Is there a top quality/best shower/bath silicone sealant? Recommendations please

Ganga

Do not do what i usually do ,go to somewhere like B & Q with the intension of buying the best BUT when i look at the price i then buy the cheap rubbish ,then have to do the job again in the short term ,i will learn one day.

ThisIsWeird

When you have removed the old, and cleaned up the surfaces as described before, if there is a tiny exposed gap between the bath side and the wall, then I'd first use the narrow uncut nozzle to get the sili in there as far as possible - it'll help to glue the bath side to the wall and reduce movement (as well as provide an extra-seal).

Then apply the required bead and finish using the tools that Murmansk suggested. Do not use yer finger wet or dry, do not use tape, do not use the nozzle cut at an angle, do not, do not.

Use a Fugi or similar.

It will change your life.

Do a dry-run first. Make sure you can slide the tool, held vertically, all along the edges without hindrance. Do the taps get in the way? If so, you may need to slice a tool down to make it slim enough, but work all this out before you apply the sili!

These tools not only provide an easy way to obtain a professionally neat and attractive bead, but they seal the bead's edges firmly to the two surfaces. The best thing about them, tho', is if you make a mistake - if, say, you add too much sili or too little (less messy to do the latter...) - then you can stop, go back a few inches, and carry on seamlessly.

To use it, press the tool firmly but not too tightly against the two edges. It should slide easily (more easily when the sili acts as a lube), but leave perfectly clean surfaces either side of the formed bead. If you see a thin layer of sili left either side, you ain't pressing firmly enough. Move at a steady and constant pace - do not stop and start unless you need to.

If you need to stop, then simply relax the applied pressure as you continue to move the tool, and lift it away whilst still moving, like a plane taking off. Then wipe the tool clean, sort out your problem - eg add another small amount of sili - and go back a good few inches before you stopped. Place the tool in position, but don't yet press it down - the tool should not be touching the nice bead. Start to move it along, and then progressively press down and 'land' the tool on the existing bead as you move the tool - it should touch down without a blemish.

Hadn't used these tools for years, but had a new kitchen sili task down at t'village hall a few weeks back - used the Dow 785 recommended on here, and it was nice stuff. There were pipes and steps around splashbacks and allsorts coming up the back of the worktop, but after a few dry runs I'd figured out the best approach, and how to turn the tool to provide the best bead. The side-by-side pipes were a pain and needed a few goes, adding more sili at times, but the tool is best at this sort of thing, the way you can go back a few inches, and have another go! It ain't perfect, but it's acceptable, and I can't imagine any other method allowing this.

ChilliBob

The Ct1 multi solve stuff is good to get rid of silicone before install. If you want you can also spray it on a bead before tooling it. I've tended to use this for Ct1 instead of silicone though.

Ct1 is great but not for this - goes yellow! - or so reviews have said.

Whilst good silicone is obviously a good idea I think the quality of application will have the most impact tbh. The dow stuff isn't much more expensive than the no nonsense business so may as well get that. 

I think the silicon man we have used goes for sone silca stuff, not sure if that's because it's good or cheap, but his jobs have held so far! 

danrv

jonnydeppiwish! said:

And don’t forget to fill the bath with water before you reseal it!

Especially if it's not installed with wall battens. I didn't fill the bath when I did the sealing but I used battens on installation. The PVC panels I fitted have a special trim that they sit on.

I bought one of these too:
https://www.toolstation.com/vitrex-silicone-sealant-smoother/p39643?store=C4&utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=googleshoppingfeed

Good idea to mask the area as suggested. I tend to use Soudall Sanitary Slicone from Toolstation. Seems fine.
The Dow stuff was around £7.80 I think at the time. Might be worth it if it's much easier to work with.
More to do with prep and technique though whatever you choose, as mentioned.