grout or silicone in tiled shower?
Hello, My shower is tiled and in some places (mostly the bottom edges and the corners which are currently grouted), there are some cracks in the grout and I am concerned about water leaks. As such, I am planning to repair the grout. I am however not sure if I should, after removing the grout, regrout or use silicone instead. What is the recommended method? In addition, if grouting is acceptable, can I use sanded grout even if the joints are less than 1/8 ? Thx, Nimalex. Do not grout those areas. If they have grout now, it was a mistake. Every grout color has a corresponding color match caulk that is made for the areas you describe. The rules to determine where to use caulk are, angle changes and material changes. The individual vertical surfaces move separately of each other and grout, being non flexible, will not stay in the joint where they join. Consequently, the back wall to side wall joints need caulk, not grout. The same is true where vertical surfaces meet horizontal surfaces such as shower walls to shower floors, back splash to counter top, and so on. If tile butts to wood, the joint needs to be caulked rather than grouted because the expansion and contraction difference is too great between them and the grout will not stay there. You'll need to remove the cracked grout, clean the areas to be caulked, and caulk them. Thanks for the reply. I have an additional question though. Some of the joint are fairly large more and some or not cracked. Considering this: 1) can I leave the grout where it it is not cracked (we have been in the house for 2 years so I guess there might not be as much movement in these places) 2)Is is an issue to have silicone in large joint or could I expand the cracks in the grout slightly and put caulk there - that way I don't have to remove all the grout. Thx. I know it's a pain, but you will be removing all the grout. You can do it all now and get it over with, or a bit at a time as it fails. The laws of physics tend to remain constant. As for the joint size, the caulk will tend to hide the differences once it's applied, just make sure the areas are good and clean. I am a bit concerned about item two though. It leads me to believe grout is cracking or separating from areas other than the joints I think we're talking about. Is that the case? If so, you've got bigger issues. If not, the caulk should take care of it, minus the grout. Well, I guess there is no getting around doing the hard work. What kind of caulk do you use for this job. I found some GE slicone II caulk but also some laticrete caulk (premium tub tile sanded caulk) but it says that it is not for constant water exposure so I do not know if this will work forthe shower. Is any of them any good? What else would you recommend? Thx, Nimalex The color match caulks made to go with grout are made for the purpose. You should be able to get it at a good tile store. That's what I use so I don't know how well anything else would hold up under those circumstances. There are some skilled folks in that area who watch this forum who would be better able to advise you on that. Enjoy your project.
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