Silicone Sealant in Shower Rolling Over

dirtychinchilla

dirtychinchilla

dirtychinchilla

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Joined
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Woking
Hi guys,

The builder did a crap job of the silicone around the base of our shower, so I have attempted to do it myself. This is pretty much the first time I've siliconed anything, so I've probably made some noob mistake. I left it for over 24 hours to try, and then took a shower this morning and, as you'll see in the photo below, the silicone has sort of rolled...what have I done wrong?? I'm planning to pull it all out on Saturday, buy some fresh silicone, and do it again. Which type is best for showers?

Thanks in advance,

dirtychinchilla

HHRAMiA.jpg


(sorry about the microscopic hairs...!)
 
It looks to me like you have some of the old silicone left and the new stuff hasn't stuck. I suspect you will need to remove it right back to the tiles / tray and then redo it after making sure there are no traces of the old stuff.
 
Sealing/mastic is a bit of a dark art IMO. Some guys make it look so easy. I have done it many times, with varying degrees of success/failure. :D
Get yourself some silicone remover, it will help enormously. Make sure everything is clean and dry.
Mask the shower tray if you wish as this will give you a nice clean edge. No point on the tile side as they look textured.
Put a small bead of silicone all the way round. Put some washing up liquid in a glass/cup mixed with water. Use either a sealing tool/finger/back of a teaspoon dipped in the water mix to smooth the sealant.
Do this in one pass all the way round. Try not to be too anal about getting the sealant "perfect". The more you touch it, the worse it will look.
If you do need further smoothing, use plenty of the water/soap mix.
 
Awesome, thanks for all the advice, guys.

I'll get some silicone remover and a proper knife and give it another go.

Once I've removed what's in there using the silicone remover, how long should I wait before putting the new stuff in?

Any recommendations on what brand of silicone I should buy?
 
In work we use Everbuild S50 or EVT sanitary BPS for stuff like that. As others have said it's not as easy as it looks and takes some practice. But make sure you have removed as much old sealant as possible and make sure it's clean and dry. We have had issues with shower trays moving too much as the house builders seemingly can't put a shower together properly.
 
Over the years I've become pretty proficient at sealing with silicone.

As others have said make sure to remove as much of it as you can. If I was sceptical about the job on a shower I'd be removing every last mm as getting corners joining right is a pain.

That silicone remover stuff does work well, but I usually use a scalpel blade to get the job done. Although it also makes quick work of your fingers... :)

Once I've removed stuff in the past I give it a good dry rub with a lint free towel, alcohol wipes to get rid of the grease then leave it until the next day before applying the sealant.

Means your shower is out of action for 48 hours - factoring in drying time for removal and application. I know I'm being over cautious but to me the alternative is the possibility of replacing the bathroom - I know which route I'd prefer!
 
I use one of those plastic sealant remover tools that cost about £3, just make sure you've got a pair of gloves if you've got soft, office worker hands like I have. I did use sealant remover but not really sure it did much apart from make a mess. I use white spirit for cleaning after I've removed all the old silicone.
 
Use tec7 sealant, you can buy it in B&Q.
Spend 90% of your time cleaning off the old stuff, stanley knife / blade is good and ensure its bone dry before applying the new sealant.
 
Hi Phill, thanks for the suggestion.

I actually managed to succesfully follow everyone's tips here. Although I didn't buy the silicone removal stuff, I did buy a couple of cheapo tools from TK-Maxx that were shaped for removed silicone, so I used those and diligently took off as much of the old stuff as I could, and then went over it many times with a knife and a rough sponge.

Managed to reseal the shower and nothing has gone wrong, as far as I'm aware.

Thanks for all your help everyone <3
 
too late for you, but this was the best bit of advice i was given for easy silicone job

as you would with painting, use electrical tape to mask around the edges so that you have a nice clean lines to your silicone (remember to remove tape asap)

0827_silicone_sealing_a_bath_finishing_bead_10.jpg
 
Mahonyy said:
Well done, time to post the results here: https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/what-man-jobs-have-you-done-today.18433753/
Click to expand...

Hah it wasn't that good!

tedaC said:
too late for you, but this was the best bit of advice i was given for easy silicone job

as you would with painting, use electrical tape to mask around the edges so that you have a nice clean lines to your silicone (remember to remove tape asap)

0827_silicone_sealing_a_bath_finishing_bead_10.jpg
Click to expand...

Someone did suggest that, but I wasn't sure how nicely it would turn out so I didn't do it, I'm afraid.
 
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