Thank-you. The company sent me the wrong item, I asked for the Laticrete Latasil Silicone Caulk Sealant, but they just sent regular Laticrete, which is OK since it will also get used. The shower is waterproofed to our city code standards, but various contractors waterproof showers "properly" in other methods. So far no water seems to get in behind the wall, it's very dry back in there and we don't use the shower at all when cracks appear - not until it is repaired. A tile contractor (the only one I can find who's website says they do "tile repair" and that comes recommended) said he actually won't come and make these kinds of repairs, he will repair his own work but that of others he removes and re-does it all, because he wants to be able to guarantee the work. I have not found anyone else willing to do the repair. So it's up to me, and I just want to make sure I have what it takes before tackling it! Thank-you for your advice about the caulk.

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

Lovely! I like the classic white tile and porcelain and how you used furniture pieces in the bathroom. I love that the storage at the end of the tub has pull-outs that can be reached from the toilet. Your custom sink and backsplash and counter are unique and beautiful. Yours may be the first bathroom sink I have seen in which a small or medium dog could be washed! That is a good thing! I showed your pictures to my DH because I am thinking of classic tiled walls with a chair rail for when we redo our bath in a couple of years. He liked it! I was expecting him to say, "too old fashioned." He did not, he said it looked nice. From him, nice is a compliment. He even liked your rows of listello. I was just at the Tile Shop's site the other day looking at the Hampton tiles because someone was selling some on Craigslist. I am hoping to do as you did and get what I can cheaper there, and fill in the rest from the store. I can see that you worked very hard to secure all of your materials - and then cut the floor tiles to size and culled the Hampton tiles, too! You succeeded very well in getting the look you wanted while saving money along the way. Congratulations, and thank you for the pictures and great detail and supply list.

You can fill the tub with water. Or books. Or cement blocks. lol Anyhow, weigh the tub down. Let it sit for several hours, or overnight. Then caulk. Give the caulk time to cure, then remove the weight from the tub. Might help. Might not. But your better bet is to give the caulk a clean surface to adhere to and to open up the gap (is possible) to reduce tensile forces on the caulk, and to install the correctly sized bead of caulk. If you have a large gap, then consider two smaller bead applications instead of a single fat bead. In general, as caulk cures, it shrinks a bit. As a single fat bead cures and shrinks it can stress the bond to the tub. If your gap is deep, then consider installing foam backer rod to fill the excess depth, then caulking to the proper depth over that. Caulk. So simple. Yet so complex.