Overheard a contractor saying never use latex caulk in a bathroom

I was grabbing some supplies at the hardware store in Portland last Saturday and heard this old timer telling a younger guy to avoid latex caulk in wet areas. Said it breaks down way faster than silicone and you'll be scraping it off within a year. I've been using the cheap stuff on my tub surround for years and now I'm wondering if that's why I'm always recaulking. Anyone else had better luck with silicone holding up longer?

3 comments

3 Comments

val_wilson18d agoTop Commenter

Yep, five years ago I switched to 100% silicone for my own tub and it's still holding up perfect with zero mold. That latex stuff is fine for trim work in a dry living room but throw any moisture at it and it's toast within months. I learned the hard way after recaulking my shower three times in two years with that cheap white tube. Silicone is a pain to apply because it's stickier and cleanup is annoying but you do it once and you're done. Worth every extra dollar and ten minutes of effort honestly.

lucas_carr2418d ago

A buddy of mine tried that latex stuff in his shower six or seven years back and within four months it was peeling up in strips. He kept blaming the wife for not drying it enough but I told him it was the caulk itself. Finally he caved and did it with silicone and that was maybe three years ago and it still looks like new. He even texts me sometimes just to say how mad he is he wasted all that time on the cheaper stuff. Now he uses it everywhere even in his kitchen sink which I thought was overkill but hey your mileage may vary I guess.

singh.blair18d ago

Oh man, I gotta push back a little here. Silicone is great but it's not totally perfect forever. I did my whole master bath with 100% silicone about four years ago and I've actually had a tiny bit of mold show up along the bottom edge where water pools. Granted, it's way less than what you'd get with latex and it took way longer to appear. I think part of it is making sure you dry the area completely before applying and getting a good bead that fully seals. Some of those bathroom silicones with the antimicrobial stuff built in seem to hold up better in my experience. Still totally agree with your main point though, silicone is the way to go for wet areas, just maybe don't expect it to stay perfectly pristine forever.