Jalousie Window Repair
Stuck cranks, loose clips and cracked louvers on the glass windows older Oahu houses still run on.
More on Jalousie Window Repair →
handyman work / Honolulu, HI
Bathtub and Shower Caulking in Honolulu, HI
Cracked, peeling or mildewed caulk around the tub, shower, sink and backsplash, plus window, trim and exterior joints. The old bead comes out completely and a bathroom-rated sealant goes in, for houses and condos across Oahu.
✓ Old bead removed, not covered
✓ Sealant matched to each joint
✓ Bathrooms all over Honolulu
Strip it first
Why does the old caulk have to come out completely?
The old caulk has to come out completely because new caulk laid over old bonds weakly, then cracks and leaks. So every scrap of the old bead is cut and scraped away. The joint gets wiped with rubbing alcohol and left to dry. Wide or deep gaps get foam backer rod before any sealant goes near them, and the tub is filled with water so the fresh bead cures with the tub already sitting at its heaviest.
- Old bead removed in full, never caulked over
- Joint cleaned with alcohol and dried
- Tub filled while the new bead cures
- Mildew-resistant, bathroom-rated sealant at wet joints
- Backer rod packed behind wide gaps
- Tape lines for a straight, even bead
A recaulk, step by step
What a proper tub recaulk looks like
1
Show the joints
Send close photos of the tub, shower or window joints, and say whether the bead is cracked, lifting, or stained dark.
2
Cut out
The failed caulk is sliced and scraped off down to bare surface, then the joint is cleaned with alcohol and allowed to dry.
3
Fill and tape
The tub is filled with water, backer rod goes into deep gaps, and tape is run along both edges of each joint.
4
Bead and wait
The bead is laid and tooled, the tape is pulled before it skins, and the shower is left alone for a full day.
Pick the sealant
Silicone compared with acrylic latex caulk
| What matters | 100% silicone | Acrylic latex |
|---|---|---|
| Movement | Stays flexible and keeps moving with the tub | Tears free at a joint that moves a lot |
| Water | Sheds it | Fine at dry interior joints |
| Cleanup | Mineral spirits or another solvent | Water |
| Best place | Tub, shower and sink joints | Painted trim and drywall seams |
| The hybrid | Siliconized acrylic is latex with silicone added | It sits between the two, a middle option for mixed joints |
Damp-air bathrooms
Why does bathtub caulking fail so often in Honolulu bathrooms?
Bathtub caulking fails in Honolulu bathrooms for the same reasons it fails anywhere, poor surface prep and the wrong product, made worse by air that rarely dries out. Lowland humidity sits around 60 to 70 percent on the leeward side and 70 to 80 percent on the windward side, so a bathroom joint stays damp between showers far longer than it would in a drier climate. A tub also moves. Filled, it is heavier and pulls away from the wall, which stretches a bead laid on an empty tub and tears plain latex loose. Caulk is a maintenance item, not a lifetime seal, and it fails sooner when the joint was never cleaned and dried.
Tubs and showers
Kitchen sink edges
Window and trim joints
Exterior gaps
Caulking facts worth knowing
100%
Silicone, the sealant This Old House picks for a tub joint
20 to 30
Linear feet of bead from one standard tube
Half inch
Gap width or depth that calls for backer rod first
70-80%
Typical lowland humidity on the windward side
Sources: University of Alaska Fairbanks Extension; This Old House; Western Regional Climate Center, Climate of Hawaii
The job list
Small repairs and installs around Honolulu
One visit can cover several items. These six are the ones Honolulu homes ask about most; the full list sits further down the homepage.
Window AC Installation
A window unit set on a proper bracket, sealed at the sides, and draining away from the wall.
More on Window AC Installation →
Garbage Disposals
Jammed, humming or leaking disposals cleared, reset or swapped for a new unit under the sink.
More on Garbage Disposals →
Drywall Repair
Holes, cracks, nail pops and water-stained patches cut out, taped, mudded and blended.
More on Drywall Repair →
Ceiling Fan Installation
A fan hung on a box rated to carry it, balanced so it stops wobbling at full speed.
More on Ceiling Fan Installation →
TV Mounting
A screen mounted into studs or the right concrete anchor, with the cables kept tidy.
More on TV Mounting →01
Tubs and showers
There is no fixed schedule; it is due when the bead cracks, pulls away from the tile, or holds stains you cannot clean off.
No. New caulk over old makes a weak bond that cracks and leaks, so the old bead comes out completely first.
Because the tub moves. Full of water it is heavier and drops slightly away from the wall, so a bead laid while the tub was empty gets stretched the first time someone takes a bath. Acrylic latex makes it worse, since it tears free where silicone keeps flexing. The fix is to fill the tub before caulking and leave it full while the new bead cures.
Once mildew is in the bead, replacing it is the dependable fix: old caulk out, joint cleaned and dried, and a mildew-resistant, bathroom-rated sealant laid in its place. If the grout beside it is crumbling or stained too, regrouting and tile repair covers that part.
Light use can follow a short skin time, but the bead is best left alone for a full day.
02
Materials and other joints
Silicone. It stays flexible, sheds water and keeps hold where latex would tear free. Acrylic latex is the paintable caulk for trim and drywall seams, and it cleans up with water. Siliconized acrylic, the hybrid, sits between the two. Whatever goes on a bath joint should be sold for bathroom use, meaning water and mildew resistant.
Yes, along with the gaps where pipes and wires pass through the wall. Louvered windows have hardware problems of their own, covered on the jalousie window repair page.
Foam backer rod goes in first, and a joint wider than the nozzle tip is never filled in a single pass.
Usually per job, in writing. A whole-house exterior caulk is quoted as its own job, separate from bathroom work.