Is silicone the best caulk to use for a tub surround? I just finished tiling around my tub and it’s time to caulk the joint.
I’ve used silicone before, and it will get spots of mold or mildew in it eventually, even if you get the “tub and tile” caulk with inhibitors in it. Cleaning products won’t remove these spots once they get into the caulk. And then replacing that caulk is a major pain.
I see that Sashco has a “mildew free” sealant for tubs,(http://www.sashcosealants.com/Home_Improvement/MildewFree.aspx) but I haven’t heard anything about it from anyone.
Does it work? Anybody try it?
I would love to hear of any caulk that works well around a tub. I’m willing to pay for a product that works well.
Thanks!
Replies
I like using a mildew resistant latex caulk for tubs. I find that unless the tub and wall are perfectly clean, the silicone doesn't always adhere. Also, I've found that, for some reason, the silicone does seem to mold up faster than latexes.
Plus tooling the silicone is more of a PITA than latex.
Get a pneumatic caulking gun and you won't have to tool the caulk!
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
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Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
Dinosaur
I have never seen that product.
I have been unhappy with silicone and latex tub and tile caulk.
Owning rental properties I get to see first hand how tub caulks work. Most don't.
Rich
You might have to find a US analog for it; I don't think Mulco is distributed outside of Canada. Or if you know somebody in Canada you could ask them to ship you a few tubes.
It is a thermoplastic rubber-based sealant. IMO it is far, far better than either latex or silicone: sticks better, extrudes better, lasts longer, does not dry out and crack, is stronger, and retains elasticity for well beyond the 20-year guarantee.
You know how hard it is to get old nasty caulk off things? I have changed out tubs, sinks, showers, doors, windows that were caulked in with Flextra over 20 years ago...and all I had to do was get a knife under one corner and lift enough to get a solid grip. Then start pulling--It will stretch three times as far as a rubber band but it won't break...and it won't shred the substrate as it peels off, either. The whole bead of caulk comes off smoothly in one long, elastic string.
Costs about $6 per tube. Well worth it.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
Thanks! How is Flextra with mold and mildew? If it's easy to replace, I guess it doesn't matter so much if it gets moldy. You just replace it. But it would be nice if you could go 5 years or more before you would have to do that.
It is extremely resistant to mould and mildew.
I've been using this product on jobs for over twenty years and have never seen it go mouldy. I use it on my own house, too. My own shower door is caulked with Flextra; I did that installation in 1986. The caulk is in perfect shape. No leaks, no cracks, no chalking, no mould. And still flexible.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
Dino,I discovered that rubber based caulk when I moved to Southern Ontario about six years ago.The product is in a class of it's own,,,,,, the best caulking I've ever used.In Ontario ( I understand) your meant to get some kind of certification to use it. I guess you take a test on line and pay 10 bucks or something,,, I'm not certified, and you don't need to show anything to buy it.I don't recall ever seeing that caulk in the states,,,,, but I have not lived there in 20 years,,,,, so I don't know about now.I have always been suprized that I never saw it mentioned in various "caulking discussions" that seem to come up regularly here on BT.Harry
I've never heard of any province requiring a certification for caulking. If one was going to do that, I'd have expected Québec to be the first, LOL (here, you have to take a 'training course' to get a buss-boy's competence card!!).
Mulco markets this product under two different names: Flextra (the consumer version; available in every RONA and BMR) and Supra (available only from contractors' supply houses). The product itself is identical under both labels; the only difference is that the Supra line has a few more colours available.
I don't think it's available retail in the U.S. Possibly by mail order from a Canadian supply house. I also don't know if a US-made equivalent product exists. I've never heard of one. (As far as I can determine, Flextra is based on the Kraton family of thermoplastic rubbers, but that's more of a guess than a determination.)
Mulco was bought by Sico Paints a number of years ago; both are Québec-based companies and all their products are manufactured here.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
Well, I tried to find somewhere in the US that carries Flextra, but so far no luck.I did see that Sashco has a "co-polymer rubber-based sealant" called Lexel. It's not a "thermoplastic rubber-based sealant" like you recommend, but maybe it's similar? I'm no chemist.
As I said, I'm not that sure myself. I did a bit of web-research and it seems to be based on a Kraton TPE (thermo-plastic elastomer)...but I'm no plastics chemist either.
I hate to suggest it, but try calling a Home Depot in Ontario and see if they'll sell you some Flextra by mail order. According to the main HD website, they sell Mulco products in the stores but they're not in the on-line catalogue.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
Butyl rubber caulk.
Look for the Silka brand though there are others.
Siding and roofing jobbers carry it.
Beware, it is a BEAR to tool if you don't get it right.
Bring lots of mineral spirits.[email protected]
Warning
While I understand this Mulco product is very good, I noticed that the label says outdoor use. I emailed the company to check on tub use and they responded as below.
Thank you for your interest in AkzoNobel products. In answer to your question, those products cannot be applied for interior use. They can be hazardous to your health. We do not recommend applying them indoor.
Sincerely,
AkzoNobel customer service department
Dale
Dale,
Thanks for updating this thread and for your report back from the manufacturer of that product.
You'd be best served to go to Breaktime Classic and tell Dino-he doesn't stop here anymore and would probably like to know the information.
thanks.
I've been using Phenoseal for the last 20 years or so and it simply works great: http://www.phenoseal.com/homepage.aspx
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