I always dry seal my silicone joints, but the shop says wet is better.

Dry sealing prevents bubbles and lasts longer, so why is everyone so stuck on wet application?

3 comments

3 Comments

My cousin had this old apartment where the bathroom silicone around the shower pan was always peeling. The landlord kept having guys come out to redo it, and each one had a totally different method. One guy swore by putting it on dry, another used a spray bottle of soapy water. It never really fixed the problem, which turned out to be a cracked pan underneath.

harperwright1mo ago

Honestly my home repair skills are just putting tape over problems.

nguyen.piper1mo ago

My last bathroom reno had a cracked subfloor that wrecked every sealant job until we fixed the wood. For a normal joint, I use a damp finger with a tiny bit of dish soap on it to smooth the bead. The soap keeps it from sticking to your skin and lets you get a clean finish without pulling the caulk away from the edges. A totally dry joint can sometimes trap air and not stick as well to the sides. But if the surface underneath is moving or wet, no method will last.