Hi all,
We’re finishing our home ourselves, slowly, but we’ve hit a snag.
What is the best way to finish where the drywall meets the one piece tub/shower that we have just installed? There is a space between the acrylic and the drywall. Do we paint first or seal?
Similarly the shower unit has drywall compound coming right to the surface of the unit.
We’re not clear on what will be the best waterproof seal.
Ideas, please?
Thanks,
Soondon
Replies
I've done that and used a good silicone sealant, in a color to match either the painted drywall, or the gelcoat or acrylic surface of the shower unit.
It is hard for me to get good results caulking a show-joint like this, unless I carefully mask both surfaces first. Masking makes it go real well, though.
Getting the tape in a dead-straight line, mask both sides to a margin of 3/16-inch or so of the joint. Press the tape on well after running it on, so there are no unstuck edges along the joint. Apply the silicone, not too much, not too little. Use your finger or a silicone fillet tool to get a smooth fillet.
The trick is to get that fillet way down into the joint, not lapping the fillet out onto the tape. Lapping too much out onto the tape will result in a raised edge when you remove the tape.
Remove the tape right away after silicone application and fillet tooling.
Edit: the tools shown here are good for finishing joints.
View Image
Gene Davis, Davis Housewrights, Inc., Lake Placid, NY
Edited 6/19/2005 10:49 pm ET by Ima Wannabe
Thanks,
I'll have a look for these at building supplies. Getting those beads even is tough.
Steady and slow,
soondon
use a good paintable silicone ...
dip your finger tip in alchol or thinner ... or mineral spirits before "tooling"
and "tool" quick. Don't give it even a long second to set up.
Or ... paint first ... then use an even better clear silicone using the same tooling advice. You'll be amazed at how much a finger wetted with mineral spirits helps.
That ... and keep the tube cut as small as possible .. and angle the cut at the tip.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Just wanted to thank-you for your advice. This sounds really helpful.
Been working on a deck so still haven't finished the tub.
soondon
There are 3 tricks we use around here:
use paper-faced L-bead at the point of contact; similarly use a plastic J-bead. Both these keep the 'mud' away from the water, and you've only a fine gap to fill. Lastly, use a nice piece of trim - about the size of stop, for inst - either painted or stained to match the decor, placed over that gap.
And buy a pair of those little triangular guards that go on the o/s rim of the tub to stop water running down the D/W below.
cheers
***I'm a contractor - but I'm trying to go straight!***
I don't like using anything unpaintable because paint often gets on it in a future repainting, then peels off looking really bad. I use siliconized acrylic latex for such things, trying to keep the bead as small as possible. The drywall compound should be fairly tight agains the fiberglass, the caulking merely a tiny bead to cover the hairline crack resulting from the drywall compound not adhering well to the fiberglass.
the rough edge of the drwall should be capped with J moulding which is then coated with compound, after painting it can be caulked to the shower
caulking is not a piece of trim