One of our bathrooms shower/tub is going to be getting re-grouted soon and when looking at where the tile wall meets the tub I see there must of been grout there before. My question is what is better for that spot where the tile and tub meet, grout or silicone?

I have always used silicone there because grout tends to crack out right there

Silicone.grout adheres best to cementitios materials, not so good on typical materials that tubs are made of. I did a LOT of that while doing apt maint. for a few yrs.Like any job, its all about a good prep work, make clean as possible.

Cool thanks guys. fishnut I believe what you said about cracking because when I look at it I see spots where grout is gone, and then other spots of it their but cracked up.

 

I see lowes trip coming this Friday to get the job done during weekend.

Best bet it to use silicone. Tub to tile and corners that's where you'll get the most movement. Most grout suppliers make it to match the grout perfectly.

Silicone, and to really do it right, fill the tub with water and stand in it while applying.  That's enough weight for the tub, on most floors, to sag a tiny bit.  Caulk when it's down, then drain, and the caulk line is in compression, and much less likely to pull away from the tub or tile.

Silicone, and to really do it right, fill the tub with water and stand in it while applying. That's enough weight for the tub, on most floors, to sag a tiny bit. Caulk when it's down, then drain, and the caulk line is in compression, and much less likely to pull away from the tub or tile.

Keep tub filled while silicone is drying? Thanks for the advice.

Keep tub filled while silicone is drying? Thanks for the advice.

That's how I've done it in the past.   When you step out of the tub, it might (if the floor sagged a small amount) put a little compression on the caulk.   Then when it's dry, drain it and it will compress a little more.   It's subtle--I've never seen it deform the caulk bead.

Pure Silicone caulk sucks ass to try to smooth out and clean up excess. They do make color match siliconized caulking . I generally grout the joint where they meet, let it dry and then

 caulk on top of that. It adheres better. If its a cast iron tub its not going to sag , steel might a little . You should tool the caulking into the joint.

Caulk when joining two different materials. The rates of expansion & conteaction are different between the two materials. Caulk has better elasticity.

Caulk for that joint.

Phenoseal (spelling?) is what you want. Get it at any of the big box stores. Cut your tip at an angle and apply with a wet rag in your other hand. Keep one of your fingers wet and use it to smooth it out and the rag the clean your finger.

 

 

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100% silicone is the best. It will last the longest and will flex the most. But it's hard to work with. If it gets anywhere you don't want it, you'll never completely get rid of it. Guys who do this all the time use silicone.

 

laytex caulk will need to be cut out and replaced every few years but it's very easy to work with because it can be cleaned up with water. To do perfect latex, you can use a wet finger to smooth it and you can clean up excess with a damp sponge.

 

The absolute best caulk is urethane caulk. Lasts forever, flexes more than silicone, will stick to absolutely anything. We've done waterproofing jobs on buildings using cases of urethane caulk. It's amazing. But it's so sticky, so impossible to clean up that it's far worse than silicone if you don't use it all the time.

Definitely don't use grout at the wall/tub joint its not flexible. The tub and wall can and do move independent from each other. I wouldn't use silicone either because one it will eventually peel off (because that tub and wall have a thin layer of soap on them for sure after years of use, you would have to clean it with serious elbow grease to get it off. and two its messy to work with and get a nice looking bead. I have always used Phenoseal vinyl caulk, or a latex based caulk in that area, in my professional career. Its flexible, mold and mildew resistant. And cleans up easy with a wet sponge when you apply it.

 

Thanks everyone for the advice, I realy appreciate it. Last question, should I grout or silicone were the walls meet? So basically the two corners.

Sanded caulk.

Oh that reminded me, for the grout I will be replacing between tile I heard I should use unsanded since the grout lines aren't thick, is this true?

 

Sorry for all questions!