How to effectively patch/recaulk small crevices between bathtub and bathroom tile

bathroombathtubcaulkinggrout

There was some mold growing inside the caulk at one corner of my tub so I cut it out. In doing this I discovered I have a few small gaps in the old caulk I'd like to fill.

  1. I want to practice removing/applying new caulk (I am a complete beginner here), so I'd like to do just the front part of the tub. Is this ok? Will there be an issue where the new caulk meets the old caulk at the front-right corner of the tub? (1st photo shows the small gap where I cut out the old caulk where mold was growing).

  2. In the 2nd photo, where the outside of the tub meets tile, it looks like it is caulk but it seems different than the caulk used inside the tub. What type of caulk/sealant should be used here?

  3. For the 3rd photo, what can I use to fill in the small gap where the tub, floor and tile all meet? Is there some kind of very simple pre-made grout I can just use to fill up that hole? Or should I use caulk instead?

Thank you in advance for whoever may take the time to read and respond to my questions.

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Best Answer

That is not a bathroom crevice that is a canyon.

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You can not stop water from flowing in a canyon unless you build a big ass dam.

But before that WTF is going on in that tub? HOLY SH!T was my reaction. Nice tile, good quality tub (I can tell its cast iron) and egregious small mistakes. WOW!!

Let me give you the John Madden teleprompter rundown.

#1 - ILLEGAL USE OF CAULK, 15 yards, HOME DEPOT CARD TAKEN AWAY

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#2 - What? What? What? You have a gigantic crack, a canyon and that canyon is on rails that contains a large river and it is just wide open? This is like Jerry Rice vs SD in the Super Bowl. Touchdown water.

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#3 - I see what you did here. You went Deacon Jones on the water. I will put so much caulk above this crack that it will get a headslap on the way down. Caulking above the crack only works in Australia. That is a DIY fact.

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#4 - The Mike Martz. Your tile and tub is Kurt Warner. Please please coach give me some protection. Wait they are blitzing 6. Well we will run 5 deep patterns and see what happens. Well you don't have time for that you have mold.

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Summary: What must happen, must happen. This is not me speaking to you, it is your tub, your walls, your sanity.

  1. Tub door shall be removed. I would bury it. It wasn't installed right. Get a rod and curtain that will keep the water out of 90% of the places you are having issues with. This door is funneling water EVERYWHERE. It is the Colorado river on steroids.

  2. Grout all of the large cracks between tile and tub once door is removed.

  3. Caulk all of the small gaps (last picture) between tile and tub.

  4. Realize it will take 1 hour to take that door out and 45 mins to grout and 20 minutes to caulk and you probably have a tub running at 95%. It isn't that bad you just have that door sabotaging right now.

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