When I tackled this job years ago I ended up using what seemed like gallons of silicone caulk to fill the very wide space (about 1’) between the bottom edge of my shower wall and the top rim of my bathtub. The job did not come off well – eventually the caulk shrunk and separated from the bottom edge of the wall (but it stayed firmly attached to the tub), and the whole thing mildewed in the nooks and crannies. I’m sick of it and want to start over.
I want to use something like a strip of molding that would seal the gap. Ideally, it would attach to the bottom of the tile wall and “hang over” (and cover up) the existing caulk, allowing water to drain past the open shrinkage crack.
Now, I know they make tile pieces for tub edges that are about 6" long with a hollowed quarter-round cross-section, but I don’t want to use those things. First, I don’t want to get into any serious tilework here. Second, the shower wall is made of natural marble tiles and those quarter-rounds are generally made of glazed ceramic; I’m not crazy about the mismatch. Third, there is not much of a shoulder on the far edge of the tub, so the quarter-rounds would end up looking real sloppy back there, especially if a rookie like me is installing them.
Lots of moulding/trim is available in PVC these days. Have a look at your local Home Depot or whatever DIY store s near. And there are lots of commercially available silicon glues/caulkings out there. Visit your local store during the day when someone knowledgeable is still on staff. Doesn’t sound too difficult to find an appropriate trim and glue to me?
There’s a product out there called “backer rod” or “caulk rope” that slips in the crack before the first layer of caulk is applied. It fills up the space so that you don’t put so much caulk in there. The large quantity of caulk is one of the reasons that you had so much shrinkage in the first place. Using backer rod, though, would require that you get the existing caulk out of the crack.
Find a real store which sells real stone - there may be a lightweight natural marble product and some way to adhere it to the existing stone. I do not know if there is or isn’t, but talking to someone who knows how to deal with stone will probably get you closer to a solution than a message board…
This is exactly what I thought when I read the thread tittle.
Just tell the Home Depot guy what you told us and he’ll hook you up.
(Just don’t kick yourself in the ass too hard because you didn’t think of it the first time. ;))