How To Re-Caulk Glass Shower Doors

Home & Garden Blog

Glass shower doors are very stylish and durable. However, they do require a little bit of maintenance over the years. Most importantly, you need to make sure that the seams between the separate glass panels are always sealed and water tight. Overtime, the caulk in between the seams can become moldy and deteriorate. If you fail to maintain them, it can be expensive to repair. This article explains how to remove old or moldy caulk and replace it with a new product.

Removing the Old Caulk

First, you need to remove all of the old caulk and make the glass surface near the seam as smooth and clean as possible. To do this, you will need a few razor blades and a painter's knife. This is just like a putty knife, except it has one pointed edge. This allows you to gouge out the caulk in between the seams. The razor blade is used to scrape any caulk residue on turn glass. Just be sure to use fresh blades. A blade with even a small ding could end up scratching the glass. To finish up the job, you might need to use a heavy duty citrus cleaner to help break down the adhesive residue so you can get everything off of the glass.

Applying the New Caulk

Once the glass is completely clean, you can prepare for the new caulk. First, you need to tape off the seam from one side. Then, you will apply the caulk from the other side, so choose the side that is easiest to work on. Now, you can squirt the caulk into the gap. Make sure it fills in the gap completely. Silicone caulk is sticky, so wear latex gloves. Use your finger to smooth out the caulk line and push the caulk deeper into the gap. If you keep your finger clean, you can wipe the caulk to leave behind a very smooth caulk line.

You will now need to wait at least 24 hours to caulk the other side. Take off the tape and then add caulk to fill in any parts that the caulk did not reach. This way you will have a smooth caulk line on each side of the glass. You should probably wait a full 24 hours before using your shower.

This simple maintenance is something that you will likely need to repeat several times over the lifetime of your shower doors. To learn more, speak with a business like Glasshopper Schor Glass.

6 May 2016