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Caulking is the trade name for the flexible sealant joints that run around a bath, along a shower base, behind a kitchen splashback, around window and door frames and down the internal corners of tiled walls. Most Australians call it the silicone, and most of the time they call someone about it because it has gone black, shrunk away from one edge or split where two materials move against each other.

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The single most useful thing to understand is what a sealant joint is for. It is not the waterproofing. In a properly built Australian wet area the waterproofing is a membrane behind the tiles, installed before they went on, and the silicone you can see is a serviceable wearing part that closes a movement joint and keeps water out of it. That is why sealant is expected to be renewed periodically and why a failed bead is a maintenance item rather than a disaster — and equally why a failed bead that has been leaking unnoticed for a year can still cause real damage to what is behind it.

In an apartment the distinction has legal weight. New South Wales strata law treats work that requires waterproofing as a major renovation needing a special resolution of the owners corporation, while cosmetic work needs no approval at all. Re-siliconing a shower is maintenance; opening up a wet area because the membrane has failed is a different conversation with different paperwork, and the person quoting should be clear about which one you are in.

Sealant joints around an Australian home

  • The junction between a shower base or hob and the tiled wall, which moves every time the base is loaded and unloaded.
  • The perimeter of a bath, where water sits and where the joint is loaded by the weight of a full tub.
  • Internal corners of tiled walls and the floor-to-wall junction, which are movement joints rather than grout lines.
  • Behind a kitchen splashback and along the back of a benchtop, where the benchtop and the wall move independently.
  • Around vanity basins, laundry troughs and where tapware and spouts pass through a tiled surface.
  • Window and door frame perimeters, inside and out, where the frame and the wall meet.
  • External junctions between different materials — cladding to trim, render to frame — which are exposed to sun and need an exterior-grade product.

When a sealant joint has stopped doing its job

  • The bead has split, lifted along one edge or pulled away from the tile or the bath.
  • Black or pink staining through the silicone that returns within days of being cleaned.
  • The joint has hardened and lost its flexibility, so it cracks rather than stretching.
  • Water appears on the floor outside the shower, or the skirting or flooring just outside a wet area is swelling.
  • A musty smell in a bathroom that is otherwise clean.
  • Tiles that sound hollow near the joint, or grout that keeps crumbling in the same corner.
  • A ceiling stain in the room directly below a bathroom, which is a leak to investigate rather than a joint to redo.

How re-sealing is done so it lasts

  • The old sealant is removed completely, not trimmed and overlaid, because new silicone does not bond reliably to old.
  • The joint is cleaned back to sound surfaces and any mould is treated rather than sealed in.
  • The surfaces are dried properly — a shower recess that has been used that morning is not ready.
  • The right product is chosen for the location, with a sanitary-grade product in wet areas and an exterior-grade one outside.
  • A backing rod or bond breaker is used where the joint is deep, so the sealant can stretch instead of being glued on three sides.
  • The bead is tooled in one pass to a neat concave profile, which sheds water rather than holding it.
  • The area is kept dry for the full curing time stated on the product, which is usually longer than people expect.

Sealant, grout and waterproofing are three different things

Grout fills the gaps between tiles and is rigid. Sealant fills joints where movement is expected and stays flexible. The waterproof membrane sits behind the tiles and is what actually keeps water inside the wet area. Confusing them is the cause of most wet-area callbacks: grout put into a movement joint cracks within a season, and sealant smeared over a grout line hides the crack without addressing it.

That is also why re-siliconing does not fix a leak that is coming from the membrane. If water is reaching the room below, the framing beside the shower or the floor outside the recess, the sealant is a symptom rather than a cause. The correct next step is an investigation of the wet area, not a fourth bead of silicone.

In New South Wales strata, that distinction decides who has to agree to the work. Cosmetic work needs no approval from the owners corporation; changes that require waterproofing are major renovations requiring a special resolution, which is defeated if more than a quarter of the votes cast are against it. Find out which side of that line your job sits on before booking it.

Why a new bead fails within months

  • The old sealant was left in place and the new bead was run over the top of it.
  • The joint was still damp when it was sealed, so the bond never formed.
  • Soap residue, cleaning product or loose grout was left on the surfaces.
  • The wrong product was used — a general-purpose sealant in a wet area, or an interior product outside in full sun.
  • The joint was filled solid rather than given a bond breaker, so the sealant tore instead of stretching.
  • The shower was used before the product had cured.
  • The real problem was never the sealant: the substrate is moving, the membrane has failed, or the fall of the floor sends water the wrong way.

