caulking in shower

sgtrock

What is the trick to keep caulk inside a shower that gets wet all the time
from turning black & moldy looking. I am using a 100% silicone now.

Jim F

Bathroom and Kitchen caulk, but even that won't resist mold forever. The best bead you can make that will drain the water off best will help.

Blondesense

Getting rid of as much moisture as possible will help reduce this. Leave the door or curtain open after showering, and run your fan for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.

Bud Cline

Unfortunately,

it is very likely the mold-producing-moisture is coming from behind the caulk. It may be that even silicone won't stop the mold.

Moisture migrates into the grout and sometimes behind the tile everywhere, gravity then takes it towards the floor inside the grout and deposits it [behind] the caulk where it is slow to evaporate. This is typical of how a tile shower lives. The trick then is to keep the area as dry as possible by squeegeeing the walls after a shower and using a ventilation fan to evacuate the moisture in the room and shower.

In some cases it just happens and without sufficient air-handling there is little controlling the problem.