what might be happening? The tub doesn't appear to be moving. I read where some folks recommend filling the tub with water while the caulking sets. I really am having a hard time knowing what to do next. Any ideas would be appreciated. I am using polysealseam kitchen and bath Ultra. I have applied caulking and silicone for years and never have encoutered such trouble. :confused:
Thanks,
J
( Perhaps a bad spot in the tube) This time I put a oil heater in the tub and let the caulking cure for 7 days. Then began showering again. 5 days later another area started to do the same thing. The caulking appears to be not staying stuck on the tub side. This is seemed to be why the first time this occured. I thought perhaps the tub was too cold, causing it not to stick well. Prior to showering the caulking in both cases looked real good. Any ideas on what might be happening? The tub doesn't appear to be moving. I read where some folks recommend filling the tub with water while the caulking sets. I really am having a hard time knowing what to do next. Any ideas would be appreciated. I am using polysealseam kitchen and bath Ultra. I have applied caulking and silicone for years and never have encoutered such trouble. :confused:
Thanks,
J
Just Bill
03-25-09, 04:27 PM
Was the polyseamseal recommended or supplied by the manufacturer?? Some caulk will not stick to some plastics, and while it does not seem that the wall do not move, most plastics expand/contract considerably with only small temp changes. Check manufacturers recommendation and try again. Be sure to clean all surfaces with alcohol to remove skin and other oils.
Jwhitman
03-26-09, 03:55 AM
Manufacture of the caulking said the caulking should work with the plastic. I called and confirmed thru two seperate channels. The last contact and after sending pictures it was determined the caulking was too old. They got the info from the number on the tube. So Polyseamseal is sending me enough to redue the entire job. I sure hope it works.
Thanks,
J
Thanks,
J
Capable_Wife
04-03-09, 06:53 PM
I installed a tub wall kit recently and the install went well. I waited 5 days to take the first shower and with-in 3 days one area of the caulking between the tub and the wall started to peel off the tub side and then as I scratched it with my finger nail it flaked away. I cleaned the area up and re-applied
( Perhaps a bad spot in the tube) This time I put a oil heater in the tub and let the caulking cure for 7 days. Then began showering again. 5 days later another area started to do the same thing. The caulking appears to be not staying stuck on the tub side. This is seemed to be why the first time this occurred. I thought perhaps the tub was too cold, causing it not to stick well. Prior to showering the caulking in both cases looked real good. Any ideas on what might be happening? The tub doesn't appear to be moving. I read where some folks recommend filling the tub with water while the caulking sets. I really am having a hard time knowing what to do next. Any ideas would be appreciated. I am using polysealseam kitchen and bath Ultra. I have applied caulking and silicone for years and never have encountered such trouble. :confused:
Thanks,
J
Welcome to the wonderful world of plastic tub surrounds. I have the same problem with mine...I get the joy of recaulking it once a month or so. You can change the caulk type, make sure it was made yesterday, or even have a pro do it...doesn't seem to matter, you'll still have to redo it pretty regularly. I'm going to replace mine with tile. You might want to do the same. Or they make a tub/surround that is all one piece, that might be something to look into also. My in-laws put those in when they built their house a couple of years ago and they seem to be holding up fairly well.
I think it has to do with certain homes....in our house when we were kids we NEVER had caulking issues, but we moved in here we've had nothing BUT caulking issues.
( Perhaps a bad spot in the tube) This time I put a oil heater in the tub and let the caulking cure for 7 days. Then began showering again. 5 days later another area started to do the same thing. The caulking appears to be not staying stuck on the tub side. This is seemed to be why the first time this occurred. I thought perhaps the tub was too cold, causing it not to stick well. Prior to showering the caulking in both cases looked real good. Any ideas on what might be happening? The tub doesn't appear to be moving. I read where some folks recommend filling the tub with water while the caulking sets. I really am having a hard time knowing what to do next. Any ideas would be appreciated. I am using polysealseam kitchen and bath Ultra. I have applied caulking and silicone for years and never have encountered such trouble. :confused:
Thanks,
J
Welcome to the wonderful world of plastic tub surrounds. I have the same problem with mine...I get the joy of recaulking it once a month or so. You can change the caulk type, make sure it was made yesterday, or even have a pro do it...doesn't seem to matter, you'll still have to redo it pretty regularly. I'm going to replace mine with tile. You might want to do the same. Or they make a tub/surround that is all one piece, that might be something to look into also. My in-laws put those in when they built their house a couple of years ago and they seem to be holding up fairly well.
I think it has to do with certain homes....in our house when we were kids we NEVER had caulking issues, but we moved in here we've had nothing BUT caulking issues.