I did two tile surrounds in the bathroom and masked the wall and floor trying to lay a clean bead of silicone on the bottom joint. I thought I was working quickly, but when I went to smooth the bead with my finger the silicone began too harden leaving little ridges. I was just a little bitter after carefully masking and laying in an awkward position in tight confines.
Is it not possible to run another bead on top? I thought I read here, that it’s not possible. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks
Replies
Sometimes older caulk will exhibit this characteristic. Get the best quality caulk you can find. Pay the extra buck. Learn this as a pattern. You get what you pay for. Cut back the caulk that you have placed with a razor or whatever it takes, as far down as is reasonable. Apply the new caulk on top. It is a good idea to make sure everything is completely dry and clean before you apply new caulk.
I've done a lot of caulking and have learned not to let applied silicone caulk sit too long before tooling. I usually do a couple of feet at a time. 'Regular' caulk is more forgiving since you can moisten it a bit and re-strike the joints. Silicone doesn't give you that option, so work smaller areas wherever possible. Bob.
I second Les' comment: cut back the original caulk and redo. And when you start that redo of caulk, mebbe clip less off the caulk tip so as to not need to run yer finger on it much to begin with? Watch your caulk gun angle... (my best beads continue to be those I don't need to "touch")
I would recommend an acrylic latex caulk for those joints... polyseamseal or alex plus. Easy to work with and a damp rag cleans up. Plumbers use these caulks to set sinks and grout caulks are the same thing. Silicone is a great adhesive... I try to avoid using it where it will be seen since it doesn't lay out well. Sometimes you can get a very small bead in nicely, but put your finger in it and you're sunk.
My plumber told me that he uses latex caulk rather than silicone because it's easier to wipe off the excess. He didn't say anything about performance, so I assume that he didn't care what happened after a year or so.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
I have heard silicone will not adhere to silicone. And I have seen it delaminate when done that way in wet areas, since then I have been sold on Lexel. It says it will stick to itself, "unlike silicone" .
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Thanks for the theories. I guess 5 minutes is too long. I used GE silicone II I think. I thought silicone was the only choice for that joint. By the way, does anyone know if pewter colored caulk is available to match grout?
Colored caulk ... I don't know about pewter, but my tile supplier carries Custom brand and they have about 2 dozen caulks that match their grout colors. I have used three of them, matching color names, and they are very, very close.
I think Dal-Tile has colored caulk as well.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
Ed ...
here's a tile trick I came up with ...
if you have the time ... hold off on buying the caulk ... when grouting ... make a little ball of grout and set it aside ...
after that sets ... take it to the tile store ... or the tile/grout aisle at HD ...
and flip the tubes upside down ... there's usually a little residue of cured grout caulk on the bottom of the tube where the plasitic bottom is squished into the tube ...
as we all know ... the cured color can be different than the wet or labeled color.
Lotsa times I get a much better match than going by the labels.
Not every tube will have the squirt out ... sometimes ya gotta flip a coupla tubes ...
JeffBuck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
Yep... trim it out as much as possible and do it again... sorry.
One of these days, someone will come up with a caulking tip that tools as you go... hmmm... maybe an idea to make a million or two?
I don't think fresh silicone works with cured ... like someone else said ...
but for next time ... dip your finger in some mineral spirits as you tool the joint ...
it'll make those bumps go away ...
Jeff
Buck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry