One of the most asked questions by do-it-yourselfer’s is whether they should use caulk or grout in the corners. Industry standards state that a flexible material be used at all changes of plane. But! – if you ask a hundred different professionals you will more than likely receive fifty of each answer. While there are pros and cons of each, I am in the camp that uses caulk. That being the case, I will discuss using grout first. I’m backwards like that.
Using Grout at Changes of Plane
While the phrase “changes of plane” may sound a bit uppity or technical – it’s not. It simply describes the corner or edge of any surface that changes direction such as a corner, a wall to a floor, or a wall to the tub edge. Many professionals simply grout that corner as they do any other space between the tiles. There are a couple of things that must be taken into consideration before choosing this method.
- Your walls and the framing of your shower must be absolutely rock solid. I do mean absolutely. Grout is a cement-based product and as such is not meant to flex. If your wall moves your grout will eventually crack – it’s that simple.
- The space between the tiles at the change of plane must be large enough (for sanded grout) or small enough (for non-sanded grout) to be able to support the grout. That simply means that if you are using sanded grout you cannot butt the tiles against each other at the corner and expect to be able to force grout into it. It will not stay if the grout has no grout line to hold onto – if it is simply attempting to grab onto the face of the tiles at a 90 degree angle. There must be a grout line at the changes of plane.
- You must decide you are going to use grout at the changes of plane before you install the tile. You can then make sure to leave a line for the grout as well as adding additional support for any spots that may move even the tiniest bit (which it should not do anyway).
If you have taken the above points into consideration and still decide to use grout in the corners – go ahead. The big advantages of using grout here is that it will match all the grout lines and it will never have to be replaced. So although extra care must be taken to properly use grout at your plane changes, the advantages for some people are worth the extra time.
Using Caulk at Changes of Plane
There are several advantages to using caulk in corners and any other area where there may be a plane change or where tile meets another material such as your bathtub or sink.
- Unlike grout you are able to use caulk in a corner where tiles are butted against each other. It will stick to the face of the tile rather than needing a space between the tiles to grab.
- Caulk is flexible. If there is any movement the caulk is flexible enough to move with it and remain in place. It will not crack out or fall off.
- Caulk is waterproof – grout is not. Water will collect in corners such as where your tile meets the tub more than it will on the face of the tile.
- If your caulk does crack out or need to be replaced it is easily done.
The only two disadvantages to using caulk instead of grout are that you need to periodically remove and replace the caulk and, depending on your choice of grout, you may not be able to find a caulk that matches exactly. The first reason I consider to simply be regular maintenance and the latter is less of a problem since most major grout manufacturers sell matching caulk.
When to Use Grout
The only time I will use grout for a plane change is when I am using epoxy grout. Epoxy grout is bulletproof! OK, maybe it’s not bulletproof but you can hit it with a hammer a couple of times before it chips. (Don’t do that.) If you are using epoxy go ahead and grout the corners and changes of plane as well. Although it is not flexible it will grab the tile well enough to prevent it from splitting or cracking out. Precautions must still be taken but the Epoxy is strong enough to withstand normal structural movement.
How to Decide
Given the above parameters I believe caulk to always be the best choice. What you must understand about tile installation is no matter where you are installing the tile, it is always a structure that moves, no matter how minutely. Concrete moves, (the ground beneath it) that’s why it has expansion joints – to control where the movement goes. Most shower installations are over a wood structure of some sort. Whether you have drywall, backerboard, or a membrane, if you go far enough behind the tile, you’ll find wood. Wood moves, it’s just a fact of life. Humidity, weather, even the structure’s foundation all affect how much it moves. By taking proper precautions you can minimize the movement, but it’s still gonna move. Taking structural movement into consideration caulk is, for me, the logical choice.
Hi, This is my first time to your site and I find it to be very informative. Thanks!
I need your advice, it would be very much appreciated.
I am replacing the silicone around my tub. When removing the old silicone, the space between the tub and tile was filled with grout.
When i removed the old silicone/caulking, chunks of the grout were loose so I removed them. Some pieces of grout were intact so I left them. There are large gaps between the chunks of grout. I tried to stuff some pieces of wood in the gaps.
Here’s the problem: When I go to smooth the silicone it disappears into the gap even though I tried to fill it. The gaps are deep. Can I use window putty to fill the gaps? I could re-grout it though I don’t have the grey grout and prefer not to buy a big bag …. I do have other grout ….. then silicone over the grout as it was previously.
