Do I need to use silicon seal (caulk) and a sealant strip around the base of my shower

Question

The seal around the inside of the shower cubicle (standard single person mass produced unit) had rotten (it's about 15 years old) so I ripped it out, cleaned up the surfaces and am redoing it. The stuff I removed included silicon caulking underneath rubber sealant strips (which could have been added at a later date than the original install, I'm not sure) and I'm wondering if part of the problem was that water got caught between the two layers.

I have run caulk, while standing in the shower to help ensure the gap between base and screens is filled, and have a pretty good bead of sealant all around the shower now, but wondering if I should add the sealant strip as well. It looks to me like the caulk is enough.

Any guidance on this?

Answer 1

The sealant strip is supposed to cope with some movement of the shower (or bath) by being flexible.

However, what usually happens is that it's not quite flexible enough or loses it's flexibility with age so water starts seeping around it. This is when caulk or other sealants are added on top.

If you can get a good seal with the caulk (which you appear to have done) then you don't need to add the strip.