Need advice on caulking shower enclosure.
I installed a round shower enclosure kit a few years ago and it has always leaked at the sides. It is basically, two wall sides that join at the corner, a base, one stationary curved wall and one sliding curved door...it's footprint is a quarter of a circle. I started removing the caulking and realized that the caulking has separated from the plastic walls and it came out very easily in a long string. I think it is 100% silicone sealant because it is very rubbery. Obviously it was not providing a good seal. I reread the installation manual and it says NOT to use 100% silicone and to use latex/acrylic caulk with less than 40% silicone content. I searched the web and this site and I can't figure out why 100% silcone caulking should not be used. Whatever kind of sealant I decide to use, do you think it would be a good idea to fold a 80 grit sandpaper and then inserting the fold into the seam to roughen up the sides of the seam to provide better adhesion for the sealant? The seams between the base and wall pieces are between 1/8" to 3/16". All the other seams are snug.I hope someone can shed some light about the warning not to use 100% silicone!
I installed a round shower enclosure kit a few years ago and it has always leaked at the sides. It is basically, two wall sides that join at the corner, a base, one stationary curved wall and one sliding curved door...it's footprint is a quarter of a circle. I started removing the caulking and realized that the caulking has separated from the plastic walls and it came out very easily in a long string. I think it is 100% silicone sealant because it is very rubbery. Obviously it was not providing a good seal. I reread the installation manual and it says NOT to use 100% silicone and to use latex/acrylic caulk with less than 40% silicone content. I searched the web and this site and I can't figure out why 100% silcone caulking should not be used. Whatever kind of sealant I decide to use, do you think it would be a good idea to fold a 80 grit sandpaper and then inserting the fold into the seam to roughen up the sides of the seam to provide better adhesion for the sealant? The seams between the base and wall pieces are between 1/8" to 3/16". All the other seams are snug.I hope someone can shed some light about the warning not to use 100% silicone!
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