I have read/heard that you cannot silicone over silicone because it will not adhere. I have also heard the opposite – that you can silicone over silicone. Hmmmmm.
If I can silicone over silicone should I try to squeeze some under the tiles, let it dry, then silicone it again? Should I remove the intact grout?
Thank you,
Marilyn
Hi Marilyn,
You can silicone over silicone, but the bead won’t adhere nearly as long as it would installing directly to tile. The grout that is in that space really should be removed. Those two different materials (tile and tub) will move at different rates – grout cannot compensate for that. Silicone can. The grout that you left in there will eventually crack out like the other and compromise the seal of your silicone prematurely. If you still have pieces of wood in that gap they NEED to be removed. Wood swells when wet, that’s gonna cause you all kinds of problems.
If you have a large space you can use some ‘backer rod’ in there. It is available at big box stores. It looks like a 3/8″ tube of styrofoam which you can stuff in there to take up space.
I stumbled on your site and have learned so much. Thanks for sharing. I am about to re-caulk the corner in my shower for a second time and wonder if I’m doing something wrong. The contractor originally grouted the corner and then ran a thin bead of caulk over it. Well <surprise>, it cracked before I even started using the shower. So, I dug out all the grout and filled it with Laticrete acrylic caulk. After daily usage for one year, I noticed the caulk starting to pull away from the tile – just a hair line crack, but enough to let water through. I know this because the other side of wall (unfinished project) is still open studs and water was collecting in the lip of shower pan. There are no weep holes at bottom to let it out. So, I dug out the 1 year old caulk and it just did not seem flexible. I am about to re-caulk it with a new tube of laticrete acrylic caulk again, but wonder if I got a bad tube last time, or should I use something more flexible? Maybe the Laticrete silicone caulk (latasil?), but it doesn’t come in my matching color. Can I fill with any color silicone and top it with the acrylic caulk in the correct color?
Hey John,
You did not get a bad tube last time – you simply got acrylic caulk. Acrylic-based caulks lose flexibility over time, all of them. The amount of movement in your wall (normal seasonal movements) will determine how long it lasts. Caulk and silicone both are meant to be replaced periodically so it’s completely normal. Acrylic caulks should be replaced about every 2-3 years so one year is a bit short, but the fact that is was first grouted tells me the contractor may not have followed all the standards with your installation. Did he install the shower pan (or tub) as well?
Your best bet would be silicone – and latasil is a good one. So it Tec brand, they may have one that matches your grout. Silicone does not lose flexibility nearly as fast as acrylic-based caulks. It remains flexible for up to ten years or so. Going over it with the colored caulk won’t work – caulk doesn’t stick to silicone. (Silicone does stick to caulk, though
). What brand and color of grout do you have? I can probably let you know what to get that will match.
Hi Roger,
Thanks for the quick reply! We turned a bedroom into a new bathroom and although this is a 100+ year old house, the 2 walls making the corner for the shower are new 2×4 framing with HardiBacker concrete board glued and screwed to the studs. I have an acrylic shower pan and the entire wall is tiled. The contractor did all the work. Since this is an old house, I would not be surprised to find the wall is moving slightly, but then again, these are new walls. The horizontal caulk line between the shower pan and tile is perfect – it is just the vertical / corner where the 2 walls meet that is cracking. Maybe I didn’t overlap the caulk enough onto the face of the tile because it cracked where it only made contact with the side edge. Next time, I will use the painters tape trick and put on a heavier or wider bead.
I have Laticrete PermaColor grout in Light Pewter. I would love to get 10 years out of this job, rather than 2 or 3 (or just one!). Maybe if I can’t find the right color, I can top the light pewter acrylic caulk with clear silicone?
…John
The only thing Light Pewter cross-references to is Mapei Alabaster, but the don’t make the mapesil (100% silicone) in that color. You can use the Latasil #78 Sterling Silver – it’s a little bit darker but still a better option than the acrylic. If you put clear silicone over the acrylic it doesn’t change anything, the acrylic still loses elasticity and it makes it shiny to boot!
You can also order some Groutmatch from EarthMasters. I’ve used it a couple of times and it works well. You basically mix whatever grout you have with clear silicone and it gives you color-matched silicone. It’s magic!
