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caulk counter to tile

10 years ago

Several years ago we redid our kitchen. We did not plan to do it ourselves but we fell into the "we might as well..." trap: haul away the old counter, rebuild a wall, and so on.

Everything worked out except the joint between the IKEA butcher block countertop and the wall tile. We found Spectrum siliconized acrylic latex caulk to match the color of the grout, and things looked good. Soon however the caulked joint cracked. Today the caulk is completely dry and brittle.

My question is whether to redo the caulk else to replace it with gray silicone caulk. I am afraid the wood movement with silicone caulk between wood and tile will just pull the tile loose. Does any know of a water-base caulk that will stay flexible?

Thanks, Henry Harpending

Featured Answer

Circus Peanut

10 years ago

I believe your best bet is to use a 100% silicone caulk. The tile companies each sell tubes of it in colors to match their grout.

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Comments (9)

pandora1
10 years ago
Henry,
Before our renovation, in old kitchen, the caulk between our backsplash and counters did the same thing. This only happened on the exterior wall, but did not do that on any interior walls. Not sure what type of caulk was used, but figured it had to do with it being on the exterior wall.
User
10 years ago
Read the tubes carefully - make sure the caulk is one that will stay flexible after it dries

Just "siliconized" isn't enough.
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You should definitely remove the old caulk regardless of what new caulk you use. I'd go with a silicone caulk. If you need more colors, Laticrete offers about 20 colors to match their grouts. The stuff isn't cheap though.
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Found the right search: "tile backsplash granite counter" and sure enough many people have asked. Here's one: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2696049/3-granite-backsplash-needed-if-plan-to-tile-backsplash-kitchen?n=5 Takeaway is that it is definitely not necessary and the majority of people don't like it with the extra granite piece. Someone observed that this probably ends up this way most often when the tile was added later over the original granite backsplash.
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Thanks all! Daisychain, I hadn't thought of Mortite, that would be a good idea! Though it also hadn't occurred to me live-wire-oak that we could caulk to the drywall and put down the tile to it without having to remove it. I asked DH if he thought we could and he thinks if we keep it thin it should be fine (though to be honest, he has MANY talents but caulking nicely tends NOT one of them, so....IDK), its fits fairly tight to the drywall so we should not need a lot. eam44 - You know, I'm going to go add a rolled up towel behind the coffeepot right now! Since this DIY stuff means you never really know when it will be done I wouldn't want to rely on that long term, but I've been nervous about it while we're waiting for the countertop folks to come back and fix it.
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attofarad
10 years ago
peanut, I have found that many of the matching caulks are "siliconized acrylic" not 100% silicone. I was unable to find a single one locally which was 100%, although some tile shops would order one for me or I could get them online.

At least the inferior one is easier to remove and re-do.
smartdesignergirl
10 years ago
You can get 100% Silicone at any local hardware store. You will have to clean off all the old caulking first....Silicone doesn't stick to silicone. You can also call a company called PolySil...they have exacting matching 100% Caulk.
attofarad
10 years ago
SmartDesignGirl,

Other than a very few colors (white, almond, clear, gray, black), I have not seen any 100% silicone caulk in the stores, and no sanded at all. Home Depot has none stocked, Lowes has none stocked, two local tile shops have none in any color (just the siliconized latex that matches their grouts).

Thanks for pointing out that silicone will not stick to old (cured) silicone.
smartdesignergirl
10 years ago
Try Ace Hardware....Our local store stocks a gray. If you want an exact match...Get Polysill.....Color Rite makes it.
www.colorriteinc.com

Or Try Axiom....
Translucent silicone colors in White, Beige, Gray, Rose, Green, Blue, Charcoal and Earth
smartdesignergirl
10 years ago
Try Ace Hardware....Our local store stocks a gray. If you want an exact match...Get Polysill.....Color Rite makes it.
www.colorriteinc.com

Or Try Axiom....
Translucent silicone colors in White, Beige, Gray, Rose, Green, Blue, Charcoal and Earth
StoneTech
10 years ago
Silicone caulk is the only thing that belongs there. Clean it well first.

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