Re-caulking a bathtub

Re-caulking a bathtub
September 30 - October 3, 2005

While my parents vacationed in Hawaii, I decided to surprise them by driving down to their house and fixing the moldy caulk around their bathtub. The effort proved frustrating in ways that I did not anticipate. Here's what the "home improvement" guides failed to mention:

Old, stubborn caulk: I tried for two days to clear the old caulk out, and still couldn't get it all. I tried adhesive remover, a putty knife, a grout getter, and a joint opener. Maybe a jackhammer would've worked better.

Messy caulk: Caulk reminds me of Elmer's glue in that it sticks everywhere. It stuck to my gloves, anything that my gloves touched, my rag, anything that my rag touched, the caulking tube, the caulking gun, the tub, the tiles...in short, paper towels proved very useful (except for when the caulk glued them to my hands).

Uneven caulk: I finally threw my cheap caulking gun in the trash out of frustration. Instead of a steady, even bead, the caulk thinned in some spots and globbed in others. Once in awhile, the caulk spluttered out like ketchup and made me shout obscenities. Smoothing did not help where the caulk thinned out. The caulk either looked too skinny, or began showing pinpricks.

Excessive caulk: I snipped too much tip from the caulk tube. Too much caulk came out. When I smoothed these caulky globs, the excess caulk smeared all over the walls and tub. It took much time to clean up. I did not like it.

In summary, the task took me 4 days:

Day 1: Gelled the moldy caulk with adhesive remover. Scraped out caulk with a putty knife. Gelled the stubborn caulk underneath.
Day 2: Scraped out stubborn caulk with a grout remover and a joint opener. Sprayed mildewcide bleach on the residual mold. Washed the area with a sponge and soapy water.
Day 3: Caulked around the tub.
Day 4: Re-caulked any pinpricks that formed within the dry caulk.