Silicone Caulk For Shower

[George7941]

I have been using GE Silicone II and it is around $10 Cdn a tube. GE has the Supreme Silicone for $17 a tube, significantly more expensive. They are both 30 minute shower ready. Supreme is lifetime mold free vs 7 yrs for the Silicone II.

Is the Supreme that much better than the Silicone II? Or is it basically the same product and it is marketing behind the higher price of the Supreme?

Googling did not help. Mono has a similar lineup with their expensive Max vs less expensive Pro.

 

[Leo99]

Don't know about the differences but I saw a neat tip on youtube yesterday. Spray the freshly applied caulk with a soapy water solution or Windex or similar and use a popsicle stick or your finger to smooth it out for a perfect bead.

 

[doitmyself]

Do the SDS's reveal that the more expensive product might have more/better anti-fungal ingredient?

 

[benjy]

i used 100% ge silicone between my composite porch flooring about 5 yrs now + all is good!! working time depends on weather, barely 10 min in summer heat, a great product!! prolly a better buy in a small caulking gun size + various colors

 

[George7941]

Do the SDS's reveal that the more expensive product might have more/better anti-fungal ingredient?

Just checked the SDS sheets for both, could not draw any conclusions. Here is the SDS for the Supreme

MSET 3.1

The product data sheets show the different claims being made - lifetime mold free vs 7 years, 7 x stronger adhesion compared to Silicone I vs 5 x. Just wondering if it is the marketing dept going wild with the claims.

GE does not manufacture these silicones, they are sourced from Momentive and Henckels. Both top tier companies but that makes these silicones GE in name only.

 

[Warstud]

GE caulk has a short shelf life so if you wont be using most of it for the job then you may want to go with the cheaper one.

 

[97prizm]

I have been using GE Silicone II and it is around $10 Cdn a tube. GE has the Supreme Silicone for $17 a tube, significantly more expensive. They are both 30 minute shower ready. Supreme is lifetime mold free vs 7 yrs for the Silicone II.

Is the Supreme that much better than the Silicone II? Or is it basically the same product and it is marketing behind the higher price of the Supreme?

Googling did not help. Mono has a similar lineup with their expensive Max vs less expensive Pro.

I found a link with all 3 GE silicone lines available. The premium has a lifetime anti-mold vs 7 year and sounds like it it's a better product for alot of things including doors windows etc. GE Silicone

 

[spackard]

Lexel caulk is better than those GE silicone ones for the shower. I found out about it from this site, tried it, and it's just better.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Getting the perfect caulk bead seems to be with the fingertip.

 

[George7941]

Lexel caulk is better than those GE silicone ones for the shower. I found out about it from this site, tried it, and it's just better.

Googled Lexel, definitely interesting and would like to try it out. But Lexel in white is harder to come by than in clear and I cannot find white for a reasonable price. Amazon .ca has it for $57 per tube, I am not paying that.

 

[George7941]

Getting the perfect caulk bead seems to be with the fingertip.

Yes, I use my fingertip too, when the two surfaces meet at a right angle. When sealing a gap between two flat surfaces (the two surfaces meet at 180 degrees) I use a wiping tool to remove excess.

The fingertip is good for smoothing out the bead, where you are not removing caulk, just moving it around a little bit. When excess caulk has to be removed, I use a tool of the appropriate profile.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Yes, I use my fingertip too, when the two surfaces meet at a right angle. When sealing a gap between two flat surfaces (the two surfaces meet at 180 degrees) I use a wiping tool to remove excess.

The fingertip is good for smoothing out the bead, where you are not removing caulk, just moving it around a little bit. When excess caulk has to be removed, I use a tool of the appropriate profile.

I also use those disposable mechanic's rubber gloves as well. That stuff is a mother to get off your hands!

 

[George7941]

That stuff is a mother to get off your hands!

This is very often repeated but has not been my experience. I just wipe silicone caulk off my fingertip with a paper towel and the caulk just wipes off.

 

[George7941]

Don't know about the differences but I saw a neat tip on youtube yesterday. Spray the freshly applied caulk with a soapy water solution or Windex or similar and use a popsicle stick or your finger to smooth it out for a perfect bead.

I would not want to spray a fresh bead with any solution, given that silicone caulk does not stick to wet surfaces. You are spreading the silicone a bit when you smooth the bead and the silicone being spread is not going to adhere. I don't have an issue with wetting a fingertip.