quick drying caulk???

[redbandit]

hello all, Ive got a situation I could use some pointers on. I work in the industrial electric field, so remodeling/plumbing etc is not really my thing. Anyhow, here is what I have. The house I live in now has a three piece tub surround in it now. Its fairly new. The problem is, the surround is not plumb with the tub in one corner. It sits directly on the bathtub and the bathtub has a lip behind it (thank god for that or it would be destroying my floor). The whole surround is caulked to the tub except for in that particular corner. The gap is approx 1/4" b/w the top of the tub and the bottom of the surround. It takes such a big "glob" of caulking that it wont set up. Ive tried several times to fill it with caulk, let it sit without getting wet for a week, and it still will not harden. Im sure its becuase the gap is too much and that much caulk wont set up properly. I really dont want to tear out the whole surround as it looks great minus the gap in the corner. Is there anything i can fill in the hole with and then caulk to seal it? I use the regular white tub and bath or whatever caulking. Maybee i could fill a little in, and let it setup and then some more? Ive heard that caulk wont really stick to existing caulk that well so that may not work. I dont know. It gets bad though because the water gets back there and sits between the lip and the edge of the surround and gets nasty. Any help would be appreciated. :dontknow:

edit: OBTW the surround and tub are both plastic.

[CraigFL]

Usually, if you use a good silicone caulk, the caulk will "skin over" in a few hours which should protect it for use until the rest actually sets up.

[Bismarck Jack]

Could you fill it with an adhesive of some sort first? Maybe liquid nail? Just enough so you don't have to use so much caulk. Another may be a very small amount and cautiously applied expanding foam. Again just to fill the bulk of the void first. And then follow up with the caulking.

I am no expert, but I have had to come up with some inventive ways to complete tasks. My basement was completely unfinished and I am about 2/3 done with it. No help whatsoever...except from the knowledgeable members of this forum and good ol' Google.

Good luck.

Now if you find away to not have to scrub the caulk and or tear it off and reapply every 3-6 months let me know. We have to scrub the caulking upstairs once a week to keep it from mildewing and that wears down the caulk, so it is a never ending reapplication saga.

[sloooo]

You don't need to scrub the caulking for mildew. Get a product called Tilex Mildew Root Remover at any store. Spray it once a week, let it sit for a couple minutes, then rinse it off and your all done.

Here's a link to it. I have used this stuff for a couple years and am very happy with it.

http://www.tilex.com/mildew.html

[BOA]

I'd look for some kind of foam backing rod or even styrofoam. I remember reading on the back of a caulk tube directions for voids greater then 1/8" to use backing rod.

[Bismarck Jack]

Got it. Thanks for the mildew advice. I'll be sure to tell the wife to pick some up.:tee:

[redbandit]

yea, I havent got a around to trying to fix it yet. Im having some stumps ground down (eighteen of them) and been kind of busy with that. Anyways I have previously tried to put some in the hole first then caulk. It wasnt liquid nails but i think the loctite brand of adhesive that I used to put a backsplash or something on at one time. It set up well but the caulk just wouldnt hold. It dries pretty good, and it will seem to hold for a while, then it gets really wet once and its over. Im going to try to scrape all the old stuff out and dry it real good. After that, im going to apply a very small bead and let it setup and then apply another and another in that fashion. Hopefully, i can get it to stick. Ive never thought of styrofoam, but that may work. IF this dont work, I may try it.

Thanks
Matt

[Bismarck Jack]

good luck Matt. Trial and error is the best method sometimes. I have been doing a little T and E with plumbing as of late...so far things seem to be working out.

[mike4230]

You might need to take the finish off of the surround. Run some sand paper to "rough" it up a bit. I wouldnt do the finished surface that is exposed, but maybe in the void areas that you are filling. If installed right those surrounds are not meant to be caulked. Im thinking its not sticking because there is probably a teflon type finish on the surface to keep dirt off...just some thoughts. I have used your standard silicon based caulk/sealant to fill some big gaps, you should be able to a 1/4 with a good brand. I do notice a difference in brands, and prefer caulks that are rated for outdoor use for the inside (such as window and door stuff). Dont buy any latex products, your putting a water soluble product in a shower...I dont even know why they sell that stuff for bathroom applications!

Jack, a 50/50 mix of water and bleach will keep the mildew down too. Alot cheaper than the tilex. The tilex does work though but can be expensive when compared to bleach. You could even use the bleach straight on if its real tough. I have found the silicon based caulks with the mildew protection work pretty well too. Like I said above, nothing but 100% silicon though!