A quick question about sealant

beckstrous

Hi all,

We had our bathrooms done recently and they look great - we have an over-bath shower in one of the rooms, but the shower screen has not been sealed properly at the bottom and so water comes out and onto the floor when you have a shower. I can see exactly where the gap is so thought I would get some sealant today and just fill it in myself. It's only a tiny bit, so should be easy to do (I know people say it can be tricky!), but I wondered if anyone had any tips for making sure I get a good seal? It's a gap of maybe an inch wide and 2-3mm high so not huge.

Thanks for your help!

djheath

Make sure you get proper flexible bathroom sealant, mould proof stuff will be beneficial.
Warning: It will be very sticky and a complete pain to get off your fingers.
It also stinks like vinegar when it goes off.

Get some electrical tape and mask off each side of the gap if you can.
Cut the nozzle of the sealant at the correct angle.
Apply the sealant as directed on the tube (ie with mastic gun, or with the pressurised all in one sealant tubes).
With a wet finger slide you finger lightly over the sealant in one continuous motion. wipe you finger on a jay cloth or similar to remove what is now sticky and stuck to your finger.
With the sealant still wet, peel off the electrical tape slowly and carefully.
You will have a slight gap where you peel off the tape, so wet your finger again and gently wipe the length of the sealant bead, very gently pressing it back into place so its flush with both sides of the fitting.
Let the sealant go off for 12 hours or so before getting it wet.

Finanly, sit down, have a cup of tea and a few biscuits.

autismmum

i have put sealant round my bath and made a mess of it, anyone know how to get it off.???

djheath

autismmum wrote: »

i have put sealant round my bath and made a mess of it, anyone know how to get it off.???

You can get sealant remove from B&Q etc, but no idea how good it is.

Best thing is a sharp stanley knife and one of those scrapers with a stanley blade in the front.

Oh, plus some elbow grease.

beckstrous

Thanks folks...........you make it sound very easy!! At least if I mess it up, it's only a small bit!!!!

BobProperty

beckstrous wrote: »

....It's a gap of maybe an inch wide and 2-3mm high so not huge.....

Did you mean that? An inch wide is a hell of a gap to silicone. I hope you meant and inch long and 2-3mm wide/high.

To smooth it off I find it better to use one of the proprietary tools but for a small "one off" job like this then use a finger dipped in soapy water to smooth it off.

As to removing the stuff I always cut it out. I once bought some silicone remover but never bothered with it when I read that it had to be left on for four hours.

bob_a_builder

Further to djheaths post

I use masking tape rather than electrical, I think masking will stick better (happy to be proved wrong though)

I would be very wary of the suggestion of going over it a second time with the damp digit - it always goes wrong at that point for me - so I only ever go over it ONCE