Re-caulk/re-grout shower pan and tile help... (pic)

[pittpanther]

Hello all - we have a 4 year old home. Last year around this time, we re-sealed the seam between our shower pan and the tile because the original seam became quite moldy. We stripped the original seam and then cleaned thoroughly with bleach. After drying, we re-applied a silicone for shower/bath from Dap. We then let it dry for a week before using. However, the newly applied silicone is probably more moldy today than what we replaced last year - leading me to believe we did something wrong, or used the wrong product. Here is a pic from today:



Should we have used grout instead of silicone? What exact steps should we follow to do this job correctly?

Thanks!

[pittpanther]

Just wanted to follow up on this post... can anyone provide any guidance?

Thanks again!

[HotinOKC]

Hmmm, I must have overlooked this thread. Sorry about that.

I would completely remove all the bad caulking and clean thoroughly and allow to completely dry, at least 48hrs, before applying a new bead of silicone.

Do you remember how that tub was constructed, i.e. what are the tiles bonded too, etc?

[JazMan]

Yup, we're suspecting the walls are saturated because of wrong materials used or bad methods, probably both. (they often go together).

The new caulk trapped moisture from escaping and now it shows. Silicone caulk would probably make it even worse.

Jaz

[pittpanther]

Thanks both for the responses (I was not subscribed to the thread, so I just now stumbled onto them!)

To answer your question(s) - I am not sure what the tiles are bonded to. Based on our overall experience with our home-builder, it would not surprise me if they followed incorrect methods anywhere/everywhere. With that said, I do have a couple of follow up questions.

We are planning on removing all of the caulk/silicone - once we do, what should we use to clean it? Once cleaned, how long would you recommend allowing it to completely dry (48 hours ok)? Lastly, once dried, what would you recommend sealing it with (silicone the best choice)?

Thanks again for all of the help!

[HotinOKC]

Hi!

Just scrub it with some bleach and water, allow to dry completely (48hrs should be good), and reseal with 100% silicone.

100% silicone is a little more of a pain in the rear to work with, but it's better. They do have color matching, so you might have to look around for it.

[condo-owner]

if you can get behind that wall = cut a hole in the bedroom wall, for example. and inspect from behind. i would do that. you may be fighting a lost battle.

btw. our builder wasn't so goo, either. lots of cheap crap and poor workmanship.

[HeresJohnny]

Just recaulking might not help. You need to find out whats going on there. Whats behind the tile. If its drywall instead of cement board, its likely saturated and will never dry out. All you'll be doing is traping moisture behind the caulk, and you already know what that looks like after a short period of time. Cut a whole in the wall from the back as condo suggested and see what you have there.