Fitting/sealing a bath

[RJH]

I've just put in a new bath - thick bead of silicone sealant between bath and wall tiles, then a finishing bead between bath and tiles with bath half full. 24 hours between each.

Anyhoo, in use the sealant hasn't stuck, exposing a gap of a couple of mm between the sealant and the bath. The supplied brackets don't seem to do much in the way of holding it firm.

I haven't really got the time to faff abut with this at the moment, and was thinking about a 'bath seal':

Any experience of this type of thing, and advice on fitting?

[TMH]

I've used it very successfully many times. They sell an adhesive tape to stick it down, but I always use Sticks Like or Stixall.

[DerbyBorn]

Check why the bath is moving.

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

I would still want that stuck down on a bed of silicone...get a nice tacky one that smells good that Polish stuff if you can get it ......

[DerbyBorn]

"Jim GM4DHJ ..." wrote in news:ofutv3$dtc$ [e-mail]:

Are the feet sinking onto the floor boards? Do you needs something to spread the load?

[Mr Pounder Esquire]

We had a new bathroom suite fitted in our old home. The "highly recommended" plumber did not secure the bath to the wall very well and we got what may be your problem. You could always try removing the old silicone, cleaning with meths and using expensive silicone. Still, if the bath is moving you are knackered.

[TimW]

indeed.It may just move.

In my house the nature of the joists and floor and the weight of a full bath plus the narrowness of the gap means that I have never acheived a proper seal between bath and tiles and have given up trying.

TW

[DerbyBorn]

TimW wrote in news:ofv551$8aa$ [e-mail]:

I have only re-sealed mine once in 29 years since the house was built. I added a brick under the centre of the bath - but I think most now have a central foot. It is held in somewhat by being slightly longer than the room

- so it is chopped into the wall at each end - but the walls are only plasterboard. I think I am lucky.

[Another Dave]

I was told to fill the bath with water then apply the silicone. That way the bath rises to meet the silicone rather than pull away from it.

Another Dave

[RJH]

I can't figure it out. It's the weakest point - not in a corner. The floor is new and sound, the adjustable supports all look fine and haven't moved, the flimsy bracket between the panel frame and the wall hasn't moved. It is a cheap acrylic bath and quite light - but the reviews are fine. Perhaps it's cheap and just does.

[RJH]

Thanks - I'll give it a whirl.

>

[RJH]

Yes, I'll give the 'stick layer' another go. I just don't fancy scraping off the cosmetic/seal layer.

No, it's a new floor.

[Mr Pounder Esquire]

But I think that he did that first. ?

[RJH]

Well, half. On hindsight full might have been better - it only came away once a bath of water *and* my ample frame became involved . . .

[Tim Watts]

In theory your "ample frame" cannot exceed the weight of a bathfull of water - well not by much as once submerged, you have displaced the excess water (down the overflow, over the floor etc).

And the human body is very similar density to water, assuming you have some air in your lungs.

[RJH]

Yes, quite - bath full - I applied the sealant to a bath half full. Maybe the 'half full' thinking is that it's a rough average between expand/contract - for whatever reason it didn't work here.

[TMH]

Did you 'tool in' the silicone?

[mechanic]

Well there you are. Get a steel one or a thicker acrylic one.

[tabbypurr]

You've got to stop the bath moving. Until then getting a seal is unlikely to work.

NT

[RJH]

You mean with a Fugenboy on the top finishing layer? Yes, I did, but wasn't that happy - had to use the finest cut. Anything larger, giving a wider bead would have taken what felt like masses of silicone. As it is, the bead is well bedded in, about 6/7mm. Just didn't stick.