8 Best Caulks for Showers and Bathtubs Right Now

Caulking is an essential and often underestimated job when it comes to shower maintenance. To ensure your bathroom remains hygienic without any mold or mildew, you should pay extra attention to caulking. And choosing a good quality caulk is the first step in that direction.

Finding the right caulk for your shower and bathtub can be a tricky endeavor. You want something waterproof, mold-resistant, and easy to apply. You also want something that will last for years, so you don't have to worry about repairs any time soon. From miraculous mildew cleaning caulk to powerful sealants, from shrinkage-proof to even paintable caulks - we have got you the best caulking products to prevent cracking and other disastrous follow-ups.

Listed below are the best caulks for showers and bathtubs:

• Gorilla White Silicone Sealant Caulk: The Gorilla caulk shines for its unbeatable durability among competitors. Having a non-paintable quality limits its aesthetic appeal in visible areas.
• Red Devil Duraguard Siliconized Acrylic Caulk: Red Devil Duraguard caulk excels for its glossy finish on painted surfaces. The drawback is its extended curing time which is almost 72 hours.
• Loctite Polyseamseal Adhesive Caulk: The Loctite caulk distinguishes itself through its performance on different surfaces, unlike other options such as DAP's caulk. Its 24 to 48-hour curing period could slow down your project timelines.
• GE Advanced Silicone Sealant: The GE sealant stands head and shoulders above the rest with its unique lifetime guarantee and a 10-year mold-free assurance, surpassing common warranties of competitors like Gorilla. It is non-paintable, which can be a constraint.
• DAP Kwik Seal Adhesive Latex Caulk: DAP Kwik Seal caulk's standout trait is its easy-to-clean, low-odor formula, making it an indoors-friendly choice. Its 24-hour water readiness period renders it less prompt to use than quick-drying alternatives like GE's sealant.

1. Gorilla White 100% Silicone Sealant Caulk - Best for Long-lasting Seal

Gorilla white silicone sealant caulk is as strong as a real gorilla. No kidding! If you have been using Gorilla products like Gorilla glue, you would surely know how effective they are when delivering perfect results. 

Being a silicone sealant, it’s a flexible caulking product that stays effective for an extended period of time.

As we experienced it first-hand Gorilla White silicone sealant caulk delivers what it promises. Not only is it strong with powerful adhesive strength, but it is also flexible. We usually have some expectations when it comes to caulking, and Gorilla caulk meets them all. 

From showerheads to bathtubs to kitchens to windows, you can caulk and seal almost any crack with this product. We noticed in our testing that the caulk doesn’t shrink or crack once cured, and you can use it almost anywhere. Its shrink-proof and water-resistant formula is seriously praise-worthy. 

Most caulking products are guilty of growing mildew after some time, but that isn’t the case with Gorilla’s sealant caulk. If you have effectively applied this product, then you can bid farewell to recurring mold and mildew.

Once dried, it is challenging to remove this product, and that’s why it is advisable to clean any extra product before it dries. 

Moreover, this product is impossible to paint on. Thus, if you want to paint the area after caulking, then it is better to look for some alternatives.

2. Red Devil Duraguard Siliconized Acrylic Caulk - Best for Paintable Surfaces

Meet one devil of a siliconized caulk- “The Red Devil kitchen and bath caulk.” With excellent adhesive strength, a water-resistant formula, and a paintable surface, this caulk offers you the best of both worlds. 

It provides a glossy finish after drying and is extremely easy to work around. And the best part? It comes in different colors!

The Red Devil caulk offers a glossy finish after the product dries up and can be applied on multiple floors. From bathroom to kitchen, this adhesive caulk works wonderfully on different surfaces and caulks well with its excellent adhesive strength.

This caulk is perfect for areas that experience moisture all year round and acts as a powerful sealant to block water. Aside from this, the caulk is also flexible, which means you wouldn't need to caulk again and again, a great win in our tests.

As indicated by our tests, once applied, the caulk stays durable and doesn’t crack or shrink. And the most outstanding feature of the Red Devil caulk is that it's paintable. As pure silicone caulking products are unpaintable, you can’t use them in places where the painting is required, this drawback is met by Red Devil caulk.

This caulking product takes a lot of time to cure, almost 72 hours. On top of that, it’s a siliconized acrylic caulk which makes it less durable compared to pure silicone caulks. Still, this product is good for small projects and comes in a handy tube.

However, if you have large fixtures, then this product won’t be ideal.

3. Loctite Polyseamseal Adhesive Caulk - Best for Versatile Application

With over 50 years of proven experience in the adhesive and sealant industry, Loctite will not disappoint you with its caulking formula. The Loctite Polyseamseal Adhesive Caulk has been designed to deliver a robust sealing solution to the seams in your showers and sinks. 

