I found this tube of clear washroom GE caulk in the closet that hasn't been used in over a year. When I tried to apply it yesterday, it was like goo even after drying it for 24 hours. I want to know if caulk is supposed to be gooey after being unused for a long time or I simply need to wait longer for it to dry (even though the instruction I need to wait 3 hours before exposing the caulk to water). I am used GE Premium Waterproof Silicone Clear – 3 Hr Shower ready.
Does washroom silicone caulk turn into goo after time
bathroomcaulkingsilicone
Related Solutions
A utility knife works pretty well for me.
If it truly is granite, it is difficult to damage with steel blades, except by repeated slashing.
Of course you won't be able to remove every shred of the old caulk, but as long as there is significant clean and bare edge in the gap, it is good enough to hold a new application.
A powerful shop vacuum mated to a crevice tool slowly run along the gap should do great job of getting all the dust and crud out and maybe remove some loose old caulk unreachable with the knife..
That gap is to small. Push really hard with the float to completely fill it with grout, giving it one more shot; next time caulk it. Caulked tub surrounds are one of my pet peeves; I'm the one who gets to scrape that mess out.
Whether grout or caulk, I like Some Guy's advice: prestress the tub by filling it with water as you work.
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Best Answer
Yes. Silicone caulk has a surprisingly short expiry date. My nonprofit has loads of the stuff all over the shop; people love to donate it when it's expired. Into the trash it goes.
It is degraded and will not work. It won't take longer to cure; it won't work at all.
If the stuff is not behaving as you expect, don't chance it. Bad caulk is like bad paint: It will ruin your project and make you spend hours cleaning it off for good product to stick.
The caulk tube certainly has an expiration date stated on it. If it's not obvious, try rotating the tube in the caulk gun. This date is valid if it's stored at room temperature - if it's stored in a hot attic or cold garage, all bets are off.
If it's so old that no expiry date is stated, then it's way too old.