You can find it here: EarthMasters GroutMatch It’s normally cheaper than the colored silicones too.
Hi Roger,
Funny that you mention sterling silver, because that’s the grout color for the floor! I think that may look weird on the wall. I checked the Groutmatch website and it seems like the perfect solution and looks easy to do. Thank You so much for suggesting Groutmatch. I’m probably better off with the silicone since this shower gets daily use. Just want to verify, you said that you had good luck with the product? How long has it been in use and how has it held up? I’ll probably place an order and give it a try.
…John
I’m not sure how long they’ve been around. I tried it for the first time about a year ago. Always worked very well for me.
Hi Roger!
I’ve been working on a tub to shower conversion (tile from the tub up the walls) and thanks to your advice its going great so far. The tiles are polished marble below and green tumbled marble above with a listello about half way up. My question is, what order should I do the following three things in:
caulk corners, around edge of bath, and changes of plane
seal tile with sealant
grout tile
I’m asking because was advised by shop to seal tile before grouting (to allow grout release?), and then again after grouting to seal grout lines, but confused by different info out there on value of tile sealant and function of sealant. Shop says sealant is primarily prevention against staining of porous tiles and as grout release.. any thoughts?
Thanks for your great site!!
Hi Colin,
Tile sealer is made to prevent staining and assist in cleaning by sealing the surface of the tile. This works both with cherry kool-aid as well as grout, so it does work well as a grout release. Tumbled marble is a stone given to grout staining depending on the porosity of the given run, as a general rule it is always better to use a sealer before grouting to prevent staining. When installing tumbled marble I normally do it in this order:
Sealer
Grout
silicone (caulk)
Sealer
Doing it like that makes it easy to clean up the grout as well as sealing the grout as you seal the tile the second time.
OK sounds good – I was asking because of two concerns I had – one was if the sealant would compromise the bond between the caulk and the tile (which your reply suggests not), and second, how to keep the grout out of the movement joints before caulking – just be careful and scrape out any that gets in there before caulking I assume?
I see below that you suggest 100% silicone for the caulk – but is there any silicone that dries without the shiny finish? If not thats fine – for background I am using unsanded grout and just trying to match the caulk to the grout as well as possible.
Cheers and happy new year!!
You actually want to scrape the grout out of there as you grout – it’s much easier than trying to scrape out cured grout. Laticrete and Tec color-matched silicones both cure without a lot of shine. No silicone is totally flat – but they aren’t neon-shiny like most stuff. You can get either to match the color of your grout.
Hi there Roger I”M fixing some wet dry wall on the out side of my shower. when finised the out side wall will be painted should I caulk the floor where the floor tile meet the wall or caulk it? it is about 3 1/16 wide and about 3 feet long.
Thanks Lyall
Hi Lyall,
Do you mean should you caulk or grout it? (you asked if you should caulk it or caulk it
) You should actually do both with a space that large. Install a bead of caulk against the wall and let it cure, then grout between the tile and caulk. You need the caulk to allow for movement, but it won’t fill a space that large and look like anything but crap.
Correction,
In my earlier post I said the walls are at 45 degree angles from chair rail til, they are 90 degree angles. Sheryl
Hello Roger,
I have some questions that I have not been able to get answers to anywhere and just found your site today. Hoping you can help. We just had both of our bathrooms tiled with travertine. They both have travertine chair rail trim going around the top of decorative tub and vanity backsplashes. Where the chair rail butts up to texturered wall it has been a nightmare keeping the grout from absorbing the paint. What do you do? Do you place a small bead of caulk (that matches the grout) after painting the walls to cover up the grout that has absorbed the paint? Do you eliminate the grout line and texture over it droping the new texture down to the chair rail trim noting that it is easy to remove the paint from the chair rail trim? Or do you regrout after painting the walls using painters tape to make a clean straight grout line, pulling the tape away before the grouth has dried completely. I have asked tile guys and they do not know say it is a painter’s question. I have asked painters and they do not know. I am the one doing the painting so “cutting in” is out of the question as I cannot paint a straight line free hand. And even if I could, the grout line is not perfectly straight to begin with. I did try dropping the texture down to the tile using texture from a can, but you can still see the smooth grout line under new texture and paint (hard to get the texture in a 45 degree corner without over spraying on the wall). FYI the grout is sanded linen color, whould I use non sanded linen caulk since the tile itself is smooth? Would it look odd using the sanded caulk againsted the satin painted walls and smooth chair rail tile? Thanks so much! Sheryl
Hi Sheryl,
I would remove the grout at the end completely, get your texture and paint all done, then use caulk at that area. The caulk can be cleaned with a sponge as you are applying it and as long as your paint is dry that should take care of the problem.
