silicone remover recommendations?

[Whitling2k]

Hi all!

Just wondering if anyone can recommend a good silicone remover to help reseal my bath?

I've tried two now and had zero success

One was Lidls Baufix and the other was Unibond - the one in the mini sealant cannister but they didn't seem to do anything

The Silicone at the end with the shower above it is really easy to peel off; the other end may as well be pure weld!

Also - any advice on surface prep before I put the new stuff on?

Whitling2k

 

[WabbitPoo]

Did you leave the solvent for long enough? The one I have used needed to be left for hours, and even then needed two or three applications to do its job. Now I just carefully use a stanley blade, a lot of rubbing with paper towels (the friction will help peel off thin residual film) and a lot of time.....

And, just when you think you have got it all off, you rub a dirty finger along it to feel how smooth it now is, and you then see how much more there is to remove!

its a horrid job that just takes time I think.

 

[Jackrae]

Screwfix do one of their own that is excellent - have used it on several jobs

http://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-sealant-remover-100ml/88987

 

[Blagard]

The silicone removers ought to be called silicone residue removers!

I successfully use the B&Q one. It is important to cut away all the silicone that you can until there is just a film of it left. Then you use the remover to get the film off. Let it "cook" for the required time 15/20 minutes then scrape off ideally with a plastic tool. - Due to the time involved I usually do about a metre at a time. So end up scraping off while another section is just starting to "cook"

Thoroughly clean all surfaces and degrease (I use Meths for that) then with clean and dry surfaces you are good to go on re-sealing.

 

[Whitling2k]

cool thanks people!!

I'll give the screwfix a try - but twice bitten I'm not expecting the world!

it is probably my worst job ever

Whitling2k

 

[Dextraneous]

A fair few people recommend WD40. Youtube this for how.

 

[longdogs]

As stated above, the best way is a sharp Stanley blade with some tape wrapped around the top edge to avoid hurting your fingers. Run the blade flush against the tiles then flush against the bath. It's a surprisingly quick method and usually takes about an hour and a half to remove and re-seal.

 

[newbuildinstaller]

top tip


=cut 8" of 15mm copper pipe
=hammer on end near flat and closed
=insert stanley blade and hammer the pipe flat to hold the blade.
=you can hammer the pipe more on one side to "crank" the blade so you can scrape the silicone flush

Not as bulky as a stanley knife and easier than paper towels!!

 

[Whitling2k]

Cheers again. I'll attack it with a new, sharp blade.

It's a bit difficult in places as prev occupants have siliconed over grouting - and the silicone has stuck to the grouting like you wouldn't believe!

Whitling2k

 

[Whitling2k]

Hi there!

Thought I would close this topic off for the benefit of anyone else stumbling across it.

The bathroom is now all clear of old silicone! It was a hellish job. A row of tiles had been stuck down over some older tiles... with silicone! Meaning I had two generations of silicone to remove

So to answer my question:
1. several sharp stanley knife blades - they rapidly stop being sharp enough.
2. a pair of marigolds
3. wallpaper scraper
4. Unibond silicone remover (80ml tube)

with the scrapers and blades - I removed most of the old stuff mechanically - until I was left with just a thin smeer.

I then spread the remover on according to the instructions... I left the remover on for about 30 hours just to be sure. It smelt like sweaty socks mixed with foot cheese - but it had softened it massively.

then re-attacked it with a stanley blade and finally wiped it all down with a old tea-towel.

Then cleaned with a descaling kitchen cleaner to remove the orange calcified stripes (we live in a hard-water area).

Job done!