I re-seal a lot of baths, popular job. Key to doing it properly is getting all the old silicone out & starting on a clean surface.
Bath I did today had a rigid plastic trim around it which had to come off prior to re-seal. Under this in areas which could trap water, the silicone seemed to have degraded badly.
Consistency of cottage cheese! Never seen anything like it before. Does silicone degrade if kept permanently wet?
Yes, I have come across this. I struggled to think where and when but I think I was the cause of it Whilst an impecunious post grad student in the early 70s, my wife and I bought an end terrace house that required a lot of work - hence how we could get on the property ladder. The kitchen had to be stripped and the bathroom tarted up. I sealed the fittings with some cheap silicone bought from a high street store that still exists, (I'm pleased I Googled before I mentioned it).
We were only in the house for about five years and I had to replace the cottage cheese several times.
Moving to a brand new house, after a few months, I had minor issues to fix such as a loose hand basin in the downstairs loo and sealant coming away round the bathroom handbasin. Fortunately, I still had the residue of this tube of sealant. Fool!
Had to be replaced smartish.
Bought some proper sealant and no problem.
Never bought cheap sealant since.
I had exactly the same sort of experience - cartridge of cheap sealant from a building recyclers (was there and I happened to need some - figured it'd save me a trip across town to the DIY place). Never again. Always buy the good stuff...
Don't know if it had got contaminated somehow (although not sure how, given it was sealed) or was just ancient stock and the stuff (or at least some brands) have a limited shelf life before use...
cheers
Jules
Dave, how do you remove the old silicone? In the past i just used elbow grease and a sharp blade. Do those silicone removers work, if so could you recommend a brand. I need to re-do my bath as its about six years old and very tired.
Thanks,
Tom
Real silicone, not really. Cheap acrylic mastic on the other hand...
Elbow grease I'm afraid. I can't really use silicone removers commercially because they all need to be left on for a long time. Can't charge the client for drinking tea while I wait :-) They do work if left on though.
Best tip I can give is to use a) a Stanley knife with a brand new blade b) a scraper like this
As long as you keep the scrapers flat they won't scratch. Then meths and a microfibre cloth (Tesco 3 for 89p).
I'll get myself down to SF tomorrow, thanks.
The SF big scraper doesn't have very good reviews, maybe its a cheapie - got mine from Wickes IIRC, but I don't think they do the small scraper.
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