Can I Caulk Over Grout? Can You Sand Caulk? FAQ

We're the most intelligent species of the planet and yet we all ask some "interesting" questions from time to time. However, we're not born with every single fact already known. It takes experience, especially in our industry. This is not your problem; instead, it is yours, mine, and the whole human civilizations advantage. We do ask questions and clear things up whenever they come to our mind.

If you're thinking of caulking or saw a broken grout on your tile, you must've thought of using some caulk to fill the leak. This FAQ will satisfy your curiosity with some other Frequently asked questions like can you sand caulk.

Keep reading to get best out this interesting faq.

Can You Caulk Over Grout?

To be precise, you can caulk over grout. But I'm saying you; this is not a good idea at all. Ask me why?

Caulk and grout are two similar kinds of products, and their uses also are of the same nature. But they are not the same. Grout is made out of compressed cement, sand, and water when the caulk is made of different types of chemicals. Most of the caulks are made of silicone and other adhesive chemicals.

If you see a crack on a grout, you'll notice that the crack on the grout is not similar to the cracks on the caulks. When the caulks are soft and smooth, the grout is harsh and sandy.

When you use caulk over the grout, you'll see the color difference between them that will look somewhat weird. The second drawback you'll face is that the caulk won't stick properly and will be separated after some days.

If you're planning for a home improvement after some days and need a way to fill the crack for those days, you can use the caulk then. Using caulk over grout is not a permanent solution at all.

Can You Sand Over Caulk?

As I've discussed earlier that the caulk is not made out of any hard material like metal, sand, or cement, you can't sand over caulk.

Sanding over caulk will ruin your hard-earned good look of the home. As the caulk act like a rope when it is dried (this happens most in silicone caulks), you can see the whole line of caulk coming out of the surface when you touch an automatic electric sander.

If you're thinking of paper sand, this won't work also. You'll end up sticking sand on the caulk and roughing the smooth caulk surface.

If you see any extra caulk coming out of the surface or the caulk is moldy, use the caulk remover to remove the caulk. Are you thinking of removing mold? The hard work needed for removing the mold from the caulk doesn't worth it.

Can You Grout Over Grout?

There can have some situations where you would feel that some new grout on older grout could be a better option than caulking over grout.

So, this common but less answered question must be on your mind also. Here is the answer-

Yes, you can grout over old dry grout. Before grouting over old grout, you need to ensure that the old grout is sufficiently cleaned up for better bonding. If you use it on old dirty grout, the newly placed portion will not perfectly bond with the earlier portion.

The depth will also come into consideration if you want to put new on the old grout. Generally, anything higher than 1/8 inch is perfect for putting new grout on the older.

Here is a Related FAQ: Can You Caulk Over New Caulk? Expert Opinion on Old Caulk

Does Silicone Caulk Conduct Electricity?

No, the general answer. The silicone caulks have dielectric characteristics which prevent the electric current from passing through the caulking.

But like all other answers to the FAQs, this answer also has a 'BUT.'

Neither silicone nor the caulks made out of silicone conducts electricity when it comes in touch of our home used electricity. But when you increase the electricity volts, the electric current will pass through the silicone layer pretty easily.

Generally, the electricity passes through the sealants when the voltage increases to a high 600 volt. For taking extra precaution, you should consider using an electric voltmeter to measure the voltage. Anything above 350 Volt can harm you, so you should accept the 'Up to 350 volts' as the safe zone.

In typical situations, the silicone caulks works well to insulate the electric wires into the walls or other staffs.

Final Words

Caulking is an exciting home improvement work if you can do it properly. But there are some requirements to be handled carefully for the perfect caulking.

As we've answered three frequently asked caulk & grout related question here, if you've any other issue on your mind like this, leave a comment for us. We'll try to answer your question here in this article or will make a completely new guide.