What kind of caulk do I need for internal tiling corners etc

[groucho]

Just completed tiling job now want to put caulk on the internal tile-tile corners and where tiles meet door frames and pvc windows.
Not sure what TYPE or TYPES of caulk to use.
(i) I think silicon based caulk is best for pvc windows to tile is that correct?

(ii) What about the tile-tile internal corners and the tile to door frames. Have seen decorators caulk in B and Q ( acrylic based and paintable). But not sure if this would be OK.

So help

Any experienced tilers with some advice please?

Cheers

Groucho

 

[gcol]

(i) Just grout- it shouldn't be moving anywhere so no flexible seal should be required.
(ii) Tile to tile - grout in dry areas, silicone in wet areas or where you suspect a little movement. Tile to door frame - grout.

 

[tictic]

always use a silicone,in ALL corners...wet or dry and around window etc....

nicer finish,and it wont look naff...

 

[gcol]

always use a silicone,in ALL corners...wet or dry and around window etc....nicer finish, and it wont look naff...

Doesn't mean to say it's right. Why use silicone against a PVC window when there's no moisture or movement issues to be controlled?
If you can tile properly, then a tile/tile internal corner can be hidden with grout, if cutting skills are lacking then yes it can be easily covered with silicone. Wet areas, silicone is a must.
Absolutely no need to silicone the tile/door joint as the tiles usually go under the architrave. Silicone around door casings is the last thing you should be using - might be easy for you but ask the decorator that's following you and they'll beat you for getting silicone all over the architrave. If you need to add any form of seal in this instance, use decorators caulk and keep the bead tiny then it can be effectively finished. Assuming they have decorators caulk in Bonny Scotland here.

 

[tictic]

always use a silicone,in ALL corners...wet or dry and around window etc....nicer finish, and it wont look naff...

Doesn't mean to say it's right. Why use silicone against a PVC window when there's no moisture or movement issues to be controlled?
If you can tile properly, then a tile/tile internal corner can be hidden with grout, if cutting skills are lacking then yes it can be easily covered with silicone. Wet areas, silicone is a must.
Absolutely no need to silicone the tile/door joint as the tiles usually go under the architrave. Silicone around door casings is the last thing you should be using - might be easy for you but ask the decorator that's following you and they'll beat you for getting silicone all over the architrave. If you need to add any form of seal in this instance, use decorators caulk and keep the bead tiny then it can be effectively finished. Assuming they have decorators caulk in Bonny Scotland here.

upvc windows do have movement in them(even ones that are fully reinforced....still to see the outside and inside off a upvc window that aint had a silicone seal around....not got any off that stuff down yer way then...

as for grout only in corners...think yer find its a better finish, a nice bead of silicone,,as for tile cuts..mine are just passible...

yes architrave do usually come off then the painter will do that finish...if not i will do the beating....

but this is a diyforum.....

so best to go a little overboard with them,cos i cant see the op"s finished tile fixing....

 

[gcol]

upvc windows do have movement in them

Oh no they don't (said like I'm in panto). The uPVC frames are inert and fixed to the same walls as the tiles, they should not move and consequently lose bond with the grout. Looks better to have grout against the frame as a silicone bead stands out more and looks grubby over time.

not got any off that stuff down yer way then...

Yeah but we use it for what it's designed to do, namely, waterproof joints, not covering poor tiling or to p*ss decorators off by daubing in around door frames.

but this is a diyforum..... so best to go a little overboard with them,cos i cant see the op"s finished tile fixing....

Yes it is a DIY forum, but that stands for Do It Yourself, not Do It Wrong. While we're on the subject, there's nothing looks worse than a badly applied silicone seal.

 

[tictic]

yer cracking me up ere...
just like grout could do in internal corners with any movement in the substrate.
and as you have said it is for a waterproof seal...
as for bad tiling and bad silicone sealing,well I do ok on that end off things myself..

have opened a few doors and windows myself and seen the frame moving in some way...badly applied facings around them as well..

 

[tictic]

what about floor to wall tiles... you just grout it then...

 

[tictic]

do it wrong.... I like that one...

sorry for not putting in one reply,but trying this on the phone is feckin murder....

 

[gcol]

what about floor to wall tiles... you just grout it then...

No, where you've got movement you would use a flexible seal. Where you have corner with no movement, grout is fine if you're not talking about a wet situation. Let me give you an example... okay we're talking about a uPVC window; when a plasterer skims to a uPVC window, does he finish it off with a seal of silicone around the frame? No, why? Because there's no movement there. Can't make it much clearer than that.

 

[Richard C]

Groucho, been away a while & have replied to your PM but for the record; it’s best to use matching silicone down the internal corners of shower enclosures. There is always the possibility of differential movement between adjacent walls, especially if they are of different types or have not been tied in properly; if it moves, grout will crack making the tile base vulnerable. In dry areas it’s not critical so you can use grout where tiles meet UPVC frames but I usually use silicone here as well. UPVC has a high coefficient of expansion compared to plaster/plasterboard/brick/tile; different rates of expansion/contraction between materials of different type’s causes cracks where they meet.

Let me give you an example... okay we're talking about a uPVC window; when a plasterer skims to a uPVC window, does he finish it off with a seal of silicone around the frame? No, why? Because there's no movement there. Can't make it much clearer than that.

When plastering reveals to UPVC frames, I just trowel off but if you come back in a year or so to re-decorate, you will almost certainly find a crack has opened up where the frame meets the plaster, again due to differential expansion between the two materials; in this case use decorators caulk, water based paint won’t stick to silicone.