With its flexible yet strong adhesive strength and mildew-resistant formula, it's a paintable caulk too.

While testing it in everyday scenarios we can say this seam-seal adhesive caulk does exactly as it says! It is flexible, caulks well with porous surfaces, and is even paintable after the product cures. 

Loose tiles can be easily fixed with this caulk, and you can apply it on many surfaces, namely, wood, aluminum, fiberglass composites, porcelain, enamel, stainless steel, wallboard, and many plastic surfaces. Once cured, this product gives tough competition to mold and mildew and doesn’t let them penetrate it and ruin your surfaces. 

In addition to that, it is also extremely easy to apply and clean. No caulking tools are required whatsoever! Just squeeze out the product and apply it. And to clean excess? Just wipe with a wet rug while the product is still wet, and voila! It’s all clean.

If you follow all the instructions carefully, this product definitely won’t disappoint you.

The product takes about 24 to 48 hours to cure, which is long. Ideally, you will have to wait around 48 hours before exposing it to water, and this can be quite a hassle if you want speedy results. Furthermore, being an acrylic-based sealant, it isn’t ideal in places with continuous exposure to water.

4. GE Advanced Silicone Sealant

Is caulking getting too tough to handle for you? GE got your back here. GE’s Advanced Silicone Sealant will make the painstaking process of caulking extremely easy for you. All you have to do is get a caulking gun, aim the product at the target area, let it rest for 30 minutes, and you’re done!

The first thing that we liked about this silicone caulk was its speedy drying time. It takes only 30 minutes to dry and carries exceptional adhesive strength with its 100% silicone formula. Not only that, it comes with a promise to stay mold-free for ten years and a lifetime guarantee which is extremely rare.

Besides that, being 100% silicone, this caulk is a tough nut to crack once cured. After curing, it becomes impossible for mildew to penetrate this caulk and ruin your bathtubs or sinks.

With its excellent adhesive strength, this caulk is flexible too. So you don’t have to worry about shrinking or cracking. This product can handle temperature fluctuations well and thus, makes the product durable. Also, it comes in three hues, namely, clear, white, and almond. 

However, aside from all other features, the most outstanding feature of this product has to be its EcoLogo certification. This product follows environment-friendly practices and meets all the set standards that promote sustainability.

Apart from all the good that this product offers, it is disheartening to know that it has a non-paintable surface. Being a silicone caulk, this product can’t be painted on. So, if you want a caulk that can be painted, then this product won’t be suitable.

Besides this, we didn’t find any other problem with this shower caulk. 

5. DAP Kwik Seal Adhesive Latex Caulk

Provide a quick fix to your shower and bathtub gaps with DAP’s Kwik Seal Adhesive Latex caulk. From plumbing to fixing a loose tile, this product will be your constant savior. This shower caulk is available in different colors and can be applied on multiple surfaces. On top of that, it also resists mold growth!

This acrylic latex caulk seriously follows its motto - “Bonds like glue, seals like a caulk” and provides worthy results when it’s showtime, i.e., after it's cured. Once cured, this adhesive cum sealant caulk will give 100% water and mildew resistance. And the best part? You can clean it effortlessly. 

As we tested it this product is extremely easy to clean and has a powerful adhesive strength which is quite impressive once the caulk is cured. If you follow the instructions carefully, then this product provides a watertight seal in places that are constantly exposed to water, like shower stalls.

Also, being an acrylic latex caulk, it is paintable, which is a massive drawback of silicone caulks. Besides that, this caulk also comes in different colors. Furthermore, if you have a sensitive nose, then you will surely love this caulk as it has a low-odor formula.

We have noted that Kwik Seal doesn’t stand up to its name and isn’t as quick as we would’ve otherwise thought. It takes about 24 to 48 hours to get water ready which is a lot of time for impatient folks. Besides that, we didn’t find any other problem with this product.

6. BioSeal 100% Silicone Sealant Caulk

BioSeal’s caulk is a green product with eco-friendly ideals. If you’re a supporter of the green economy, you’ll be driven to use this product. Besides that, this product comes with a 50-year durability guarantee and adheres to most surfaces, even aluminum which is rare as most caulks are guilty of corroding metals.

BioSeal’s eco-friendly caulk is a powerhouse packed with the goodness of everything a suitable caulk needs. Not only is it waterproof, but it dries quickly too! This shower caulk dries in 30 minutes and becomes ready for water exposure after curing, in our tests it dried even faster, around 18 minutes, but it goes without saying humidity and temperature are influencing drying times.

