I just bought a house from 1965, and the corners of the tiled shower are missing caulking or silicone, leaving the grout exposed. The grout is cracking and chipping in those corners, so I want to put silicone there to fix it. My question is whether I should remove the old grout before applying the silicone or if I can just put the silicone over the top of the existing grout.
1 Answer
It's definitely a good idea to remove the old grout first. Make sure to get it nice and clean so that the new silicone has a solid surface to bond to. After you’ve cleaned it out, re-grout the corners to ensure everything is set properly. If the surface isn’t prepared well, you might end up with a failed caulk job. Once you're all set, apply the silicone where the tile meets the tub; that's really the only spot that needs it.
But what about all the corners? Aren't you supposed to caulk those too when there’s a change of plane?