Should you silicone between the flooring and wall in a bathroom?

sezz

I'm a newbie home DIYer and doing a budget-friendly cosmetic overhaul of our small bathroom. This is an interim solution until I can afford a proper renovation.

I plan to stick vinyl tiles onto the existing floor. Currently, there is silicone where the existing (cork) flooring meets the wall. Is it necessary to have silicone in those areas, or can I use something else (or nothing at all)? 

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @sezz. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about silicone.

This doesn't appear to be a bathroom that necessarily conforms to construction codes, so it's hard to answer your question definitively. Typically, the joint between a floor and a wall would be waterproofed. In your case, you appear to have timber walls and cork floors, so it would be best that no water on the floor could creep under between them, and I suspect that's why the silicone has been added to the area. There is also likely a gap that it is concealing.

What were your plans for the walls? If you were painting them, you could simply paint over the caulking. Your paint might not adhere well to the caulk if it's not the paintable variety. The other option is to install the vinyl tiles and cover these areas with a quad moulding.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell