[robinlynn65]

We are having to redo the caulking around our shower unit on a regular basis. The caulking keeps drying up and coming out. So we were advised to buy GE Silicone II 100% silicone sealant. We applied this 24 hours ago and it will not set up. It still feels wet and we are afraid to shower, thinking something's just not right with this sealant. It says on the tube that it can be used for tubs and showers.

Any advise? Did we use the wrong thing, and is there something better out there to use?

[Milo Dolezal]

Caulking is not as easy as it may seem. There are some basic points you have to follow for caulking to stick and to last for years.

Can you post few photos of your caulking job ? What kind/type of caulking did you use ?

[massplumber2008]

Hi all:

If there was any moisture present when you caulked... that's the problem. You cannot have any moisture, not even a little present before caulking.. will keep it from drying as you know now... ;)

Best bet here will be to go away for a couple days and see if this will dry up. If not, then you will need to remove the caulking and start from scratch. Here, you remove the caulking, dry all up, then you apply some isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) to the area to be caulked to speed evaporation and to increase the ability of the new caulking to adhere to the shower tile/base, etc.

I would also recommend that you use a hair dryer to speed the evaporation if moisture is present. Do not use on the undried caulking... simply won't help! But if you redo this, remove the caulk, apply alcohol, let evaporate, dry area a bit with a hair dryer, let dry overnight, apply alcohol again and then let that evaporate before applying the new caulk and you may have half a chance at getting this to bond.

In my opinion, the very best caulk for showers is 1 HOUR SHOWER READY CAULK... check it out at the following link:

GE Silicone II* KB Supreme


Let us know if you have any questions here...

MARK

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