I am stripping and re-sealing a corner shower stall, and am having a hell of time removing all the old caulk. I also discovered the previous homeowners decided to just caulk over the previous caulk that was on there, so I am removing 2 or 3 layers depending on the location. It was leaking in the spots that had 3 layers so I think they just added more caulk to “fix” leaks. I have the chemical caulk remover, and that certainly helps, but it still is taking a metric fuck-ton of manual labor. Any tricks/suggestions for removal of very old caulk? I am about to throw a scotch brite on a palm sander and go to town.
If you’ve got a heat gun, a moderate amount of heat for 30 seconds or so can help. Just go easy on the heat if you’ve already applied a chemical remover, don’t want to gas yourself.
Oh, good to know, I do have a heat gun
Removing caulk sucks.
The best tool for the job is a razor blade / utility knife, and a pack of replacement blades. Blades are dirt cheap, don’t be afraid to bend them / abuse them.
Are you sure that the older layers are caulk and not grout? If it’s actually grout, you can use a chisel to gently break it up.
Should have mentioned the surround is plastic and the front glass is trimmed in brass. Nothing I would expect grout to be used on.
If the caulk is still maleable, can it be carefully cut out with a utility knife? -Not scratching any tile, wall or floor surfaces.
The top layers are, but the stuff underneath is pretty hard. Comes off in chunks and seems pretty dry. I have managed to get a lot of it out, but the last bit is stubborn as hell.
Actually that helps a lot. I have a shitty plastic scraper and just a basic metal one. That shape would probably do a lot of good.
