Replacing caulk around shower floor

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Todd Mobley

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Hello there,

First post here, hoping someone can shed a little light on this seemingly small project that may now be much bigger than anticipated.

We moved into this house last July, and a project I had been putting off for a few months; replacing the moldy caulk around the shower floor. It was only moldy in certain spots, not all the way around. After the last cleaning, I could tell the caulk was starting to become loose in the moldy spots, so I knew the time for replacing was upon us. After pulling all of the old caulk off, cleaning and drying the seems with a hairdryer, I noticed that on the seem by the shower door, that water would spray up (from beneath the seem) when I would hold the hairdryer close. Upon further inspection, it took me about 2 hours and a towel to soak up all of that water out of there. To the point where it doesn't spray up any more. I have let the shower dry out for two days now, but if I step hard on the corner (shown below), I can still hear moisture under there. There are absolutely no signs of water damage on the ceiling below the shower, or on the opposite walls. I've pressed hard around the entire shower and this one corner seems to be the only place where I can actually still hear the moisture underneath. I checked the drain, and it is completely sealed. So, I don't th

Common sense would tell me that I shouldn't seal the shower seem if there is moisture behind the seam. Should I just leave the shower to dry until there is no sound of moisture in that spot? Water could have potentially been seeping through the old caulk for months, which would mean all of that moisture is now rotting the wall and subfloor below. But again, if it had been happening for months, I would surely see SOME kind of water stains on the outer wall, or the ceiling below wouldn't I?

Any tips would be appreciated!

Todd



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hj

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IF the moisture is trapped under the floor, then it is sealed by the "safety membrane" is not getting to the wood under the floor. IT looks like "cultured marble" which IS plastic.
 

Todd Mobley

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IF the moisture is trapped under the floor, then it is sealed by the "safety membrane" is not getting to the wood under the floor. IT looks like "cultured marble" which IS plastic.
hj - thanks for the help. If there is in fact a safety membrane underneath, is it safe to caulk with that moisture there?
 

Jadnashua

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A tiled shower using a conventional liner has a special drain that has weep holes to allow any moisture that gets below the top surface into the drain. The type of drain used with your solid pan isn't likely to have that feature, and, even if it did, the liner would likely just be laying flat on the floor with no slope, so nothing to help it along into the drain.

Not sure how best to address this. It would likely take much longer time than you're willing to wait to dry things out. As a result, unless you're willing to tear it apart, let it dry, then put it back together again, you're only real choice is to just leave it there. 100% silicon caulk verses an acrylic one is more likely to survive. I've not tried this, but you might consider trying something like KerdiFix, which is considered a permanent sealant which also will cure underwater, so the moisture won't be a problem (clean might, though).

What may be more of a problem is that you notice it when you step in the corner. This implies that it is flexing and trying to make a good seal there is harder.
 

Todd Mobley

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A tiled shower using a conventional liner has a special drain that has weep holes to allow any moisture that gets below the top surface into the drain. The type of drain used with your solid pan isn't likely to have that feature, and, even if it did, the liner would likely just be laying flat on the floor with no slope, so nothing to help it along into the drain.

Not sure how best to address this. It would likely take much longer time than you're willing to wait to dry things out. As a result, unless you're willing to tear it apart, let it dry, then put it back together again, you're only real choice is to just leave it there. 100% silicon caulk verses an acrylic one is more likely to survive. I've not tried this, but you might consider trying something like KerdiFix, which is considered a permanent sealant which also will cure underwater, so the moisture won't be a problem (clean might, though).

What may be more of a problem is that you notice it when you step in the corner. This implies that it is flexing and trying to make a good seal there is harder.

Thanks for the advice. I did buy some 100% silicone caulk. I think I 'll give it a few more days to dry and just seal it up.
 
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