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How To Caulk A Bathtub

ByAnn Drake

How To Caulk A Bathtub

Yay!! It’s Friday and I am definitely ready for the weekend. I wanted to pop in and show you, as promised when I shared my easy bathroom update, how to caulk a bathtub. A very long time ago my dad showed me how to do this. There is nothing worse than a messy line of caulk and his method totally eliminates that problem.

The first order of business is to clean the area really well. When it’s very dry, it’s time to tape. I have started using the green Frog Tape for my projects and am very pleased with the way it seals.

How to Caulk a BathtubI didn’t remove my old line of caulk because it was pretty much gone to begin with. If you have a thick line you might want to peel it off first. Next is to carefully tape off above and below where you want your caulk line to be.

How to Caulk a BathtubThe corners can be a little tricky but by overlapping the tape you can get a nice, neat corner.

How to Caulk a BathtubI squirt the caulk on and smooth it out with my finger. Immediately pull off the tape while the caulk is still wet. If you wait, the caulk line pulls off with the tape.

You are left with a very neat, perfect line of caulk around your bathtub.

How to Caulk a BathtubI’ve used this method for years and it has worked every time. I have never purchased a caulk gun…I’m not really sure why. I always just buy the tube caulk.

How to Caulk a BathtubWhen I was shopping for the tube caulk I happened to notice another product called Homax Tile Repair. Our tile surround is original to the house and the grout needs never-ending maintenance. Over the years I have had it completely re-grouted and sealed several times. I decided to try this tube grout and see if I could fix a few problem spots myself. Oh my gosh this stuff is amazing! I applied it with my finger pushing it into the space between the tiles. I wiped off the excess with a damp cloth. I had all the grout repaired in less than an hour and the best thing was I did it all by myself. I would recommend applying a sealer when the grout is set.

How to Caulk a BathtubThere you have it. In just a few hours I had my very sad and neglected bathtub looking pretty good. To find out how I freshened my entire bathroom in just one day and for under $100 check out my Easy Bathroom Update.

How To Update A Bathroom

As always, thank you for your friendship. Thank you for leaving a comment or just dropping by. Have a perfectly lovely weekend…

*Some links in this post lead to shops and websites (like Amazon) where I am an affiliate, or to eBay where I am a content creator. Click HERE for my complete disclosure policy. 

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34 Comments

  1. Ann, I love your bathroom update — it looks so fresh and clean. I’ve tried the tape caulking method in the past and ended up with a mess. What is the secret? My tubs are ready for recaulking now. Thanks.

    Reply
  2. irma gonzalez says:

    thanks for your site. I had a lot of connections to make with your words. I loved everything from pictures on wall to caulk on tiles. love it.

    Reply
  3. Pingback: How to Update a Bathroom - On Sutton Place

  4. OH MY GOODNESS!!! I sure needed this information on both the caulk AND the grout! Thanks for the tips and product informaiton!

    Reply
  5. Vidya @ Whats Ur Home Story says:

    Well timed post. We are planning to caulk our tubs too. Thank you!

    Reply

  6. What a great tip! We do the same thing when we are caulking trim!

    Reply
  7. Jessica @ Mom 4 Real says:

    I sooooo needed this! Our master bath tub is a hot mess!

    Reply
  8. Keeping It Cozy says:

    This is a great and helpful tutorial! This last time we caulked our bathtub, I told myself I was going to learn how, but then my husband came to my rescue. NEXT time I’m going to use your tutorial! ;-)

    Reply

  9. I’ve never seen the caulk project done using painters tape before. My husband usually does ours with a caulk gun. I have tried it myself and it’s actually kind of fun! I’ve never tried the grout paint before. That sounds like a neat invention.

    Reply
  10. Susan @ My Place to Yours says:

    Thanks for the tip about Homax. I need to look for that.

    Reply

  11. Thanks for the great tip Ann, Ill be using this method real soon!

    Reply

  12. Ann,
    What a great idea! Now if I can remember it!?! I have always tried to use a caulk gun, and I just CAN NOT make one work for me. Mental block I guess. I’m glad to know the tube caulk works so well. Thanks for sharing this great tip!!

    Reply
  13. Paula@SweetPea says:

    This is a great tip! The tub in my mom’s beach house needs to be recaulked and we always make such a mess when we do it. We are definitely using your tip on our next beach trip!

    Reply

  14. This is a GREAT tip!! I need to work on (okay…redo!) our girls’ bathroom. We have pink tile everywhere in there…and I am going to work with it, I think it is cute! I will be using this trick!

