What caulk should I use for the lip of a slide-in range?

Question

I just replaced the ceramic cooking surface on my range/stove/oven. When I pulled it out, I noticed the side close to the sink (which is about two to three feet away) was pretty rusted and corroded. The previous homeowner didn't have any caulking or other barriers in place to prevent liquids that splashed off the stove or out of the sink from creeping under the lip of the range then down the side.

I'd like to stop things from getting worse, and was thinking I should caulk the lip of the range and wanted to make sure I used the right kind. I'm worried that I need a special caulk for the high temperatures of the range. I looked at all the different kinds of caulking at my local home improvement store but didn't see any made for stoves. Can I use any kind of caulking? Do they make a specific kind for this situation?

Answer 1

Typically no caulking is used when setting a range top into a counter, however in your case where you are getting water from the sink under the lip, a small amount of silicone would not be a problem. The very outside mounting flange of you cook top should not get very hot. If you can touch it when the range is in use, then a standard silicone would be fine. If for some reason you determine a high heat material is needed, a fire rated caulk is available right off the shelf at most home improvement stores. It is usually red in color and used for sealing holes in walls and floors where a fire rating is required. Use a very thin bead of caulk and wipe off excess immediately with a damp cloth. One caution, silicone can stain some types of natural stone counters, so if you have marble or some other type of stone, test the sealant in an inconspicuous place before using.

Answer 2

You want silicone caulk.

Silicone is the classic caulking material and can be extremely heat-resistant. The fancy flexible bakeware that has become popular in the last 5 or so years is molded silicone.

I've used the silicone caulks from the home improvements stores before, but I don't know for certain their heat resistant qualities. Search for the terms silicone, caulk, and heat with your favourite search engine and you'll find plenty explicitly heat-resistant varieties.

Beware, though, that silicone caulk -- though clear -- is smelly until cured and rather difficult to work with. It must be cleaned up with a solvent.