On top of that, it has excellent adhesive strength and doesn’t crack. Unlike other caulks in the market, this shower caulk doesn’t yellow or crack. To prove its durability, it even comes with a 50-year durability guarantee. 

Once cured, this product is solid and flexible at the same time. It can be applied on different surfaces ranging from ceramic tiles to kitchen sinks and provides a waterproof barrier. Furthermore, this product is mold and mildew-resistant. 

And ventilation? What’s that? The low-odor formula of this product works well under closed doors too, and you don’t have to worry about the overpowering smell of chemicals usually associated with silicone sealants.

One substantial drawback of this shower caulk is its non-paintable surface. Being a silicone caulk, this product isn’t ideal for painting. Another drawback of this product is that it's not easy to clean once it dries. Being a strong silicone sealant, this product adheres quickly, and it becomes a hassle to remove it afterward.

7. DAP 100% Silicone Caulk

Are seeping seams becoming too much to handle? Why not let DAP 100% Silicone handle all your woes? This silicone caulk will fight moisture in the seams of your fixtures and make it impossible for mold to grow. 

This all-purpose shower caulk is flexible, adheres well, and provides an excellent watertight seal to your bathroom surfaces.

DAP’s caulk features a 100% silicone formula, which makes it excellent for bath and shower caulking. The strong adhesive strength makes it impossible for water to penetrate the caulk and restricts the growth of mold and mildew. The product bonds well with surfaces, leaving less space for molds to grow or cracks to form.

Giving it a try showed us that this bath caulk is also flexible and adheres well to many surfaces, including nonporous surfaces around ceramic tiles. And the best thing about this product is its speedy drying-up time! 

It becomes water-ready soon and doesn’t crack or shrink. So, if this is the problem that you’ve been struggling with, then you will surely find a fix with DAP 100% Silicone Caulk.

We didn’t find any significant drawback in this product but one. It carries an overpowering smell, and it’s not ideal for a closed-off area with low ventilation. Ventilation is required to ensure the job is well done, and the smell doesn’t linger around. 

8. Pelto Clear 100% Silicone Sealant

Caulking is a major maintenance job requiring precision and spot treatment at times. So what can be done to make it easier? Caulking tools, obviously! This Pelto clear 100% silicone sealant caulk comes in a set packed with all the caulking necessities you’ll require while getting the job done.

Pelto’s shower caulk is an all-rounder looking at all the necessary equipment it comes with. Not only is it easy to use, but it’s also easy to clean with the finishing tools that come in this set. The caulk gun makes caulking easier and provides a cleaner finish around areas that need controlled application. 

Apart from that, the caulk itself has excellent adhesive strength that meets the requirements of a good caulk. From texture to bond to curing time, this product is simply outstanding for someone who’s doing caulking for the first time. 

It adheres well to multiple surfaces and provides a watertight seal restricting water and moisture. Furthermore, the mildewcide formula makes mold and mildew growth impossible. 

And the best part? This caulk is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use!

The caulk does a great job at sealing fixtures, and the tools make the process easy. However, there’s one problem that we found in the sealant that could’ve been better. Based on our firsthand experience the caulk is non-paintable and can’t be applied to sensitive metals like copper, bronze, etc.

What is the Best Caulk for Showers and Bathtubs?

If you're curious about which is the best caulk for showers & bathtubs, the table below compares sealant type, color, volume measured in fluid ounces, water-readiness time in hours and minutes, and various resistance characteristics.

Buying Guide for the Best Caulk for Showers and Bathtubs

If this is your first caulking project, then here are all the things you need to consider before starting off. 

1. Type of Caulk

The type of shower caulk you choose is the deciding factor when it comes to getting the desired results. Moreover, depending on your preferences and budget, it’s better to know your options beforehand. To make your job easier, we have made a list of types of bath caulks you can choose from. 

A. Pure Silicone Caulk

Pure silicone caulks are some of the best on the market, with excellent adhesive strength and non-shrinkable qualities. They are flexible and bond easily with multiple surfaces providing you with a solution for all your caulking problems. In addition to that, their waterproof qualities make it impossible for mildew to grow. 

Yet, with all the good comes bad too. This caulk isn’t paintable. So, if you’re looking for a paintable caulk, then this one might not fit your bill. 

B. Siliconized Latex Caulk

Siliconized Latex caulks have been designed to provide you with the best of both worlds. These are hybrid caulks having qualities of both acrylic latex and pure silicone caulks. They are paintable and flexible at the same time. 

However, in terms of adhesive strength and curing time, they can’t beat silicone or acrylic caulks. Thus, siliconized latex caulk may not be the first choice for many when it comes to shower or bathtub caulking. 

