the ultimate guide to caulk
below is a completely unironic and purely instructional guide to recaulking your shower. my credentials are that i just did it over the last two days and i only consulted one youtube video (from 2009). for some reason, god granted me the caulkiness of a straight white man when it comes to home diys, so now i must spread the gospel:
tools needed: some kind of razor blade, acetone, a rag, latex gloves, silicone caulk, old gift card/credit card
use a blade to cut off old caulk. the longer the blade, the easier it will be to maneuver. reddit will tell you to use a box cutter, but it's clunky and easy to be too heavy-handed (thus scratching the tile)
acetone or some kind of solvent can dissolve any stubborn caulk
after pulling off the old caulk and cleaning the shower, make sure you let the tiles dry fully overnight
use acetone to clean the gaps/edges to be filled by the new caulk right before you start each section
work in small sections!! the caulk will harden more quickly than you think, and it will stick to itself, so there's no rush
line up the edge of a credit card with the largest gap to be filled. cut the corner to match, with 2-3mm allowance on both sides. once the caulk is laid, slide this cut corner of the card along the caulk to smooth out any lumps.
try to minimize touching the caulk once it's down. it sticks to everything and the more you touch it, the messier it gets.
reddit will also tell you to run a wet finger along the new caulk to smooth it out and seal the sides. i will tell you not to do this because (1) silicone caulk needs to be fully exposed to air for at least the first 30 minutes for it to set properly, and by running a wet finger along it, you are immediately disrupting this process by introducing water; and (2) silicone caulk is bad for your skin. something something polymer reactions.
do not let me know if any questions. i will be moving before i do this exercise again.