Ok, I have caulked tubs along the wall many of times in my life. But, I have never had this problem. The caulk even after curing for 36 hours seems to melt after just a couple days. I becomes liquid again, just as if it was out of the tube. I am so confused. It is a jacuzzi style tub with tiled walls. Most of the grout is gone along the base and I removed all the old nasty caulk. Then it was allowed to dry for about 24 hours before the silicone caulk was applied. Any suggestions?

-G

Hey G...

I have seen this happen a number of different times over the years... :)

My guess here is that somehow... someway... moisture is present... I know that didn't help much did it??

I have seen it where someone used the tub too early, or showed a friend the work and turned on tub/shower for just a second... ;) I've seen it where moisture had accumulated so much behind the wall... even when grouted pretty good... that it took days to dry the area... that kind of stuff.

As much as I wanted it to be the caulking...it never really was!! 'Course...never know..could be the caulking here...never rule anything out with remodeling!!

Otherwise, may be a leak behind the wall somewhere. If tub valve in the wall remove the trim plate and look behind the wall and if there is an access panel in a closet or at the front apron of the tub open these up and take a good look around near trouble areas.

My advice here (if no leaks) is to clean the mess up real well.. then let it dry for a couple days. Then take some tissue paper and work it along the area to be caulked and be absolutely sure there is no additional moisture. Then I would use a hair dryer to dry it some more... then I would use some isopropyl alcohol to clean/disinfect area (evaporates very quickly... this step improves adhesion.. I promise) and then I would caulk this baby up with some new anti-microbial (or mildew-resistant) caulking.

Let me know what you think...

MARK

What type / brand of caulk is it ?

I have tried it twice now, with two different types one mutli purpose and one for showers and tubs. Both were the DAP brand.

I cannot imagine what's going wrong with your caulk. Or perhaps with application ? Ok, Use ALEX latex caulk with silicone (Blue Lettering, not green ). Cost: $1.97 a tube at Home Depot. It can be applied with some moisture present and it smooths out nicely as well...

Hello, for what it is worth here is my take. I do allot of re caulking and the first thing I do is to make sure what I am caulking is completely prepped clean and free of any old caulk or foreign matter. I like to use denatured alcohol to break the old caulk down and for ease of removal. When I open my caulk I keep the opening as small as possible, it makes it allot easier to control where the caulk goes. You should do all of your narrow work and if you have any large gaps do them last and open the caulk tube tip accordingly. Finally when cleaning caulk be sure not to break the bond between the caulk and tile. The edge of the caulk is thin and the adhesion is easily compromised with excessive pressure or abrasion. If this happens the caulk will trap and hold moisture that will initiate mold and mildew growth. I would use a box fan to dry the area out it may take a couple of days. In this area I would use a 100% silicone to produce the seal you need. The caulk has to be bad there is no other explanation, get it out of here. You can see some of my handy work at Precision Grout & Caulk (http://www.precisiongrout.com/our_work) if you have a question email me and I will do my best to answer it.

We never had a problem with Dap White Tub and Tile Caulk in any of our new construction. Mark covered just about all the possibilities. A great post by Groutman. Cheers, Tom

Welcome aboard !

Did this ever get resolved? I am having the same problem at my house. I cleaned out old caulk. Let the bathroom dry out for a week. Applied Dap kwik seal and a couple of days later, cottage cheese. Is the problem that the stuff is getting wet and dissolving? Guess what, it's a shower and it is going to get wet. I am getting frustrated.