Should you use grout or caulk around a bath tub?

Q I was reading your column and wonder if you could clarify your answer to "Upset Over Brown" asking about his now-brown caulking around the bathtub. You mentioned that if the joint was between the tub and tile, he should use grout. I am in the process of a bathroom renovation and my contractor was going to have the tile people remove the grout between the tub and tile because he says it should be caulked and not grouted.

Do you think we can stay with the grout? I selected a charcoal-colored grout and I like the way it looks against the white subway tile and tub, and would love to not have the tile people come back for another round of mess to remove that grout. A I think the contractor is wrong in suggesting that grout be removed and caulking inserted.

Grout, a cement-based material, has been used between tub and ceramic tile for centuries, and has stood up well, is washable and mold resistant (if you seal it with a tile sealer). Then someone discovered caulk as the be-all-and-end-all; it is not, and should not be used where cast iron (tub) and ceramic tile meet. Caulk is okay to seal between, say, fiberglass components, but hardly nothing else in bathrooms and kitchens.

I know of no caulk that does not get rusty looking or black from mold. And it is impossible to clean. So, stick with your charcoal grout; it does not show the dirt.

And as you already know, it looks pretty good. Q Last week, late at night, my sons found a frog in the basement bathroom. Now, last night, I found another one in the basement floor.

How did they get into the house? Also, only this year, my house is inundated with lots of one-inch millipedes. Quite a few are in the house.

How can I get rid of these? What can I do to avoid these from happening again?

A broker is the one who put my wife and myself into the $1000 per month policy we now hold.

The 280 days is full term plus 2 weeks prior to ovulation--when you weren't even pregnant. If you go by the 40 weeks (280 days) the prior poster is right. The math would be 13.3 weeks and you would be in your third about 27 weeks.

If you go by 266 days, you would be starting your third trimester in the 25th week. So, docs go between 25-28 weeks for that reason. Why any doc would ever say that the third trimester starts in the 30th week is beyond me.

That is weeks late by either way. Was this answer helpful? Here is a nifty trimester calculator I found online :) Hope it helps!

Was this answer helpful? I've read anywhere from 209/02/20077 weeks, I'm cutting the difference at 28. Was this answer helpful?

To me (and my OB) a trimester suggests a third of something - therefore 280/3 = 93.33 days per trimester or roughly through 13w3d for the 1st trimester, through 26w6d for the 2nd and then through week 40 for the third. Was this answer helpful? My OB told me my third trimester starts at 27 weeks, he is the one who's taking care of my healthcare needs and also going to be delivering my baby so this is the information that I am going to go by.

Thanks for the advice anyway, Good Luck to All. Was this answer helpful? For reading alot of articles on pregnancy I believe it starts at 28wks.

I myself am 22wks and cannot wait until my third trimester how many weeks are you? Was this answer helpful? Was this answer helpful?