How do I caulk this beast? I was trying to replace the caulking, took out the old caulking to find out that the bathtub was improperly installed, and the tiles are not over the lip. There is this half inch gaping hole such that the caulking needs to do all the work to keep the water out. I know the ideal thing to do is to redo the bathtub installation, but I need to have this fixed right now and may be able to take the larger job later.
What is the best way to go about this?
Here is a further away view:
Any help would be appreciated!
Alfredo
Best Answer
It looks like this is a tub that is not meant for installation up against a wall. Though it's hard to tell from the photo. Looks like a drop-in tub. Tubs that are meant for installation along a wall have a flange (not a lip) that the backer board goes over. This is what actually keeps the water in the tub. If this is purely a drop-in, you'll want to replace the tub at some point, because you will have leaks no matter how well you caulk (I'm assuming you're using the tub as a shower too). There are some manufacturers that make non-integral flanges for their drop-ins, but they aren't ideal.
To caulk the gap, find some caulk backer that will fit into the space. They are made of foam and come in a variety of sizes. Put the backer in neatly, and then caulk over the backer. Use silicone caulk, making sure everything's bone dry before application. I like to use a caulk tool to make things neat. I see you have masking tape up, which is a good thing. Carefully remove the tape right after you caulk, before it sets.