Can we talk about the before and after on that cheap bathroom caulk?

I redid my bathroom trim last spring and used the $3 caulk from the hardware store, and within 6 months it was all cracking and peeling off. Switched to a mid-range silicone caulk for the kitchen and 8 months later it still looks like the day I put it on. Anyone else notice how much the quality of caulk actually changes how long a project holds up?

2 comments

2 Comments

fiona_reed15d ago

I was totally the person who thought caulk is caulk and you're just paying for the brand name. Grabbed a $2.50 tube of acrylic stuff from the big orange store to seal my shower walls and it was peeling off in sheets by month four. Finally caved and spent the extra $8 on a GE silicone caulk for the tub redo and it's been solid for over a year now, even with my kids splashing water everywhere. That cheap caulk really does shrink and crack way faster once it dries out. Sucks to admit I was wrong but now I always grab the mid-range stuff.

robinson.matthew15d ago

Fiona nailed it... cheap caulk always seems to fail within months, not years.