Caulking the shower

[mamaloya]

I told dh not to use the shower until it was caulked and to not let the kids splash in the tub much, but he though I was being paranoid. He took a shower and, the next thing I know, there is water flowing under the bathroom wall across the hallway toward the refrigerator. I hope we got all the moisture out. I just love it when dh has to admit that I am right.

Anyway, I need to caulk the shower surround, but am not sure the best caulk to use. Can I use the same stuff I used to caulk the outside of the camper or is there something special I need?

[mamaloya]

I told dh not to use the shower until it was caulked and to not let the kids splash in the tub much, but he though I was being paranoid. He took a shower and, the next thing I know, there is water flowing under the bathroom wall across the hallway toward the refrigerator. I hope we got all the moisture out. I just love it when dh has to admit that I am right.

Anyway, I need to caulk the shower surround, but am not sure the best caulk to use. Can I use the same stuff I used to caulk the outside of the camper or is there something special I need?

[woodburner]

I used clear silicone in mine; had about a 1/2" gap around the base of the walls. No issues there to date.

[450Donn]

If it is a large gap, first use some of the foam rubber caulking available at the Home Depot or Lowes, follow that by Silicone caulk for baths. Done for ever

[mamaloya]

Thanks guys. It is about a 1/2" gap. I will be making this repair this week sometime.

[Hoverbug]

Sandra, both of the above suggestions are excellent, but before any caulking the surface must be clean or the caulk will not adhere. Worse, moisture will get behind the caulk and cause mildew. I would suggest scrubbing the area to be caulked with 'Bar Keepers Friend' www.barkeepersfriend.com followed by a rubbing alcohol wash. Happy Trails!!

[Between Trips]

I also used clear silicone sealant for bathrooms. The UV resistant stuff for outside the trailer is overkill here.

Guess I'm fortunate. I caulked before taking my first shower... for the same misgivings about it being water-tight.

[SQWIB]

I know this is an extremely late reply.

I wouldnt use caulk use Silicone.

Most likely the water is running off of the tub, I placed a section of D style window foam the length of the tub and siliconed it in place.
The water used to collect on the lip of the tub and depending on the pitch of the camper, it would flow to that end.

The shower enclosure fits over a lip on the tub so the water is probably just traveling.

[dholli]

dear friends i just noticed on the shower surround which is plastic that it has a crack in it im sure they dont make the surround any more what can i do please,thank you

[Dick D]

There is always the bead of clear silicone. I would drill a small hole at the end of the crack. This should prevent the crack from traveling any farther ( at least this works on metal ).

[Ray,IN]

I use a non-silicone caulking. Silicone leaves a residue that is almost impossible to remove, which it must be, if you ever want to use anything else in the future. I am not a fan of silicone caulking.
I don't have the brand name right now, but I bought some caulking at Menard's HI store for our shower. It will stretch and flex 70% before losing its seal. As already posted, you must use a backer rod for any crack over 1/4" for a successful seal, whatever the sealant.
To repair a crack in plastic you first must determine the kind of plastic. When that is determined, use a plastic welder and corresponding filler rod to permanently repair the crack. When properly finished an outsider will not be able to detect the repair.
If looks don't matter much, use JB waterweld epoxy then paint to match.