I could see if there were extreme movement , the caulking pulling away like that. But if it's something he expects, I'd like to know what he's doing that it would pull away time after time like that. There's no way that should be happening with a siliconized latex.

Would using sanded caulk solve the problem? And I believe one of the explanations I got was ye old expand/contract as the seasons change issue. I'm in Michigan.

Sorry to hear about your grout problems; I think we all keep our fingers crossed that we won't into problems like that. Hope the experts have some answers for you. But on to your pics. WOW! What a difference! it looks really great and you must just be so pleased. I like the green with the countertop and vanity colors.

The only reason for sand in caulking is to match the texture of the grout. Other than that, it does nothing. As for the expansion/ contraction issue, that's the whole reason in the first place that those joints are caulked-- so that the caulking will provide for a movable joint between the two surfaces!

Thanks Bill. So why isn't the caulk doing what it's supposed to do? Any ideas on what I can do to fix it?

Interestingly the integrity of the caulk at the base of the bypass door also seems to have been violated -- getting a little mold in there, but that seems simple enough to cut out, do a serious disinfect, and recaulk on my own.

The shower is on an exterior wall, btw, as you can probably tell from the fact that it has a window. :) Don't know if you remember my thread from last year but they did fur out the wall (it was solid brick) and insulate. I have a Panny Whisper exhaust fan although it's not enough to keep steam streams from running down the walls near the shower -- I wipe them up with a towel.

@olychick -- thanks! It came out pretty much as I envisioned it at the start and it is such an improvement. I refused to move in until that old icky bathroom was history.

It looks great. This is the look I want for one of our baths with the same type of handle, dark wood and rectangular sink.

One question--it looks like your vanity is so spacious. Is that due to the rectangular sink or did you use a deeper, kitchen base--24 inches vs 21 inches? Thanks!

Thanks Bill. So why isn't the caulk doing what it's supposed to do?

That's a good question. In fact, it's the question I asked in my first post on this thread, and until we get the answer to that question, it's kind of tough to figure out how to (permanently) fix it. With reference to the tub, I'm wondering if there's excessive flex there, due to the tub not being braced properly. By the glass block, I'd be curious if moisture's getting in at the framing and causing it to swell.

These are more questions than educated guesses, from looking at the pics. But one way or the other, there's something going on there that's not supposed to be. There's no reason that caulking should be pulling away like that.

My builder and one of his tile guys are coming this afternoon. I'll ask him these questions but I suppose that there's no way to know without starting to rip things apart...right? My fear is that he's just going to chalk it up to hot and cold weather and go on his merry way, while I'm left with this mess. If you have any other key questions to ask, lay em on me.

@buddysmom The vanity is 23" deep, about 24" with the marble top. I had it made custom, based on a Restoration Hardware vanity (linked below). We ended up making the vanity a little wider, even, at 58". It was a good deal cheaper than RH and I got exactly the vanity I wanted, as well as a great medicine cabinet. We used mahogany. The only tradeoff was I couldn't find marble I liked at the place I looked that was 1.25", so the slabs in the bathroom (backsplash, vanity top, and window ledge are only .75" thick -- I don't think it made much of a visual difference though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Restoration Hardware Hutton extra wide single washstand

They've come and gone. No solid answer -- they talked about how the window and tile around it are against cinderblock/brick and there is no way to solve for that movement as temps change. They'll be coming back next week to recaulk everything around every seam, this time using plain silicone caulk (they specifically said they felt using a more flexible caulk would solve the problem). So...we'll see. If it's cracked up again in three months, they'll be hearing from me again. I will try to get religious about wiping down the caulk around the bathtub, at the least, after each shower.

Is there a specific caulk I should direct them to use? At this point I'd rather have uncracked caulk than colormatched so I'm cool with a clear silicone, I guess.

Based on what I've read I suggested that they fill the tub up before caulking around it where the tub meets the tile -- good advice, or is the bulk of a big dude enough to make up for an empty tub? Could get pretty awkward with water in the tub, I'm sure.

Ultra spam. Yet again.

The product does not have the flexibility for the joint. Acrylic latex works well when it is of good quality.