Hello Roger,
Thanks so much for your fast response. What type of caulk should I use? Sanded to match grout or NS to match tile and satin paint or painters caulk with color of wall mixed in with it?
I know you said to remove all of the grout first before caulking, but since the texture has already been done down to grout is it ok to texture/caulk on top of grout?
Thanks again,
Sheryl
As far as which color it’s merely a matter of which you think looks better. Use either the sanded or unsanded, not the painter’s caulk. It is okay to texture and caulk on top of the grout but keep in mind that if there is excess movement the grout may start to crack which will compromise the caulk bead.
Hello Roger,
Thanks again for your quick response. Two more questions. When I caulk it do I run a strip of painters tape on wall to get a straight caulk line? How wide should the caulk line be? Wide enpough to cover uneven grout line? Sheryl
You can use painter’s tape for a straight line, makes it much easier. Yes, it should be wide enough to cover uneven grout lines – not that you have any of those.
Should I use caulking on the seams between mouldings to moulding on the exterior wood surface? This is new sidings with mouldings. It was painted and certain area looks like it is separated. Concern that it will not look nice over time. If so, what type of caulking?
Thanks,
Hi May,
You can use 100% silicon in those areas.
Not sure exactly where to put this… using your tips, my father-in-law’s help, and a LOT of time, I’ve done a pretty darn good job tiling my shower if I do say so myself. The tiles are up, and I finished grouting this past weekend. Which leads to my issue:
There is ONE grout line, the length of maybe 8″ total, that seems darker than the other tiles, as if the grout didn’t completely dry. It is not overly noticeable, but it’s something that sticks out to me as odd. It doesn’t feel wet, it is as solid as the other grout if I run something over it, but it seems like it is a few shades darker.
Is there something that could be wrong with this? I mixed up all the grout together, so maybe it was just an odd little patch in the grout? Should I be concerned about it?
I have ivory sanded caulk for the corners of the tub. I’d like to not buy a whole new batch of grout, as it is just this tiny length. Could I put a thing bit of the grout caulk over the darker line (maybe after shaving it down a bit) to make it blend better? Any other ideas?
Also, I used the sealer mix with the grout to automatically seal it when it drys, so I don’t need to use anything else on it. Will the grout remain ivory colored when it gets wet, or should it change colors to a darker hue (like concrete when it gets wet)? Mine still changes colors, but I believe this would be normal?
Thanks a ton, my shower being done so nice is definitely at least partially your fault!
Hey goatdan,
Was this an area where you stopped tiling one day and started again the next? It may be that there is inconsistent thinset behind that particular grout line. That would mean there is a lot more grout in that grout line than in the others. Short of that it would likely be due to something in the substrate behind that grout line or something to do with the grout admix. I don’t use that stuff because I’ve gotten inconsistent results with it (nothing like what you have) and I don’t like the way it works with the grout. Those would be my guesses. Placing caulk in a full grout line may lead to more problems than solutions. If it is the thinset issue just give it more time to cure and it should lighten up. Worst case scenario you can always scrape that grout line out and regrout it to solve it.
Roger, I am removing and replacing baseboard molding which is up against travertine tile and is grouted. Would you recommend that I use grout or caulk in this case? Also, the grout line is very narrow, so could I get by with white caulk, because I don’t know if I can match the grout color.
Thanks.
Ben
Hey Ben,
You want to use caulk there. The wood is going to move considerably more than the tile. That coupled with the change in plane (expansion in different directions) will cause grout to crack. You can get away with white caulk as long as it doesn’t bother your wife or significant other.
Hi Roger,
Wow…I wish I had discovered this site before I finished my shower. I grouted all changes of plane, not knowing that sanded caulk would probably have been a better choice. Now I have grout cracking where the porcelain wall tiles meet the travertine floor tiles. I’m prepared to scrape out the grout and replace with sanded caulk but I have these questions: 1. If there is enough remaining space in the joints, is it ok to do only minimal removal of the grout to make room for the caulk or do i need to remove all of the grout before applying the caulk? 2. If I’ve been using the shower, how long should I allow it to dry out before I attempt to redo the seams?
