{"id":72,"date":"2011-01-15T18:43:39","date_gmt":"2011-01-16T00:13:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/you-can-fix-it.com\/fix\/?p=72"},"modified":"2012-04-09T12:47:32","modified_gmt":"2012-04-09T17:47:32","slug":"caulk-a-tub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.you-can-fix-it.com\/fix\/bathroom\/caulk-a-tub\/","title":{"rendered":"Caulk a Tub"},"content":{"rendered":"

Caulk a Tub: A Tube of Caulk and a Wet Finger Can Save Your Tub from Disaster<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n

If the caulk around your tub is cracked, black, or just plain icky, a quick trip to the hardware store and a day or two without a shower will save you from a much more costly home repair.<\/p>\n

\nStep 1: Remove the old caulk completely. Use a plastic caulk removal tool, a flat head screw driver and a razor blade to scrape every last bit out. Be careful not to scratch the tub or wall surfaces.<\/p>\n

\nStep 2: Clean the area to be caulked thoroughly with bleach water to remove any mildew. After the area has completely dried, use a towel or cloth soaked with denatured alcohol to prepare the surface for caulking.<\/p>\n

\nStep 3: Apply two strips of blue painter\u2019s tape horizontally along the shower wall and tub, leaving a quarter inch gap for the caulk to fill.<\/p>\n

\nStep 4: Cut the tip of your latex based mildew resistant tub and tile caulk<\/a>\"\" tube off at a 45 degree angle; the smaller the opening the better. If you are using a caulking gun, be sure to puncture the seal inside the tube with a long nail or wire.<\/p>\n

\nStep 5: Starting at a corner where two walls meet, quickly apply a smooth, steady bead of caulk into the crack. Work fast, doing one wall at a time. Speed is more important than neatness at this point.<\/p>\n

\nStep 6: Dip your finger into a cup of warm water mixed with a few drops of dish soap. Smooth the bead of caulk around the tub with your finger, wiping excess caulk onto a paper towel or disposable rag.<\/p>\n

\nStep 7: Wait two hours for the caulk to set and then carefully remove the painter\u2019s tape by pulling it straight out \u2013 not up \u2013 from the tub.<\/p>\n

\nAdmire your handy work for at least 24 \u2013 48 hours before showering, to guarantee that both your problem and your caulk<\/a>\"\" are well cured.<\/p>\n

\nBathtub caulk<\/a>\"\" is more than just a place to grow mildew. A well placed bead of caulk keeps water from seeping behind the tub and ruining the floor and walls.<\/p>\n

Email us at info@you-can-fix-it.com<\/a> to request new fix-it ideas. We also encourage you to add comments or suggestions below each article.<\/font>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You-Can-Fix-It.com<\/p>\n

\"tools\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Caulk a Tub: A Tube of Caulk and a Wet Finger Can Save Your Tub from Disaster If the caulk around your tub is cracked, […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[56,58,24,57],"class_list":["post-72","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bathroom","tag-caulk","tag-mildew","tag-seal","tag-tub"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.you-can-fix-it.com\/fix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.you-can-fix-it.com\/fix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.you-can-fix-it.com\/fix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.you-can-fix-it.com\/fix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.you-can-fix-it.com\/fix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"http:\/\/www.you-can-fix-it.com\/fix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":877,"href":"http:\/\/www.you-can-fix-it.com\/fix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72\/revisions\/877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.you-can-fix-it.com\/fix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.you-can-fix-it.com\/fix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.you-can-fix-it.com\/fix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}