Temporary Fix to Preserve Beth’s Sanity
This post is dedicated to Beth’s sister Mindee for whom discussion of project fixes relieves boredom.
Okay, so remember when Beth accidentally stripped the finish off the tub?
Well it’s been driving her mad ever since. The idea that she had to intentionally make a fat, warbly, crappy caulk line around the edge of the tub in order to hide the old brown color peeping through was too much. It aggravated her every single day. While this minor tragedy has put the idea of replacing the tub back on the table (Yay! New tub that will actually cover more than 1/8″ of your body when filled. Boo! Tearing out of tub and tile.) that project is a little way off and I really wasn’t sure if Beth could find peace with her shower time without some kind of interim remedy.
So, I got some of that annoying caulk tape stuff that you stick on to avoid the messy hassle of properly caulking your shower area. So after a good 6 hours of prep including COMPLETELY removing the old caulk and thoroughly prepping the surface for good adhesion, I stuck on the caulk tape. Once applied, it made the tub look like a tub in a mobile home, or a motel, or maybe an old vacation cabin. It is not ideal. It is not pretty. It IS prettier than the old brown enamel and it IS prettier than the caulk line that, to be clear, did not bother me but made Beth want to, as she said, bang her head against the wall repeatedly. And it’s something we can totally live with as a temporary solution. Would I ever recommend this as a way to finish off your new tub or sink installation? No way. Is it better than hearing your partner sob in the shower? Absolutely.
Mindee said,
February 13, 2008 @ 12:35 pm
Oh my goodness. You have made my whole day, and I LIKE the caulk tape. It is very linear and defined and neat looking. I would choose it. I don’t know what that says about me or my taste, but there you go.
solace said,
February 13, 2008 @ 1:05 pm
oh caulk tape…how I love/loath thee.
We thought it would be a good temporary fix to hide a join where we rigged a new cabinet (melamine covered particle board that we had to cut to fit and left a really ugly edge -ugh) to fit in with our 1950’s plywood kitchen cabinets until we either bought all new kitchen cabinets (now SO far away) or did the molding in the hallway and would then put up proper molding between the two cupboards.
It actually looked almost good at first, good enough to ignore as other more important projects filled our time. A few weeks ago I noticed it was starting to sag and it now has made a gummy disgusting mess that I curse everytime I use the microwave. It will be a pain to clean up and I won’t be able to paint new real molding until spring. Urgh caulk tape!
solace said,
February 13, 2008 @ 1:06 pm
oh….and your tub doesn’t look that bad…honest.
Then again this is coming from the girl with caulk tape in her kitchen.
Amber said,
February 13, 2008 @ 2:15 pm
I’m wondering how that can actually even be called a bathtub. Not because of the caulk tape, but seriously, the shallowness of it is inhuman. Yes, I said inhuman – because I like to take baths and I think everyone should be able to.
Andrea said,
February 14, 2008 @ 1:40 pm
Oh, ladies, monitor that situation carefully, because as I may have posted the last time you wrote about your caulk, I tried this solution once and it was full of fail in the protecting-the-wall-from-water department.
The tub-to-wall transition is an area of home construction/repair that REALLY needs some innovative new products.
Lynn said,
February 20, 2008 @ 11:41 am
While I can understand your issues with the tape’s appearance (or appearance it gives your tub), I can sure relate to Beth’s wanting to bang her head against the wall because of an ugly-ness caused by an accident. We had to take out our Corian kitchen counter in one place, and when the folks we call to do maintenance things too big for us came to set the counter back in, they just did it wrong…..clear but shiney calk oozed out between the backsplash and the counter. Now, every time I clean the counter, the calk between the backsplash and the counter collects little particles of “goo” which are driving me up the wall! Although I called them back to supposedly correct their bad re-installation, they didn’t improve it much. I SO wish we’d called the original installers, regardless of price. I, too, have moments of the head-against-the-wall action!
SD said,
February 20, 2008 @ 1:49 pm
Reading this, I am inspired to compose a post entitled “Janky @ssed Things I Have Done to my House” – if this is your worst, I so, totally, have you beat.
SD
Margaret said,
February 21, 2008 @ 5:04 pm
Thank goodness, and thank you Meri. Now you can find something else to
focus on, like the garden! It’s spring in your neck of the woods, eh?
Love, Mom
jules said,
February 22, 2008 @ 12:23 pm
Sheesh – doesn’t that frustrate the heck out of you? Doesn’t look too bad, really. What about using some decorative tile to cover up the area? Something like a quarter-round tile might work (I can’t think of the tile word equivalent; in wood, I call it a “toe-kick”).
Chris said,
February 25, 2008 @ 2:00 pm
I just wanted to let you know that I’ve nominated you for a “You’ve Made My Day Award.” I really love your blog! You two are awesome…keep it up!
merideth1 said,
February 25, 2008 @ 2:12 pm
aww thanks Chris!…i totally appreciate that! I’m glad a few of you out there are entertained by us