Caulk: A Sticky Tale

Disgusting. That is the only word that could be used to describe the state of my shower prior to this project. The caulking in my en-suite bathroom had gone mildewy and it was a sight to behold. I didn't take any pictures because I'm sure you would hold it against me. Unfortunately I didn't get the OCD cleaning gene out of the sisters. 

My first course of action was, of course, to check YouTube for tutorial videos. I watched a couple and I have to say they were the most boring YouTube'ing I have ever done. I hit Home Depot and grabbed some caulk and a caulking gun. Not gonna lie I felt pretty bad ass buying that gear. 

Grout removal time. My tactic was to use the exacto knife to cut all the way down each caulked seam, then go to each edge and try to slide the blade underneath. Some places it was really easy and some places it was impossible.

Then I cleaned the seams with a bleach and water mixture. Then I let it dry over night.... The next night I was scared and excited to start re-caulking! Not going to lie it took me about half an hour to figure out how to get the caulk and caulking gun to be friends. I'm surprised that thing doesn't come with directions. :|

Applying the caulk was simple, but sticky. About 3 minutes into it I, my clothes and the entire bathroom (exaggeration) was covered in silicon. I thought it would just wash off my hands, but it really didn't. I had to google how to get it off - apparently rubbing yourself with a plastic bag will do the trick; that or letting it dry and then just peeling it off. 

The results are amazing, it looks so fresh and clean. So good, in fact, that I decided to re-caulk my second bathroom! Viola, here's some progress photos...