Hi Allison,
All the grout should be removed. If you only remove part of it you’ll still have grout in that gap, it will eventually crack that part of it out as well. You’ll only need to leave it long enough to dry out the gap, you can even do that with a towel or rag and install it right away.
Hi again, Roger. Ok, so I need to remove all of the grout where the wall meets the floor. What about the risk of damaging the liner underneath? What’s the best method for removing the stout so that I avoid puncturing the lining?
Hi Allison,
The grout should not be anywhere near the liner – you still have 1/2″ substrate between the tile and liner. A little grout saw you use by hand is usually the easiest way. You can pick one up at home depot for about seven bucks.
I have been searching the Internet for hours for answers and to my good fortune have found your website. I am having my bathrooms remodeled and the tile work was finished 2 days ago. In the guest bath where the new wall tile meets the tub, the tile men used grout. I thought they would use calk since the tile salesman said they have calk that matches the grout we chose. My question is, can we now calk over the grout where the tub and tile meet or do we have to scrape out the new grout? The grout line is already cracking where 2 of the walls meet at 90 degrees. Should these lines be calked or regrouted or again, can we calk over the existing grout?
In the master bath, we had the tub removed and converted to a walk-in shower. All lines were grouted. Where should we calk instead?
Thanks
Linda
Hi Linda,
The grout should be removed from those corners, as well as all changes of plane, and caulk should be used instead. Those walls, and the walls and tub, will move differently. If grout is in those areas it will crack – but you already knew that.
I’ve got a shower with 12″ tumbled marble on the walls and 4″ tumbled marble on the floors. Contractor installed it 3 years ago. 6 months after it was installed, the change of plane lines on one side of the shower floor cracked. The contractor came in, scraped out the grout, and re-grouted. It was okay for about 6 months, but then cracked again. In the meantime, I’ve used 100% silicone clear caulk on the seams to waterproof. About 18 months ago, the wall corner cracked too. Wanting to fix the crack problems once and for all, I’ve chipped and sawed out a decent groove where all the cracks are, but now wonder whether I should fill the seams with grout or with sanded caulk. My invoice (from the original construction) showed both sanded grout and sanded caulk, but I’m not sure I know the difference. When sawing out the cracks, I did not notice any difference, nor any flexibility, so I don’t know if the sanded caulk was even used. Questions: is there a maximum width that sanded caulk can fill? (my seams are up to 3/8 in. wide) Am I better off grouting at this point then covering the seam with caulk? Or do you have a different recommendation? Thanks in advance for your expert advice!
Hi Leigh,
Any change of plane should be caulked – period. Whether the seams are 3/8″ wide or not they need to be filled with caulk or silicone. If you fill them with grout, covered with caulk or not, it will crack. If you are sawing out the cracks then it is not caulk, sawing caulk will lead to a huge gummy mess, unlike grout which would simply disintegrate into sand as you saw it out.
Thank you for your answer, Roger. In the meantime while reviewing the “oops” pictures on your site, I found out that we probably have cracked substrate in that same shower (as evidenced by cracked floor tiles running to the drain. If I caulk the changes of plane, and caulk the crack line in the floor, can I buy myself more time before replacing the shower floor? Haven’t noticed any leaking in the kitchen below the bath, so I believe the rubber under the substrate is working to channel excess water under the slab into the drain. The tiles in the floor cracked about 6 months ago. What would you recommend for sealing other than 100% silicone caulk? Or should we just bite the bullet and replace the shower floor now?
I would honestly replace that floor now. What you can see (the crack) may only be very minor compared to what you may not be able to see. If it does begin to leak into the kitchen your structural integrity around and under that shower is far beyond saving by that point. You could seal it with silicone, but I wouldn’t trust any shower floor that has already started to crack tile.
OK, Roger… It’s me again. I tiled using porcelain tile that look like stone (rough surface), beautiful and all… problem? Grout is stuck in every little nook and cranny
Also, that film of grout that usually wipes off the glazed tile, well – that is there too and I have been scrubbing for days. Its coming off, but SLOWLY! Can you give me a hand? 
My shoulders and back are so sore!
Kim
I mean… is there an easier way?
