Grout Or Caulk Between Tile And Tub
Hence the puzzlement of why one can t clean caulk that appears to be sound.
Grout or caulk between tile and tub. His explanation makes sense. Caulk traps moisture that s behind it by not allowing it to evaporate. As a home settles however grout can crack. Skip to content toll free 1 877 tiledoc 845 3362.
If the tub tile connection is caulked the water cannot wick out through the bottom grout joint and moisture builds up and is able to feed the mold that eventually develops. I am sure you have all seen that grey discolored staining of the caulk that you would swear is behind the caulk where it cannot be cleaned off. Grout fills the joints between tiles. Then once it gets wet for a while the caulk basically turns to gooo and can be wiped away.
Do cut the tube of caulk the right length. Learn the difference between grout and caulk and see why tile doctor s epoxy grout is the best option for grouting projects. And then there s this from a home inspector. Where grout is just good for bonding together tile caulk is good for creating a seal between multiple materials say between glass tiles and a porcelain tub.
Caulk is a sealant typically made of silicone or acrylic material. After caulking the tub tile joint with a bathroom silicon and letting it sit for at least 2 days empty tub it all seems to have hardened and looks good. Caulk will also flex much more than grout and will not crack and break when there is movement in the caulked areas. If this happens in your home remove the grout and replace it with caulk.
Let the area dry the area for the minimum of what the moldicide recommends which is usually at least 24 hours before applying new caulk. Caulking is much more water tight and will not allow water to get between the tile planes and leak behind the shower. Or where the edge of a tile meets the wall. Grout keeps the tiles from.
The sole purpose of grout is to fill the spaces between tiles after the tiles have been glued in place on a floor or on a wall. Grout not caulk where tile meets tub. Caulking tubes are designed to apply pressure to the caulking within them so that you can squeeze out a bead of caulk with ease and precision. That moisture is coming from behind the tiled wall.