Removing old sealant from bath rim.

[Maris]

Does anyone have any pet solutions to easy removal of said sealant? I'm almost feeling like buying a new bath to overcome this rather arduous task. Does anything dissolve this stuff?

Maris

[Steven Campbell]

Silicone eater

Screwfix's offering didn't think they were that great when I tried them but you might have more success.

Steven.

[The Medway Handyman]

'Easy' & 'sealant removal' don't go together! It's a common job for me.

I've tried the sealant remover

& it works to an extent, but needs to be left on for ages to work, so I can't really use it.

Best way I've found is a scraper like this

have a very (and I mean very) sharp blade. Scrape down the wall to remove the silicone from the vertical surface, then horisontally, then use a Stanley knife where the scraper won't fit (like behind taps or shower rails.

Used with care a sharp scraper won't damage the bath surface at all as long as you keep it flat against the surface.

I'd love an easier way if anyone knows of one.

[Lurch]

On Sun, 26 Aug 2007 09:45:33 +0100, Maris mused:

God old hard work, works every time. I tend to try and drop the bath a bit to remove the sealant as well, makes it a bit easier.

[Maris]

OK, thanks for the insights, guys. In fact, as soon as I posted this I went on to Ebay and saw a new bath on auction at 99p with 2 mins to go. Naturally I went for it. Only problem is I have to travel 130 miles to fetch it. Still, it will save on all that labour and is still a good price. Maris

[Lurch]

On Sun, 26 Aug 2007 14:16:22 +0100, Maris mused:

Erm, you have to get the old bath out, at which point all the ssilicone etc... will need cleaning from the bath and tiles anyway so all buying a new bath is going to do is create more work.

There is also a possibility the old bath won't come out without taking most of the tiles off around it.

[Maris]

. Sorry, forgot to mention that the reason I was removing the silicon was because I had removed the tiles! The bath should come out quite easily - 1700mm length in a 1800mm space.

Maris

[Lurch]

On Mon, 27 Aug 2007 00:03:00 +0100, Maris mused:

Ah, that makes more sense.