Do It Yourself

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Re-sealing shower surround (beehaw.org)

submitted 10 months ago by Vodulas@beehaw.org to c/diy@beehaw.org

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I am stripping and re-sealing a corner shower stall, and am having a hell of time removing all the old caulk. I also discovered the previous homeowners decided to just caulk over the previous caulk that was on there, so I am removing 2 or 3 layers depending on the location. It was leaking in the spots that had 3 layers so I think they just added more caulk to "fix" leaks. I have the chemical caulk remover, and that certainly helps, but it still is taking a metric fuck-ton of manual labor. Any tricks/suggestions for removal of very old caulk? I am about to throw a scotch brite on a palm sander and go to town.

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[–] Seathru@beehaw.org 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

What's under the caulk? If it's ceramic tile, you can probably get away with a brass cup brush in a drill. Test in an inconspicuous area first obviously, but it should be less likely to scuff up the surface as something like scotchbrite.

[–] Vodulas@beehaw.org 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It is a plastic surrounding, but nothing I would care about cosmetic damage.

[–] Seathru@beehaw.org 3 points 10 months ago

Brass brush on a drill would probably melt into plastic fast. But a handheld one would work ok, or steel if you need more persuasion and aren't worried about scratches.