C. Acrylic Latex Caulk

Acrylic latex caulks are flexible, paintable, and mildew-resistant with excellent drying and curing time. These caulks are especially known for their mildew-resistance properties, and customers have greatly praised them for that. Yet, besides all the good that acrylic caulks offer, they have a downside too.

This caulk isn’t best suited for moisture-ridden areas with a continuous flow of water. When it comes to water resistance, these caulks are sub-par compared to pure silicone caulks, which do a better job at that. Nevertheless, these are good caulks if you’re starting out and are a budget-friendly pick, unlike silicone caulks, which can be expensive.

2. Shrinking and Cracking

We don’t want to go through the caulking procedure again and again, do we? Thus, to avoid that, you should choose a shower caulk that is shrinking and crack-proof and stays durable for an extended time. 

Pure silicone caulks are best known for their non-shrinking and anti-cracking qualities. So, you should definitely consider them.

3. Dry and Cure Time

Who would like to wait hours or days for the caulk to cure, right? So, to avoid long waiting hours, you should choose a product that dries and cures quickly. Many caulks offer a 30-minute drying time; you should definitely check those out. 

4. Colors

Caulks are available in different colors, and based on your requirements; you can choose anything. From white to almond, there are many colors that you can choose from. Caulks like acrylic or latex can even be painted on, thus expanding your color options. 

However, in the case of silicone caulking, this can be problematic as these can’t be painted on. Thus, to ensure everything meets your requirements read all the product specifications carefully and then choose.

5. Application

Caulks come in handy tubes and cartridges, depending on the size of the operation. Ideally, the small squeezable caulk tubes are best in small caulking projects where not much product is required. This can be done effortlessly without the need for equipment like a caulking gun. However, for big operations like sealing the whole bathtub or large seams, you require a caulking gun to get the job done.

Do note that for small jobs you don't need an applicator, that small plastic thingy, through our trial and error we discovered your own finger is the best tool for the job, you can also improvise the tool itself if you get a bit creative.

6. Cleaning Up

While looking for a perfect shower caulk, one must also look through the cleaning factor. Most people complain about poor clean-up while caulking, and this mostly happens with silicone products which become hard to clean once dry.

That’s why you have to clean the caulk before it dries. In the case of acrylic caulks, are easier to clean than silicone caulks based on our tests and experience. So, depending on this, you should choose a caulk that doesn’t make the clean-up a bone-breaking process, it will help you a great deal in the long run.

7. Mold and Mildew

Black mildew that grows on caulking is a sign of danger, and you should avoid it at all costs. Their growth indicates the presence of moisture which can prove detrimental. Thus, to avoid this tragedy, make sure you buy a caulk that is mold and mildew-resistant.

Many caulks in the market come with mildewcide properties, and some even come with a mildew-resistance guarantee. Hence, you should only buy caulk products that prevent mold and mildew. 

Which caulk is best for shower caulking, silicone or acrylic?

Silicone caulk is generally best for shower caulking due to its superior water, humidity, and temperature resistance. Unlike acrylic, it doesn't shrink or crack over time, making it ideal for wet environments. Silicone is harder to smooth and clean up compared to acrylic. Acrylic caulk can still be used in less moisture-exposed applications or for temporary, quick fixes.

How to prevent mildew on caulk?

To prevent mildew on caulk, maintain good ventilation, clean regularly with an anti-mildew product, dry out the shower after use, and opt for mildew-resistant caulk.

What is a completely waterproof caulk?

Silicone-based caulk is considered completely waterproof. Its chemical composition grants it excellent resistance to water, making it a common choice for applications that require a moisture barrier, such as in bathrooms or kitchens.

How long does silicone caulk last?

Silicone caulk typically lasts between 20 and 25 years under average conditions. Its lifespan can be influenced by factors such as the environment, humidity levels, exposure to harsh chemicals, or improper application. Regular inspection is advised to check for any signs of wear or damage and to apply new caulk as needed.

There are countless caulking products available in the market, which makes it quite a task to choose the best one. But don’t worry, we have made the job easier for you. Based on our careful research, here are some of the observations that we have made. 

If you want a perfect caulking sealant, then you should go for Gorilla White 100% Sealant Caulk. It has excellent adhesive strength and is durable. Once applied, it works for an extended period of time without yellowing or shrinking. 

Red Devil Duraguard Siliconized Caulk is also a nice caulk with a paintable surface and impressive adhesive strength. However, if you want a super caulk that fights moisture, then nothing can beat Gorilla’s shower caulk. 

Till then, choose wisely, and happy caulking!