How Do I Re-Caulk the Seams on an Ella AcrylX Shower Wall Kit?

To re-caulk the seams on an Ella AcrylX shower wall kit, strip the old silicone from the panel-to-base and panel-to-panel seams with rubbing alcohol, the only product Ella recommends for removing old silicone from those seams, then rinse, dry and lay a fresh bead. The removal method is described in How Do I Get Sticker Glue, Caulk or Silicone Off the Tub?. The same caulk also closes the small hole at the edge of the wall panel, and it is the right fix for an open seam but not for a crack, chip or void in the panel surface.

Where the Seams Are on a Multi-Piece Shower

Ella's low-threshold three-piece and barrier-free five-piece showers are a modular pan and wall panels that go together with a pin-and-slot system, so every panel is set from the front without rear access. They are made in the USA from fiberglass with the AcrylX applied acrylic finish and Armorcore reinforced walls. That construction leaves a fixed set of joints to seal:

• Each seam where a wall panel meets the base.
• Each seam where one wall panel meets the next.
• The panel edges where they meet the drywall, which can be caulked or covered with finish corner trim.
• The small hole near the flange at the edge of the back panel, which has no fitting, fastener or plug and is simply filled.

Gaps at these joints are the usual reason water shows up behind or below a shower after installation, so when one seam has failed, check all of them. The product family is summarized in Ella Shower Kits and Bases: Multi-Piece Showers, Roll-In Bases, and Cultured Marble. On a new three-piece unit the seams are not visible until the shipping bolts on the back are removed and the sections separate, as explained in Why the Three-Piece Shower Arrives as One Unit and Where the Shipping Bolts Are. The specifications and installation instructions for each unit are published on the Ella website, and that document is where the sealant called for on your unit is specified.

Step 1: Remove the Old Silicone

1. Wipe the old bead with rubbing alcohol and give it time to soak in. The alcohol will not fully dissolve cured silicone, but it breaks it down enough to peel and lift by hand.
2. For a thick, cured bead, ease the bulk up gently with a plastic edge. Never use a metal blade or a razor on the AcrylX surface.
3. Make a second pass with rubbing alcohol to clean the remaining film from the seam.
4. Rinse the seam with water and dry it completely before any new caulk goes on.

On every Ella acrylic surface the rule is the same: alcohol is fine, while anything abrasive or acidic will damage the finish. Do not use abrasive pads, scouring powders or acidic cleaners on the seams, and do not experiment with solvents stronger than alcohol. Note that the recommendation differs by surface: rubbing alcohol for an Ella acrylic shower and its seams, denatured alcohol for the acrylic shell of a walk-in tub.

Step 2: Lay the Fresh Bead

1. Confirm the seam is clean and dry along its full length.
2. Apply fresh silicone to each panel-to-base and panel-to-panel seam so the joint is fully sealed with no gaps.
3. Fill the hole at the edge of the back panel completely with the same caulk, or cover that edge with finish corner trim set in the same caulk. Both options are described in What Is the Hole at the Edge of My Shower Wall Panel and How Do I Close It?.
4. Tool the caulk smooth so it matches the surrounding seam line.
5. Let it cure as directed on the caulk before using the shower.

What Caulk Will Not Fix

Re-caulking closes gaps between panels and around edges. It is not the repair for damage to the panel itself. A crack, chip, air pocket or thin spot in the surface of an installed Ella shower wall is repaired on site under a warranty work order, with a surface repair technician assigned through the shower manufacturer's warranty department. A wall that is broken beyond surface repair is replaced with a panel matched to your unit, and your installer swaps it. Damage from a dropped tool or an impact during installation is not a manufacturing defect, but send photos anyway, because the technician still inspects the surrounding surface for factory voids. Damage found at delivery is a freight matter and must be reported within 48 hours of receipt, with all packaging kept. The routes are sorted in How Do I Fix a Cracked, Loose or Damaged Shower Wall Panel?.

If you cannot tell whether a line at a seam is an open joint or a crack in the panel, or if water keeps appearing behind or below the shower after every seam has been resealed, contact your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, or open a request at ellasbubbles.com/support with your model, a photo of the seam and a note on what has been tried.

Related Guides

• How do you install a shower wall panel kit from Ella's Bubbles?
• Wall Panels and Surrounds for Walk-In Tubs: Acrylic 3-Panel Kits, Cultured Marble, and PVC Tiles
• Installing Ella Shower Bases, the Flexible Shower Dam, and Shower Walls

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