Getting more years out of the joints you have

  • Run the exhaust fan during and after every shower, and leave the door open afterwards, because mould follows moisture that has nowhere to go.
  • Squeegee or wipe the shower walls and the base junction, which removes both the water and the soap film mould grows in.
  • Avoid abrasive pads and strong solvent cleaners on sealant, which damage the surface and give mould a foothold.
  • Deal with a lifted edge as soon as it appears, since water behind a bead does its damage out of sight.
  • In a kitchen, wipe the benchtop-to-splashback joint rather than letting water sit in it.
  • Check exterior joints at the end of summer, when ultraviolet exposure and heat have done their worst.
  • Keep a note of when the wet areas were last resealed, so the next round is planned rather than reactive.

Who can do sealing work, and when it becomes licensed

Renewing a sealant joint is maintenance, and in most states maintenance of this size sits comfortably under whatever value triggers a contractor licence or registration where you live. That is the easy half of the answer, and it is the half people ask about.

The half that matters is the membrane. Once tiles come off and waterproofing is in play, the job has left the sealant category entirely: it needs whoever your state qualifies to lay a waterproof membrane in a domestic wet area, and in a New South Wales strata scheme it becomes a major renovation requiring a special resolution rather than cosmetic work requiring nobody's permission.

So the question to put to a quote is not who is allowed to run silicone. It is whether anything in the scope reaches the waterproofing — and if the answer is yes, who is doing that part and what they hold.

Caulking: frequently asked questions

How often should shower and bath sealant be replaced?

Treat it as a wearing part rather than a permanent fitting. The honest answer is that it lasts as long as the conditions allow: a well-ventilated bathroom that gets wiped down will hold a bead for years, while a shower that is used four times a day with no working exhaust fan will show staining and lifting far sooner. Replace it when it splits, lifts, hardens or stains in a way that cleaning does not fix — and do not wait, because water tracking behind a lifted bead does its damage where you cannot see it.

Can new silicone go over the old?

No, and this is the most common reason a re-seal fails. New sealant does not bond reliably to cured old sealant, so a bead run over the top looks neat for a few weeks and then lifts as a sheet. The old material has to be cut out completely, the joint cleaned back to sound surfaces, the mould treated and the area dried before anything new goes in.

Water is getting through. Will re-sealing fix the leak?

Only if the sealant was the leak. Silicone is not the waterproofing in a wet area — the membrane behind the tiles is — so if water is reaching the room below, the adjacent framing or the floor outside the shower, the problem is more likely to be the membrane, the fall of the floor or a drainage detail. Repeated re-siliconing in that situation just delays the investigation while the damage continues.

Do I need strata approval to re-silicone my bathroom?

In New South Wales, cosmetic work needs no approval from the owners corporation, and straightforward maintenance of a sealant joint sits comfortably there. What needs approval is work that requires waterproofing, which is classed as a major renovation and needs a special resolution at a general meeting. So the question to settle first is whether your job stops at the silicone or goes into the wet area behind it. Check your scheme's by-laws too, since they can add their own conditions.

Why does the silicone in my bathroom keep going black?

Because it stays wet. Mould grows in the film of moisture and soap that is left on a joint after every shower, and no product resists that indefinitely. The things that actually change it are mechanical: run the exhaust fan during and after showers, leave the door open to let the room dry, wipe or squeegee the base junction, and keep abrasive pads and harsh solvents off the bead so its surface stays smooth and unbroken.

Sources

  1. NSW Government: Strata renovation rules
  2. NSW Government: General building work licences
  3. QBCC: Who must hold a QBCC licence
  4. Consumer Affairs Victoria: Builders, tradespeople and other building practitioners

Written by the LokalMatch editorial team. Last reviewed 22 September 2026. How we write and check our guides

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What affects the cost of caulking

Prices depend on the details of your project. We only publish price ranges when they’re backed by real LokalMatch quote data or reliable sources. Until then, here’s what usually changes the price:

  • Number and type of tasks
  • Time needed and any minimum visit charge
  • Materials and parts
  • Wall type and what's being mounted or hung
  • Height and access

How to compare handymen before you hire

  • Describe all the small jobs up front so the handyman can bring the right tools and give you a realistic estimate.
  • Ask whether they charge by the hour, by the job or with a minimum visit fee.
  • For anything involving wiring, gas or new plumbing, use a licensed trade instead of a general handyman.
  • Check that they carry liability insurance, especially for work on ladders or on the exterior.
  • Ask whether they supply materials or whether you should buy them ahead of time.

Questions to ask handymen before you hire

  • Do you charge by the hour or by the job, and is there a minimum?
  • Can you do all of the jobs on my list, or will some need a licensed trade?
  • Will you bring the materials, or should I buy them?
  • Are you insured if something is damaged while you're working?
  • How do you handle it if a job takes longer than expected?

Caulking permits and local rules

Some caulking work needs a permit or has to meet local bylaws. Rules vary by municipality, so ask your pro whether a permit is needed and who will apply for it — and check with your city or town if you’re unsure.

Permits and licensing

Guides about caulking

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