I am refurbishing a 50’s ranch style bathroom with mosaic tile floors. Once I got the crappy self-stick DIY vinyl tile and it’s adheasive off the original tile, the 50’s mosaic tile floor looks very nice.
However, in the process, I’ve removed ropes of silicon caulk from around the floor’s borders with the wall tile, and I now have a fairly uniform 1/8″ gap between the edge of the tile floor and the j-tile ceramic baseboard transition to the wall tile.
Question??
– do I fill this gap between the floor and wall tile with grout?
or…
– do I fill the gap nearly to the top with thinset and then grout it?
or..
– do I just fill most of the gap with backer rod and then reapply silicon caulk?
None of the above?
Thanks!
Mike D
Replies
In the past most grouted, I have been taught/told that any time you change planes to caulk. You should be able to get sanded caulk to match color and texture. Actually I guess the mating of the tiles to the j (radiused) base is not truly a change of plane though. I would think that wall and floor would have different expansion characteristics though. Think proper caulk (not silicone IMHO) is the best.
Edited 2/19/2009 10:23 am ET by rasconc
What rasconc said. The cool thing about grout matching caulk is you can tool it just like grout. Lay bead, squash with finger, tool with your grout sponges. If I've got the time, I'll caulk first on a new tile job.
Used to use silicone, still would in some cases, but in any light water contact like you're describing sanded caulk it the shizzle.
Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.
Thanks for the input. I was leaning towards grout before I asked.
I wound up caulking the border with GE white silicon because the floor gets wet pretty frequently, what with bathing grandchildren and grandpa mopping. I figure that the silicon will hold up to the soaking better than non-silicon caulk. I ran a very fine bead, pushed well down into the seam and rounded with a little rubber tipped tool the borg sells. Cleaned up with mineral spirits. It looks fine.
Mike D
I always use sanded siliconized matching caulk. Good quality stuff...not Home Depot junk. Good quality sanded caulk can't be beat! I even use it to seal the drains in my shower stalls instead of thinset b/c I think it's better being it's "waterproof". Nothing soaks into it like the way it does in thinset.
I'd have to say it's most important in shower areas. In dry areas I use grout a lot of the time. When I do my tile work I make sure to stuff my corners with thinset so I don't have to load it up all the way with grout.
I also leave a tube of color matched sanded caulk for the customers as well as some extra grout. If in the future hairline cracks appear the can then use the caulking. It wouldn't take much....
http://www.cliffordrenovations.com
http://www.ramdass.org
Thanks,
I'll have to ask our local tile supplier about siliconized sanded caulk - I've not noticed it before and didn't know such existed. I've got another bathroom floor to restore, so the info will be put to good use.
Mike D
This is the "junk" that I get at Home Depot. I love the stuff.
Heres the pic
I've used that exact stuff..in fact I have a tube in my truck..$6 a tube. the good stuff I use in shower stalls cost me at a discount almost $12 a tube.
http://www.cliffordrenovations.com
http://www.ramdass.org
I just saw this thread. I just asked the same question. Sounds like people prefer to caulk. I'll have to check out this sanded caulk. Can someone explain why the caulk has sand in it.
Sorry, I lean towards grouting. I think it looks better. But I do apply caulk around bathtubs.
Sanded caulk looks more like sanded grout... it's a texture thing. I'd caulk a tradional mud bed in a shower because the drainage can flow behind the caulk and get captured/directed by the drain pan.
I don't like caulk at tub/wall intersection any more than caulking the bottom of a rake wall's siding to the roofing shingles. There is no outlet (mortar bed) to drain the water that gets behind the tile. Why would I want to hold the water IN to feed funky organic growths? A La Carte Government funding... the real democracy.
I read on the john bridge forum that the cove base tile on the wall will crack when the house "moves" if they are bonded to the floor tile with thinset or grout.
I used the polyblend sanded grout caulk from home depot and it worked fine.
Karl