Can you use silicone to seal gaps around a shower drain?
Applying bath silicone can temporarily seal gaps around a shower drain to mitigate water damage while delaying a full bathroom renovation. However, depending on the situation, the issue might require caulk, Flex Seal, or replacing a missing fixture or part.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Using bath silicone to temporarily seal gaps around the shower drain.Did this help you?
- 2Using flex sealDid this help you?
- 3Applying caulkDid this help you?
- 4Adding an escutcheon plateDid this help you?
- 5Grouting tile or replacing the showerDid this help you?
- 6Applying a bead of silicone around the toilet flange to block water from entering crevices under the tiles.Did this help you?
- 7filling the area with caulkDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Hi all, I just moved into my room in a shared apartment and the bathroom has no drain (only the shower does and it has a curtain instead of a door)”source ↗
“My roommates (who have been in here longer than I have) said the apartment was flooded one time before and that the washing machine in the bathroom broke down once or twice due to the water pooling. What can I do to avoid flooding the apartment and rotting/molding?”source ↗
“I'm worried about water damage and wondering what the best way to go about fixing this is. Should we use flex seal? Caulk? Or is it a fixture/part we're missing?”source ↗
“I'm wondering if I can use bath silicone to seal these gaps up around the shower drain for now? Unfortunately, I can't redo the bathroom yet, but I'm looking to mitigate any potential water damage.”source ↗
“Can I add a bead of silicone around the toilet flange between the inside edge of my tile and flange?”source ↗
“In case my wax ring leaks, I want to prevent the water from dribbling down the edge of the flange and into that crevice before the tile starts and go below the tiles.”source ↗
“Standing water remains in this area surrounding the rubber washer. Should I fill it up with caulk?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 2Why does water pool in flat bottomed sinks?
- 3How to tie in a vent line and shower drain in tight spaces
- 2Growing wet spot near bathtub edge