When tiling kitchen backsplashes, tub and shower surrounds or using glass tiles, caulk is needed to finish the job and flex when grout cannot. Understanding when the caulk is needed, and where it is best applied can help any homeowner achieve a longer lasting tile installation.
What is Tile Caulk?
Caulk has been used for centuries as a flexible joint filler. First used in ships, to join together wooden boards, today's caulk fills a number of uses in the home. Caulk can be latex, or silicone based so that when dry, it flexes or bends with the natural movement of the house, absorbing movement that tile or grout cannot.
Tile caulk is available in the same colors and finishes as grout to form a cohesive tiling job, and is typically used whenever a 90-degree angle is formed between tile, or between tile and another hard surface such as a tub or counter.
Tile Caulk and Glass Tiles
Glass tiles are by nature more fragile and inflexible than other tile materials. Therefore, any natural settling of the house, movement of walls or floors or flexing of joints can cause the tiles to crack or pop loose from their mortar. Therefore, any time that glass tiles are used in an installation care must be taken to absorb any flex or movement that the glass is unable to accept. Part of this care is the use of sanded caulk.
When working with glass tiles, caulk must be inserted into every angle that the glass makes, as well as into transitions between the glass tiles and other materials. For example, when tiling kitchen backsplashes with glass tiles, caulk needs to be inserted between the kitchen counter and the tiles as well as in the corners of where two walls meet. While it is standard practice to use caulk in these areas at all times, porcelain, ceramic and natural stone tiles can be installed with grout in the corners without harm. Glass tiles require the use of caulk to help maintain their structural integrity.
Caulk and Showers and Tubs
The last thing any homeowner wants to see happen, is the grout or material joining their tile to their tub or shower floor comes loose, allowing water to seep behind the materials and damage the walls. When the natural filling of a tub with water increases the tub's weight, there is a tendency for the tub to move slightly, or settle. If the material joining the tub to the tile can't move with the tub, it may break or come loose, exposing the walls behind the tile to potential water damage.
Natural settling of a house over time can also cause floors to become out of level, causing a shower wall to separate slightly from a shower floor. Once again, the joint filler in these areas must form what is known as an expansion joint; it must flex with the walls and floor keeping the joint continuously filled and water tight.
Any time that two areas of tile join each other in a 90-degree angle, particularly at horizontal planes, caulk needs to be inserted in place of grout as a joint filler. Simply purchase caulk which matches the color and texture of the grout to ensure a cohesive look. For example, if white, sanded grout is used on the wall tile of a shower, white, sanded caulk should be used in the join between the shower walls and floor.
Tile caulk is an important part of nearly every wall tile, glass tile and shower tile application. Utilizing this material will help keep the tile job looking great for years to come, while protecting walls and floors from water damage. Use tile caulk the next time a tile installation is undertaken and know that the tile job is built to last.
Sarabeth Asaff - Sarabeth Asaff is a freelance writer and artist with a passion for cooking and good food. Growing up in the kitchen of her Lebanese ...
