Take Old Nasty Caulk Off Of Ceramic Tub

Replaced caulk every few months.

Take old nasty caulk off of ceramic tub. A small bottle of liquid caulk remover costs 10 to 20 and will remove about 20 linear feet of caulk enough for most bathtubs. Scrub the grout and then rinse off the mold killer with water and let it dry. After few months remove caulk and observe black mold. Allows water to escape and evaporate.

Simplify old moldy caulk removal by applying special caulk remover over the caulk to soften it and break the bond. Test a small area with the wider bead of caulk. Then simply scrape the old caulk away. Clean the surfaces one last time with mineral spirits.

Once the old caulk is gone remove any loose grout between the walls and the tub or shower floor. This chemical remover destroys the bond between the old caulk and the tile tub or sink making it very easy to pry out of cracks and crevices. And if you get too aggressive you ll chip a tile or mar the tub finish. You can apply a wider bead of new caulk which covers the old bead and sticks to the uncaulked surfaces on both sides.

Myth of the caulk industry. I learned the hard way. Grout at transition or nothing is best method. Caulk does not keep water out.

Don t apply new caulking over old caulk. It s not always necessary to remove old caulk before applying new. Clean the surface of the bead and surrounding areas with rubbing alcohol to get rid of as much oil as possible. Removing silicone caulk residue effectively is a two or three part process.

Use a hair dryer to speed the drying. Caulk is grossly misused. In fact using this method you can finish the task in seconds. Tried all types of caulk.

Chemical caulk removers can cause damage to the surrounding tile and countertop surfaces. Scraping out moldy caulk from around a bathtub is a tough tedious job. Cut a small portion of the tip off the tube and squeeze a bead of caulk out to test the width of the bead against the area you are caulking the bathroom. Softening the residue by prolonged exposure to mineral spirits loosens its bond with the substrate.