Caulking and Sealing in Phoenix: Tubs, Showers, Windows, Doors and Monsoon Prep
The cracked bead at the tub, the gap at the window, the sealant around the roof vent. Cut out, cleaned and redone with the right stuff, before the next storm.
Arizona ROC #366903 · Licensed, Bonded & Insured
Caulk is a small item that protects expensive things. Around a tub or shower, it keeps water from getting behind the tile and into the wall. Around windows and doors outside, it keeps out monsoon rain and dust. Caulk dries and cracks with age and sun, and once it's cracked it stops doing its job. Recaulking is cheap. The water damage it prevents isn't.
Why caulk fails
Caulk flexes between two surfaces that move differently: tile and tub, stucco and window frame, drywall and trim. Over years of movement, sun and cleaners, it hardens, cracks and pulls away. Cheap caulk fails in a year or two. The wrong caulk, like painter's caulk in a shower, fails faster. Caulk applied over old caulk doesn't stick to anything and peels off in sheets.
Tubs and showers
The joint where the tub meets the tile, where the shower walls meet the floor, and the corners of the shower are the joints that matter most. Cracked or moldy caulk there lets water behind the tile every day. Recaulking means cutting out all the old caulk, cleaning and drying the joint, and running a fresh bead of mold-resistant silicone. Then it needs several hours before it gets wet.
If the caulk is cracked because the wall behind it moves, or if the tile around it sounds hollow, the problem is bigger than caulk, and the shower may be leaking behind the tile.
Sinks, counters and backsplashes
The bead where a sink meets the counter, where the counter meets the backsplash, and around a faucet base keeps water off the cabinet below. Those get the same treatment: old caulk out, clean, silicone in. A kitchen sink with a failed bead is a common cause of the swollen sink base floor.
Windows and doors outside
The joint between a window frame and the stucco, and between a door frame and the stucco, takes rain every monsoon. When it fails, water runs into the wall and shows up as a stain or a soft spot inside. Exterior joints get a paintable exterior sealant that stays flexible in heat. The bottom corners of windows and doors are where leaks start, and they get the most attention.
Monsoon prep: the roof edge and the scuppers
On a flat or low-slope roof, water leaves through scuppers, the openings in the parapet, and through drains. Debris blocks them, the sealant around them cracks, and water pools or runs down the inside of the wall. The sealant around roof vents, pipes and AC lines cracks the same way. Before monsoon season, we clear the scuppers and reseal the penetrations and the edge from the outside. We can also help with the roof itself: a torn membrane, a bad tile, a leak that's already inside.
Garages, patios and the base of the house
The joint between the garage slab and the wall, around hose bibs, at the base of patio posts, and where a patio cover meets the house are the other spots water gets in. Those get sealed on the same visit.
Problems we fix on this page
- Mold in the shower caulk
- Mold on a window sill
- Musty smell under the sink
- How long before I can shower after recaulking
How it starts
Send photos of the joints that are cracked, or just tell us which rooms and whether you want the outside checked before monsoon. You get one price for the job before we start. A tub or shower needs several hours before it gets wet. Levi is on site, and we stand behind the work for a year.
Questions
- Can I caulk over the old caulk?
- No. New caulk doesn't stick to old caulk, and it peels off in a sheet. The old bead has to come out and the joint has to be clean and dry.
- How long before I can use the shower?
- Several hours for the silicone to skin over. Overnight is better. The quote says what to plan for.
- Do you check the roof?
- We seal around vents and pipes and clear the scuppers from the outside. If we see a roof leak, torn membrane or broken tile, we'll tell you, and we can help with that too.
- Why are there mold spots on the bathroom ceiling?
- That's usually moisture the bathroom fan isn't clearing, not the caulk. The fix is a bathroom fan that actually moves air, vented outside.
Related pages
Home Maintenance & Repair
The whole list, one fixed price: caulking, hardware, detectors, hanging shelves and mirrors, and the small fixes that add up.
Shower leaking behind the tile
How to tell whether a leaking shower needs new grout and caulk, or a new shower.
Weatherstripping
The doors and windows that let in heat, dust and storm water, and the gaps nobody thinks to look for.
Ready to get it fixed?
Tell us what needs doing. Quotes are free. We usually reply within minutes, and always within 24 hours.