The vertical wall seams crack more readily because the house shifts and moves. Ive tried grouting only and going back to caulk with sanded grout caulk or silicon only after a crack develops, hoping in some cases it will not. Sometimes it does not crack. Some contractors caulk all seams as a matter of course, no callbacks, safer. I liked the idea of sanded grout caulk to match your grout color It has not held up for me in wet conditions, such as the top of the bathtub where the wall tile starts, etc. , definitely not along the shower floor where the wall tile starts. It has held up in other areas though, and looks nicer when it all ties in. I agree, mildew on silicon is unsightly. Every bathroom has different conditions, including ventilation, moisture, etc. Some people have to clean out and recaulk the silicon every year or two. Whether its allegedly mildewproof silicon or not.

Hi Tia, The escutcheon ring around the shower goose-neck should be snug enough that it doesn't easily slide forward. IF this is the case, then there isn't any reason to caulk it to the wall. The tub spout should have a casket material of some tile between it and the tile. A bead of clear silicone around the top 3/4 of the spout's base can also be a good idea but you'll want to conform to the manufacturer's installation directions regardless of what any one else tells you. Best of luck, Shaughnn

I am a DIY'er and did a pretty significant bathroom remodel where I did all the tile work. On my shower, I used Laticrete Hydroban and durock for my walls. At all corners and at the tub flange, I used fiberglass tape embedded in thinset, sort of like your video. Much cheaper I imagine. The Schluter Band is water and vapor proof I believe. You will be using Redgard to achieve the same water management goal, so I don't believe you would need the Schluter product. All changes of material and planes will be covered with the fiberglass tape and thinset. All the fasteners will be covered with thinset. All valves are set with tape and thinset, or the product included with the valves. My valves came with a taping product that I thinset into place. Then everything is coated in the water management membrane such as Redgard or Laticrete. I filled in all small voids with thinset. I don't have a picture of the bottom of my shower pan and Durock, but I think I taped it with the fiberglass tape. It has been some time since I did this job. Below, is my thinset and taped cement board. True Confessions, I don't think I have enough fasteners, nor the right kind, in my wall, and I worry about this flaw in my shower. I had drywallers hang this for me when they did the rest of the room. I assumed they used the correct fasteners, but they didn't. They started out with galvanized nails, which I believe would have been ok, but I wanted screws, so they switched to the drywall screws. I had the Durock screws, but didn't give them to the workers, assuming they had their own. They didn't. So after they left and I saw the, I tried adding my Durock screws into the wall. I couldn't do it, I just wasn't strong enough. DH was out farming and wasn't available to drive more in for me. So I proceeded. My mistake, as I learned later the drywall screws deteriorate in cement board over time because of the alkaline conditions. I confessed to DH that the walls might fall down in a few years. He said, "well when they do, we'll just fix it." What a relief I felt, I no longer carried this burden of knowing that I flubbed up: Here is the bottom where the coating is onto the shower pan. It hard to see, but the pan and walls are totally sealed in the Hydroban. Click it open to see the bottom of the walls at the shower pan, where I taped a plastic sheeting to protect the pan. Be sure to follow the recommendations for thickness with your Redgard. This is Laticrete Hydroban: If you click the picture open you might be able to see the valves sealed with the Hydroban. This green tape is by 3M and is very strong used for taping concrete I believe. It was great to use to hold hanging tiles into place until the thinset cured. You will want this tape for your tiling job, I loved it:

I have a Sterling Accord that was just installed today. I'm also in a 1973 house, and we're in the middle of a complete remodel of an ugly yellow bathroom. The Accord doesn't use caulking in any of the seams. The only part that has to be sealed is where the wall meets the top of the surround. I chose it because I don't want to deal with the maintenance of tile, caulk, and grout ever again. It'll probably be a week or a little more before I get to use it, but I don't anticipate any problems. My contractor was impressed with how it's designed. Any water that happens to get between the seams is channeled down into the tub. Sterling has a video that demonstrates how to install the tub and walls. It makes it look really quick and easy, but they're installing it in a perfect scenario, and I'm sure the video is well-edited too. All the framing in my bathroom wasn't exactly perfect and straight, but my contractor and his helper were able to work it out.