Tile Wall To Tile Floor Shower Grout Versus Silicone Caulk

Wait two weeks for the grout and caulking to cure.

Tile wall to tile floor shower grout versus silicone caulk.

This is largely because of the way grout binds with backer board the concrete material placed behind tiles. Caulk is a sealant typically made of silicone or acrylic material. The grout at the change of plane was cracking so i decided to remove it and replace with silicone caulk. Re grout the base of a wall.

No matter how well you seal the grout water will seep into the grout and run or wick down the wall. Generally grout should be used on the shower walls and floors and all other vertical or horizontal shower planes. Though grout is more porous than caulk it s best for tiled shower walls and floors. Grout or caulk between floor tile and tub.

If you create a caulk dam it will grow mold. Or where the edge of a tile meets the wall. Caulk is impermeable meaning it won t let in water. It will create a dam that will hold water that migrates down the wall.

Grout is mostly used to seal the cracks between tiles on a bathroom wall. In this case you have to ensure you ve given enough time for the tile adhesive to fully dry or else it can mix with the grout and the effectiveness of both will be compromised. As with any other gap near your bathtub you ll want to close the opening to prevent any possible water damage. Run a bead of silicone tub and tile caulk along the joint where floor tile meets the walls sink shower or bathtub.

Repeat do not caulk the joint where the wall of a shower meets the floor. This gap may widen over time as your home shifts. Tom meehan a second generation tile installer and co author of working with tile who lives and works in harwich mass responds. My tile installer recently told me that he wanted to use caulk in the corners of a tiled shower instead of grout is that necessary.

Grout and caulk both have their respective places in a tile shower. I have a walk in shower with marble tile walls and a ceramic tile floor. Similar to the gap that can exist between your wall tile and tub you may have a space between the floor and your bathtub. The problem is that there is grout haze at the bottom edge of the wall tiles from where i tried to patch up the old grout in the past.

Caulk should appear seamless while keeping your walls windows floors and ceilings adjacent to showers tubs and toilets safe from the excess moisture that is typical in a bathroom. Where grout is just good for bonding together tile caulk is good for creating a seal between multiple materials say between glass tiles and a porcelain tub.