How much does it cost to recaulk a shower or bathtub?
Updated
Short answer
Recaulking a bathtub or shower yourself costs $5 to $15, which is a tube of silicone, a roll of painter's tape and a removal tool if you don't have a utility knife. A handyman charges $150 to $300. The job takes 60 to 120 minutes, most of it scraping out the old bead and waiting for the joint to dry, and what it prevents, water in the wall behind the tile, costs more than a lifetime of caulk.
Cost breakdown
| Item | DIY | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $5 to $15 | included |
| Tools you may need to buy | none | included |
| Labor | your time | $150 to $300 |
| Total | $5 to $15 | $150 to $300 |
The DIY cost is the caulk and the tape. A caulk gun, if you don't own one, is cheap and lasts forever. The handyman's price is mostly labor, and the better ones spend it where it counts, on stripping the old bead completely and letting the joint dry before the new one goes on.
What drives the cost
- The caulk. Pure silicone costs more than a kitchen-and-bath acrylic and lasts longer, and either is a small part of the job.
- How much is being done. A tub's edge is one bead. A shower with corners, a curb and a door track is several, and the handyman's price rises with the footage.
- The state of the old bead. Caulk that's been layered over old caulk, or mildew that's gotten behind the tile, takes longer to strip and clean.
- What's underneath. If the floor by the tub is soft, caulk isn't the fix, and the quote becomes a repair of the wall or the floor.
- Cure time. Nobody can shower while the bead cures, and a household with one bathroom may schedule around that rather than pay more.
DIY vs. pro
This is a moderate job where the money strongly favors doing it yourself. How often to recaulk a bathtub or shower is a check every 6 to 12 months and a new bead when it cracks, and the skill is in the removal and the drying rather than the caulk gun. Give those the time and the result matches a professional's.
Hire the handyman when a bead you've laid keeps failing, when the joint is wide or uneven and needs a backer rod, when there are many feet of joint in a tiled shower, or when the floor is already soft and you need someone to tell you how far the water got. At $150 to $300 it's a fair price for a job done once and properly.
FAQ
How much does it cost to recaulk a bathtub?
$5 to $15 in materials to do it yourself, or $150 to $300 for a handyman.
How much does a handyman charge to caulk a shower?
$150 to $300, depending on how many feet of joint there are and how much old caulk has to come out.
Is silicone caulk worth the extra cost?
Yes, in a shower. It stays flexible and waterproof longer than acrylic, and the difference in price is a few dollars.
Can I just add new caulk over the old?
No. The new bead sticks to the old one and fails when it does. Stripping the old bead is most of the job and most of the reason a handyman's price is what it is.