Kim – you can try an acidic solution (ie. vinegar/water solution, or a ‘grout haze remover’ you can buy at big box stores) to help eat away the bond. If you go with a commercial purchased option, check the directions on the back on whether to use it full strength or to dilute it, safety precautions for your skin/eyes, etc. It definitely will make the job a ‘little’ easier, but will still require a good amount of elbow grease with a scrub brush and some terry towels.
Depending on grout color, you may want to try in a small area first / across your actual grout joints to make sure you won’t experience any discoloration, etc.
Hey Kim,
Get some micro-fiber towels and use a 5:1 mixture of water and white vinegar. Should come off relatively quickly for you. A white scrub pad would help as well, you can usually find them in the tile section of HD or lowe’s. They are called ‘doodlebugs’ – really.
Thanks so much guys! I have lost 5 lbs scrubbing already. Wow, what a lot of work… If I had to do it over again, I would have picked a WAY darker grout.
We are trying the Phosphoric acid we bought from HD, and I will try the vinegar today. Getting the grout out of the little grooves is the hardest part as it is wedged in there. *sigh*
Roger,
I would very much like to hear your opinion on the use of ‘siliconized’ matched caulking that TEC makes for example, in a shower enclosure. I myself swear by and use 100% silicone in shower and tub enclosures, but of course are limited to white and clear typically.
Typically I go with clear unless we are talking white grouts, light grout, etc.
I’m sure you’re aware that these matched caulks say not for use in areas of water submersion, or something along that line.
What do you use in shower enclosures? It would seem to me that ANY joints (wall/wall, wall/floor) in a shower at least below say waist level would be considered wet areas, and as such, not suitable for these matched caulks?
I value you expertise and opinion.
Hey Kevbo,
Tec’s siliconized caulks are all right, but like you I prefer 100% silicone. Tec does make silicone to match their grouts. I get mine from Florida Tile but you can probably google it and find what you need. The problem with most of the caulks is that they tend to dry out over time which leads to shrinkage. That eventually compromised the seal. Tec and Laticrete both make 100% silicone in various colors.
Hi Roger,
I have a tile backsplash and a granite countertop in my kitchen. It was all grouted and caulked a year ago. The area behind the faucet is discolored from all the waterexposure of daily use. Should this have been grouted and caulked or sealed? What product(s) should I use for the redo?
Hey Janet,
Any installation in a kitchen should be sealed – specifically for that reason. You can remove the remaining grout and caulk and regrout it with the same as was initially used. Then get a good, quality sealer like Miracle Sealants 511 impregnator pro and seal all of it.
Hi Roger! This site is fantastic! We just tiled our basement shower using the Schluter system. However it is an old house and the walls aren’t totally 90 degree angles to say the least. There are large gaps in the top corners and sides (three sided shower) of the ceiling (tiled roof), by large, I mean a 1″ gap into the corner (tile not against ceiling). What should I do with this? I was thinking a large amount of caulking may be my only option here or trying to get a sliver of extra tile in?? Please help.
Kim
Hi Kim,
Large beads of caulk look like crap. They tend to look exactly like what they are – a cover-up for a problem. You can do that, but it’s gonna look like that too.
You can also place a sliver of tile in there, but the same applies. The best solution I’ve found is to get some chair-rail (a profiled stone or ceramic insert) and run it against the ceiling on top of the tile. You can use epoxy to adhere it to the wall tile. It’s kind of like crown molding for your shower.
Thanks Roger! That’s exactly what I will do.
I appreciate your help and your time!!
I am planning to use epoxy grout on the tile, and changes of plane, around my bath tub. What about weep holes? Could I carefully drill them thru the dried epoxy grout?
Nope, you’ll risk compromising your waterproofing behind it. Cut two short pieces of a drinking straw and stick one between the tile and tub in the appropriate spots. Grout everything then remove the drinking straws about one hour after your final cleaning. Do not leave them in there until the grout cures – you’ll never get them out.
Thanks!
Hi Roger,
I had a new bathroom professionally installed a year ago (remodel). The grout/caulk joint at the tub-wall connection began to mold about 6 mos later. I cleaned with Tilex, but after a month the mildew came back. Retreated several times. The contractor had left us a tube of sanded caulk that matches the grout between the travertine, but the caulk/grout (I’m not sure if he’d used the sanded caulk here or if it was grout) joint at the tub-top level was left indented so water gathered there, so I used the sanded caulk to make it flush with the wall. Mildew then increased. I finally put a clear sealer over it all, but the mildew still grew. I’m in the process of removing the grout/caulk now and trying to decide what to replace it with and whether to make it flush or leave it as the contractor originally had. Advice, please! Thanks!