    From your pictures, your tile does look pink. What color cabinets do you have? Ours have been the original wood, white and are currently black. I am not liking the black anymore…just curious what color combo you have and if you like it.

    Thanks Ann!

    Julie

    Reply

  15. I really enjoy your blog. Great post!

    Reply

  16. Ann, you’ve really got this down to an art! Your work looks like a professional did it. I need to learn how to do this and you’ve got a good tutorial here. Thanks for sharing this much needed DIY project. Great post.

    ~Emily
    The French Hutch

    Reply

  17. Looks really great ! Thanks for the directions on how to use these products!

    Colleen :)

    Reply
  18. shirley@housepitality designs says:

    Ann…what a great idea…showed my hubby this technique and he loved it…Great job Ann!!

    Reply
  19. SheilaG @ Plum Doodles says:

    This is a great tip, Ann. My hands are shaky and it’s practically impossible for me to get a neat, straight line of anything. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  20. Connie Lenden says:

    Thank you for the great post of grouting. I did it years ago, and wondered if there was something newer on the market. I will write down both names, and add it to the list of to do’s.

    Thanks, Anne !

    Reply

  21. Ann, you are a grout and caulk angel. We just spent a small fortune to have a handyman come in to regrout and caulk our shower. I had to have him back to fix missed spots and it still isn’t good. With these two products and the tape I will be doing a repair job myself. Thanks for the wonderful tutorial.

    Reply

  22. That’s fantastic, Ann! I’m kind of glad we don’t have fully tiled showers! {Though our plastic ones aren’t very pretty…it does save some headache!}

    Reply
  23. Jane @ Cottage at the Crossroads says:

    Ann, your caulking job looks like a pro did it, and you have inspired me to get in the shower and recaulk. But not this weekend. We’re going to a big plant and flower show tomorrow and I know we’ll come home with more things to plant! Hope you have a marvelous weekend!

    Reply
  24. Linda @ it all started with paint says:

    Ann,

    I am absolutely going to try out this product! My master shower needs some serious help! Thanks for sharing …

    Have a fabulous weekend!

    :) Linda

    Reply
  25. Moni ~ Zu Haus at Home says:

    Thanks for the tip and tutorial! I’m pinning for future reference. Have a blessed weekend!

    Reply

  26. Thanks Ann! I love Frog Tape too! It is really amazing stuff!
    I could never use a tube of caulk. I guess I’m not strong enough? It was always a struggle and the lines would be absolutely everywhere! I had no idea it was sold in a tube?! Thanks for this advice!

    xo

    Andie

    Reply

  27. both of our bathrooms need to have some caulk repaired so i’m glad you posted your trick to “perfect” grout lines. i’m also going to check out the tile repair stuff.

    hope you have a great weekend!

    Reply
  28. Dolly Sarrio says:

    I really needed this tutorial! Thanks!

    Reply
  29. Renee Kern says:

    Thank you so much for sharing these tips. I keep asking my DH to fix the caulk around the tub because I am awful at it. He says he isn’t much better and keeps putting it off. Now this, this is something I can do!!!! Thank you again!

    Reply

  30. Wow! It looks great! I just recently bought some frog tape because I keep hearing how well it works for a variety of projects. It seems like we’re always having to do touch ups on our grout. I’ll have to try that Homax tile repair. I love finding new products that really work. Thanks for this informative post! Looking forward to the blueberry zucchini bread recipe. Yum!

    Reply

  31. Hi Ann,
    I’m so glad you’ve done this post, I need to go see if I can find those products. My hubby has redone the line around the tub itself five or six times since we’ve lived here. Our bathtub is plastic and when you step into it, it sinks down and pulls away from the caulk line. I wonder if this would help me. I will show hubby and see what he says. I need to do the rest of the whole tile surround, also.
    Have a wonderful weekend, dear friend. Cindy

    Reply
    1. BamaCarol says:

      Another trick that I learned is to fill the tub with water as high as you can and still get in the tub. Then get in and caulk. This pulls the tub down as far as it will go so you get the entire grout line filled in. That way after it dries and you use it again, it shouldn’t pull away when it ‘sinks’. I did that years ago and have never had to regrout that tub. Give it a try next time!

      Reply
      1. Susan @ My Place to Yours says:

        Yep. That trick works. I have the nickname of Caulk Queen in my family. :-) I use a good-quality caulk gun and a damp fingertip. When it comes to caulking, it takes practice, but then it’s a quick and easy job.

        Reply

    2. Try filling the tub with water until the calk is dry. This should help with the pulling away.

      Reply