Permanent Solution for Mould around the bath ?

[rideforever]

Hi

Every 12 months or so I have to reseal the bath ... black spots on the silicone.

It's a bit tiresome. There is ventilation and we open the window too, but it's not enough. In fact because the bath top is not perfectly square, some water always rests there and in contact with the seals.

Is there a permanent solution, or another way of sealing ?

thanks

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Mop up any wet stuff straight after use.

 

[rideforever]

That's not possible. It is a shared bathroom and would make only a little difference.

The kind of things I am thinking are a seal that is not made of caulk ??

 

[mikeey84]

a permanent solution would be to realign the bath, so the falls are correct, and no water gathers there

The best silicone IMHO, is DOW 785 silicone sealant (from wickes) its more expensive, but its the one I always see recommended by pros, and the one I have used in my bathroom for a year or so, with no mould

 

[rideforever]

I once saw a sort of plastic strip with a T shape cross-section that sort of went behind the tiles and then stuck down on the rim of the bath. ????


Not sure how I would re-align the falls. Its a bath those areas I don't think are flexible. They slope very slightly downwards from the inner oval rim of the bath to the outer rectangular edge.

 

[dhutch]

The best I have found is:
- Use decent sealant to start with
- Spray with HG (Hagesan) mould spray every week or so
- Be slightly pragmatic about what it looks like
- Reseal ever 2-3years

The only other option is plastic/rubber capping strips, but they often look worse to start with, are hard to keep clean, and age in 5 or so years anyway.



Daniel

 

[mikeey84]

i agree with dhutch

 

[dhutch]

Its very annoying there isn't a better solution if I am honest, but there we have it. Nature vs Technology!


Daniel

 

[rideforever]

Fair enough.

Possibly some bright spark could make a nice business out of inventing something. I am sure there would be a lot of happy customers.

I can think of the possibility of having baths or shower trays with upright section on the outside that integrate with the wall. That would be a good start. In this way the areas where the water collects have no seems.

Genius ok, who is going to manufacture them ??? Seriously there is money to be made from that one.

I think that is the only solution - to actually have no seams where the water collects. That means you would need to have standardised sizes and less flexibility of configuration - but it would be worth it for owners.

 

[sparkwright]

There's load of things they need to invent;

Sealant that doesn't allow mould to form on it.

Outdoor paint that doesn't flake.

Wood that doesn't rot.

Everything is a load of rubbish really, isn't it?

 

[Fixingitup]

http://www.doorsixteen.com/2013/09/14/dealing-with-nasty-grout-caulk-in-the-apartment-bathroom/

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

There's load of things they need to invent;

*Women that don't nag
*Clients that pay on time

 

[Aunsh]

Is there room to fit some 12mm uPVC quadrant along the joint? This would give a very narrow sealant line instead of the present wide line and be easier to keep clean. I agree with Mikeey84 about Dow Corning 785. I would use it to replace the present seal, then use it again to mount the quadrant. I would also use masking tape when fitting the quadrant, to minimise the seal line.

Note to Rideforever: Shower trays with tiling upstands have been around for quite a while now.

 

[rideforever]

You mean like this ?

I think this is what I have, however the tiles still make a 90 degree join with the tray where the sealant goes. Where the water goes.

My idea would be to change the design of the upstand so the tiles stop perhaps 6" above the upper rim of the tray. And that the tiles are flush with the upstand. So then the 90 degree area would be all ceramic/ plastic. And the tiles no where near. And the tiles would not have a 90 degree join.

Anyway, phase 1 is complete, after standing in a pool of Viakal breathing bleach fumes and scrubbing the hell out of the mozaic shower wall, with chemicals sprayed all over my face, with a nail brush ... the shower is clean. ish.

New sealant next week.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Don't ever use the bath. That's guaranteed to work and permanent.