Hey Marti,
Water will run down the wall behind the tile and is likely collecting behind the caulk bead, standing water will lead to mold and mildew. Were the ‘indentations’ actually weep holes? In other words: was there an open space left in the caulk line to allow water to run out from behind the tile at those points? It may be simply a lack of proper weep holes. Read through this to see how to install your caulk bead and it should solve the problems for you: Weep holes in tile installations
If it doesn’t, come on back and let me know – I’m not goin’ anywhere.
Roger, great info! The previous homeowners who redid my kitchen used grout where the tile backsplash meets the counter surface. It has cracked in several places. I want to replace it with caulk. What is the best way to remove the grout without damaging the tile or countertop? Thank you.
Hey Kevin,
The easiest and quickest would be either a grout hand-saw or a hook knife.
Hey Roger
A contractor put together our bath a year ago and the vertical wall corners now have cracked grout. The work is still under warranty and they want to come out and caulk over the grout to fix it. Is that the best fix?
Thanks
Rick
Hey Rick,
Yes, that’s correct. All changes of plane (corners) should have initially had flexible sealant of some sort rather than grout – what you are experiencing is exactly why.
The grout in that area really should be removed before the corner is sealed with caulk.
Hi, Roger. I have tiled my floor and ceiling with 1” tiles and the walls with 8X8” tiles in my shower. I am going to calk the corners. Is it best to calk the corners first before I grout the walls or is it better to grout the walls first and then calk the corners?
Thank You
Hey Kevin,
You can do it either way – I do both. If you have the time it’s easier to caulk first, let it cure, then grout. The caulk must be cured for a day if you do that, though. I don’t always have the time to wait so I normally grout first and caulk immediately after.
The information you share is amazing and so helpful. Thank you.
I have finished tiling my shower. I purchased Tec sanded siliconized acrylic latex caulk which matches my grout color. They don’t have the matching silicone caulk that you recommend. Should I use clear silicone with a thin topcoat of the matching sanded caulk or would I be better off using just the Tec caulk only?
Hi Kathy,
You would be better off using the caulk only. Tec sanded caulk is good stuff and should last you quite a while.
Right on Roger! I was just surfing around and came across this and I have to say it is an excellent description on when a flexible sealant should be incorporated into a tile or stone installation. Slicone should always be the go to product for any tile or stone install when addressing movement joints. After all why don’t you use grout? Because it will crack. So why use a latex caulk that will either crack right after it is installed or down the road when it gets brittle and hard? I can’t figure out why so many folks keep recaulking and recaulking when they could just do it once and be done with it. We are manufacturers of Groutmatch a silicone caulk that uses the grout used in the install to get you the best possible color match.
Thanks for the great explanation and keep up the good work.
Scott
Hey Scott,
Glad to see you made it!
I’ve used the groutmatch before – great system. If anyone reading this wants an exact match with your silicone click on Scott’s name up there and get you one of those – it comes out perfect every time.
Roger,
called tec people and they said that I should have not used acrylic siliconized caulk because it will soon soften because of its exposure to water.between walls and floor) The walls should be fine but floor needs silicone(total). I am confused and called laticrete rep and he is sending a tube close to the tec grout(greyish color) and taking out acrylic silicone between walls and floor of shower.
Your input please. Thank you.
Paul
100% silicone is always the best option. I have never had the ‘softening’ aspect but I do know that most acrylic-based caulks tend to dry out over time and crack. The laticrete will work very well – it’s what I use.
Thanks for your response
Hi Roger,
When caulking between floor and walls in shower(unsanded acrylic siliconized Tec) I noticed just before 1st shower that caulking was into void but not completely flush with tile. Do I need to add over with caulking or am I fine. It does look tight, tile to floor but has a slight indentation and is not completely flush. I want this done properly and water tight between these two planes. Thank you.
Paul
Hi Paul,
As long as the bead is in contract with both sides of the gap (wall and floor tile) then it’s sealed. You don’t need to have it flush unless the way it looks is driving you nuts.