Water can penetrate into your bathroom walls, causing expensive damage unless you take precautions to keep your bathtub properly caulked at all times. Here are the steps involved in the process:
1 - Examine the entire joint between the wall and the bathtub. Mold, mildew, caulk and soap scum should all be cleaned away from the bathtub edge. You must take care not to scratch the tub's surface. Remove moisture from the seams using denatured alcohol, making sure not to use rubbing alcohol.
2 - Use a caulk product that is specifically approved for your bathroom surfaces. There are a number of different choices available in terms of price and color. More silicone tends to cost more, but it also tends to have a mildew prevention agent built in.
3 - Apply masking tape to both sides of where the caulk bead is going to be placed. Take care to make sure that the tape lines up where the caulk is going to stop. This is a technique that is used by professionals to make sure that the caulk is laid evenly and no mess is left behind. You should have about 1/8 of an inch of caulk.
4 - Load the caulk tube into your gun. Cut the application tip using a sharp knife. The opening should be left as small as possible. Pierce the thin barrier inside the tube with a nail or a wire. Hold the caulk gun over the trash and press the trigger to fill the tip without making a mess.
5 - Point the tip in the right position at the seam, slightly above the surface just nearly touching. Press the trigger, watching the flow of the caulk. Move the caulk gun straight along the entire seam, creating a uniform line out of the caulk. Before the flow stops you should quickly release the trigger and then press it again each time until you reach the end. Do not stop creating a uniform bead of caulk until you have reached the end of the line.
6 - Repeat this process for each of the seams before releasing the trigger lock so that pressure can be relieved inside of the tube. Smooth the caulk out between the pieces of tape, removing excess caulk as you go along. Wipe your hands off at each pass with paper towels to keep things neat and tidy.
7 - Remove the masking tape once you are done, before the caulk is given a chance to skin over. The bead should look even and neat, but you still may need to do some clean up with your fingers before you have finished up. The caulk should be allowed to cure for a period of between 24 hours and 36 hours before you allow it to be exposed to water or moisture.
There you have it! Now your bathtub is caulked properly and professionally, and you did it yourself!
Photo Credits: Editor B
Related Posts -
Screws and Screwdrivers 102 Smoother Screw Driving Holding Power - Before you drive a screw you should dip the screwdriver blade tip into a small mound worth of scouring powder, or perhaps dig it into a carpenter's chalk cone. The coating of the cleanser or the chalk is going to make it easier for...... -
Changing Out your Shower Head Sometimes it becomes necessary for you to replace your existing shower head with a brand new one. There are several different available models when it comes to shower heads, some of which have special massage settings and rain settings that contribute to a much more pleasurable experience in the shower....... -
Best Home Improvement Projects It might just be time for you to treat yourself to some really nice home improvement projects. Some of the best home improvement projects that you can implement are going to involve your bathroom, which should be a comfortable and relaxing space that you can take advantage of. There are...... -
7 Ways to Keep Your Workplace Safe Whenever you're fixing anything around your home, it's easy to let clutter take over and pretty soon, your workspace is not only crowded, but it's potentially unsafe. The key to doing things yourself the right way is safety. Let's go over some tips on how to keep your work area...... -
Some Good Home Improvement Advice There are many points of view from which you can take a look at home improvement advice. When we discuss the different home improvement options, our tendency is to do so from the point of view of most of the people that become handy-capable around the house. That point of......
Related Websites -
Guide to Gun Cleaning The first step to good gun cleaning is to scrub out the bore of your gun using the correct Phosphor bronze brush size, and use a bore solvent like Bor-Solv Supreme for the greatest possible results. This will remove all powder fouling and residue from the bore of your gun...... -
How to Putt Like a Pro No matter how well you can drive or chip, the key to your score often lies right on the green. The exercise of putting a little ball in a little hole is one of the most frustrating known to men and it can be the deal breaker when it comes...... -
Gunning for Answers A woman fatally shoots her 20-year old son before turning the gun on herself. Classic murder-suicide, right? [caption id="attachment_695" align="alignright" width="300" caption="It's all in the mind of the beholder."][/caption] Mostly. Of course, there are two little twists. First, the woman's motivation. The long and short of it -- I pity...... -
Practicing Safety With a Gun While Hunting Gun safety is absolutely critical when it comes to handling firearms and hunting. It is important that you learn how you can practice safety with your gun in order to prevent any injuries not only to you, but also to those that are around you as well. It is vitally...... -
Las Vegas Writes: Restless City Las Vegas Writes is a collaborative serial novel project sponsored by the Vegas Valley Book Festival. Seven local writers have been selected to participate. They are H. Lee Barnes, John Irsfeld, Brian Rouff, Leah Bailly, John L. Smith, Constance Ford and Vu Tran. Each is writing one chapter. The chapters......
Categories:
Bathroom, Bathtub, Handy Man, Project
Tags:
0 comments ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment