Hey everyone! I recently remodeled my kitchen and I need some help. We used pure white grout for our backsplash and applied clear silicone sealant on it, following recommendations from multiple sources. However, the silicone turned yellow right after drying, which is confusing. Is this a normal occurrence with clear silicone? Should I replace it with something else, like a white caulk that matches the grout?
Also, I noticed some cracked grout under the silicone after the countertop installers leveled the surface. Should I remove the yellow silicone, fix the cracks, and then reapply the silicone? Any advice on how to properly remove the silicone and why it turned yellow would be greatly appreciated!
2 Answers
It sounds like the yellowing is likely due to oxidation, which can happen for various reasons, including humidity. A lot of times, it’s just surface-level. You might be able to clean it off with some bleach or other cleaners. However, I’m curious why you opted for clear silicone on white grout? A white caulk would have blended better and stayed flexible!
It’s definitely unusual for clear silicone to turn yellow, so there might be a chemical reaction happening. Were your grout and surfaces completely dry when you applied the silicone? Ideally, using a color-matched sanded caulk that blends in would be best. For now, I suggest scraping off that yellow silicone. If the grout underneath is still white, consider testing a small area with the clear silicone again. If it turns yellow again or the grout looks bad, switch to the white silicone instead!
We waited a week before applying the silicone. Sounds good, thanks for the advice!
I’ll try scrubbing it! We went with the clear because that’s what was suggested to us by several people, even though we thought white would be better.