You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
It has taken me five years to finally sorting out the shower. New combi boiler in (Worcester Bosch, hoping that meets STW approval) so I now have decent water pressure and can run a shower in the bathroom upstairs.
Boy 1 demonstrated how poorly sealed the bath was to the tiles last year- the downstairs ceilings have a nice mottled effect in places nowadays. Grr. I've decided to remove as much of the old silicone as possible, using a combination of Stanley knife and Lidl's silicone removal stuff.
The Baufix sealant removal solution instructions say that the residue should be wiped away with water. I will do this, and dry the voids with a hair drier too. I'll have a cup of tea next, probably Earl Grey, with milk (sorry) but no bikkies just yet.
Once I'm convinced that all the voids are dry I will dry them some more and get beautiful Mrs Ambrose to check that they really are dry. Then together we will watch some more YouTube vids about the whole process, ignoring any advice from Americans because they suggest products that are most likely to be just what I need but are not available in this country. And they can sometimes have annoying accents.
Then I will fill the bath. Time for tea now. Lapsang Souchong this time, again with just a dash of milk and possibly a biscuit too. The beautiful Mrs Ambrose won't drink 'weird tea' so will have a nice cuppa of Yorkshire tea, probably from India or some other exotic place. With Carmarthenshire milk and good Essex sugar.
Low tack tape run around 3mm above and below the gap next. Now, starting from the corner outwards, I'm proposing to squidge the silicone in from my trusty yellow sealant gun, tooled off immediately with a finger dipped in white spirits. Then I'll pull the tape away immediately after. Next- to dispose of all the residue in a responsible manner etc. In other words, put it in a carrier bag with the dog eggs, and chuck it in the bin for landfill.
last of all I'll walk away for a day to let it all set/ settle/ dry/ go off for 24 hours. I'll probably go for a ride to a Cafe with the beautiful Mrs A.
Any advice folks? I really don't want any leaks from the bath mounted shower at all.
Cheers and beers,
Ambrose.
Possibly time for a drink?
You've got it all wrong. You need sugar from Suffolk, not Essex.
And have lots of wet cloths handy to wipe the spare gunk onto. Paper towels and bog roll just stick to you.
Buy the most expensive silicone you can find. The cheap stuff is shit.
Noted, and thanks. I spent my teenage years in Essex so I have an affiliation to the place. If Suffolk sugar will ensure a better result who am I to argue?
Dip your finger in water with shampoo in it. Not white spirits.
Its taken me years to master it and I think I have. A good sealant and application gun helps.
Buy a sealant tooling tool.
Apply sealant. Evenly.
Use some liquid soap (not WS) on the tool and by using it in the "opposite" direction you take off any sealant excess. Then by "tooling" the sealant in the normal direction with the same profile you form the shape.
I don't bother using tape as it forms a ridge.
Aaargh- conflicts! I've only just learnt the word 'tooling' too. Can someone recommend me a sealant (white) and a suggested wiping medium. I've heard suggested Fairy Liquid, spit, whit spirit, foaming glass cleanser, liquid soap...
I'm pretty rubbish at applying the stuff evenly despite my lovely yellow gun. Added to this is the problem of the uneven gap size along the length of the bathtub. Please can I use the tape? How about I use the tape and then tool it immediately afterwards?
Dow Corning 785 is the best silicone for bathrooms
Use the tape
Take the tape off when yiu have applied sealant
Then tool it in
A good quality metal sealant gun makes even application easier.
I use the fugi kit for 'tooling', no masking required.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cramer-40405-Fugi-5-Kit/dp/B003BNLQQ0
Decent quality sealant for a good long lasting finish. I use Unibond or Dow Corning
No tape, lolly sticks and squeeze bottle of washing up liquid diluted. Apply bead of silicone, spray the lot, spray lolly stick, make bead.
As above, Dow Corning 785 is the stuff to use.
Don't use those tools, liquid soap or tape or any of that other faff.
Just spend a few years installing bathrooms, you will then be able to do it perfectly with just your finger, a bit of spit and your trouser leg 😉
(This method may be more time consuming in total though)
Brain overload.
So- use soapy stuff, not white spirit. Dow Corning 785 is the chappy I need. And do (or do NOT) use tools or tape. Lollies are possibly optional.
I am off to Travis Perkins tomorrow, with my discount card! Doubtless I will buy some superfluous stuff that will come in handy at a later date I'm sure.
this is how i understand some plumbers do it.. could nt say i do for reasons that become obvious..
decent sealant, anti algae as a minimum. nice even bead of silicon to joint ( that loooks suspiciously like you ve not quite done enough) then reach to end of bath/wash basin and use any liquid soap/radox/ shampoo you can get your hands on dip index finger in so you have a light film on it and in one gentle 'swipe'.. have a damp cloth to hand to clean and keep finge clean re dip in radox little and often..
Dow corning silicone is the only sensible choice.
Spit and finger is the best way. I have done miles and miles of sealing!
😯Spit and finger is the best way.
Really clean and dry everything, silicone won't stick to anything wet.
Nice even bead of Dow Corning 785, about 5mm applied all the way along with a smooth pass, if you need to stop and grab another handful, do it on a tile joint. Wet your finger with a bit of spit/soapy water, it stops the silicone sticking to your finger and helps your finger to glide. Apply even pressure and smooth all the way in one pass. If you balls it up, and you probably will 1st time, wonder wipes etc. are really good at removing silicone whilst its wet.
I've been tiling and bathroom/kitchen fitting for 20 years and this is how to do it. no masking tape/tools needed.
Wickes is about the cheapest in the land for Dow Corning at the mo around £3.50 a tube. expect to pay £6-7 at the merchants.
I employ a company to this very job on sites. Windows, floor/wall joints, all sanitary ware. Do you know what the use for tooling? A sharpened bloody random stick and they cut the nozzle fat! Will seal an average bath in 30 seconds. Knobbers!
HTH
Fill the bath with water, especially if your bath is plastic. This ensures the gap for the silicone is at it's widest, so you won't expose gaps the first time you fill the bath.
I also have to seal a shower tray but the gap is about 1cm all way around.
Are there any flexible corner strips that wide? I got one from B & Q but it didn't fit.
Cheers
I also have to seal a shower tray but the gap is about 1cm all way around.
A picture or two might help with the advice.
I got to the finger and spit stage.
nealglover
Sorry but am at work! just thought id ask
The gap is around 1/2 to 1 cm from the bottom of the tray to the first row of tiles. Poor workmanship but didn't realise until I had to re seal it.
Could go with a narrow border tile all the way round, overlapping the bottom row of tiles.
If it's too big a gap for sealant, that's a decent option.
CT1.