Have you noticed that the caulk around your shower or bath tub is turning yellow? Perhaps you may have noticed the caulk is cracking. Either way, this would not be a good sign. It means water may be seeping through and that could cause a lot of damage over time. Those that wish to avoid problems with such damage are certainly advised to look into replacing the damaged caulk.

No, this is not all that difficult. As long as no other serious plumbing or home improvement work is required, you should be able to get things in order with little problem. Here is how that will work…

The first steps entail pulling, scraping, or cutting away the needless caulk that has to be replaced. Do no make the mistake of just adding more caulk on top of the old caulk. It won't last a week because it falls apart. You should remove all the old caulk and put new caulk in its place.

Prior to actually replacing the caulk, you need to totally clean your floor in a serious manner. The floor, the caulk, and the surface will need to be totally and thoroughly cleaned. All of this is necessary because you must prevent the dirt from acting as a buffer between the caulk and any open pores. Dirt will totally prevent the caulk's ability to bind proper which then creates more potential for leaks.

Once the area has been thoroughly cleaned, you will need to wipe it dry. Don't try to add caulk when the surface is wet because this could also cause binding problems. Let it air dry for a half hour or so before adding more caulk.

When you do add caulk to the mix, you need to do so effective. Squeeze the caulk out carefully. You could be using a caulking gun or a ready made tube. Either can be effective. Just make sure that the caulk comes out evenly and smoothly. Don't miss any spots.

As soon as the caulk has been poured on the actual surface, you need to press down on it with a caulking knife. You could also let the caulk dry for 20 minutes or so and then return and press it more securely. It might take the caulk a total of 8 hours to dry completely. When you press down on the caulk after it has had a few minutes to air dry will wipe out missed spots or holes.

Do not enter the bathroom until the caulk has become totally dry. That way you totally avoid any accidents that would undermine the job you are doing. Redoing the caulk work due to errors would be a disaster.

By day Edsel is a well regarded home remodeler and specializes in granite countertops Houston. She occasionally likes to dabble in SEO and indexing backlinks.