I finally learned my lesson about cheap caulk after my bathroom flooded

I spent $4 on a tube of no-name caulk from a discount store last spring to seal my bathtub. Three months later I noticed a little water on the floor, and then the subfloor started rotting out. The cheap stuff just peeled right off after a few hot showers. Total repair cost ended up being about $300 for new subfloor and tile work. I should have just paid $12 for a tube of silicone caulk from the hardware store. Anyone else had a similar disaster from skimping on a small job?

3 comments

3 Comments

sagejackson2d ago

Yeah, "cheap caulk" got me too. I used to think caulk was caulk, just a tube of goo. No way I was paying $15 for the name brand stuff. Then I had a leak around my kitchen sink. Water got behind the backsplash. Mold city. Had to rip out a whole section of drywall. Never again. I grab the expensive silicone now.

craig.olivia2d ago

My brother-in-law learned this one with a shower renovation, @sagejackson. He used the cheap stuff from the dollar store, swore it was fine. Three months later the whole corner of the shower was cracking and pulling away from the tile. Had to rip out the bottom row and redo the waterproof membrane. He was not a happy camper when his wife made him redo the whole thing over a weekend. I showed him the silicone trick and he finally got it right. Some lessons just cost you time and frustration lol.

kimblack1d ago

I mean, yeah, that sucks, but $300 isn't exactly a disaster. You could drop that much on a night out. Sounds like you just had bad luck with the application more than the caulk itself. I've used the cheap stuff for years on window trim and gutters, never had it peel off unless I didn't clean the surface right first.