Why does nobody talk about the humidity in a Florida bathroom during a shower door install?

I was doing a frameless door install in a Tampa condo last month, and the client insisted we work while their bathroom was still steamy from a shower. The sealant just would not cure properly on the glass, it kept beading up and sliding. I ended up having to tape a small space heater in the doorway for an hour to dry the air before it would take. Has anyone else had to get creative with curing conditions on a job?

3 comments

3 Comments

harper_wright22d ago

Wait, isn't the bigger issue that the glass itself needs to be totally dry? I've found that even in humid air, if you wipe the glass down with rubbing alcohol right before you apply the sealant, it gives it a much better surface to stick to. The space heater trick is smart for the air, but the glass surface is the real key.

adams.dylan22d agoMost Upvoted

My buddy tried to re-caulk his shower last winter and skipped the alcohol wipe. He just blasted a heater in there for an hour. Two weeks later, the whole bead peeled right off like a sticker. The glass looked dry, but I guess there was still some junk on it. He had to scrape it all out and start over, this time with the rubbing alcohol. That stuff really does clean the surface down to the bone.

val74122d ago

Yeah, that bit about the glass needing to be dry... it's like a lot of things where the surface has to be perfect for the fix to work. I see it with painting walls or even putting on a screen protector. You can have the right stuff, but if the base isn't ready, it just fails.