UPVC quadrant as bath sealant

[Stringman_uk]

Hi all
I am renovating the bathroom.
We have a freestanding bath similar to this

Orchard Dulwich 1710 X 780mm Freestanding Single Ended Bath with Chrome Ball Claw Feet

Orchard Dulwich 1710 X 780mm Freestanding Single Ended Bath with Chrome Ball Claw Feet

www.victorianplumbing.co.uk

The walls are clad in 3mm cladding with joining strips (only one along the length)
Previously the bath was just sealed with sealant.
But I thought it would look better if i sealed the edge of the bath to just below the surface and then finished it off with some quadrant. ( my sealent smoothing skills arent great!!)

Eurocell uPVC Quadrant Trim - White, 5m x 13mm

Our quadrant has a rounded finish with a flat back to provide easy fitting. This architrave has many uses, including window cill capping, as skirting board, for capping door frames, removing the need to paint and providing a gloss finish which is easy to clean.

www.eurocell.co.uk

Is this a viable idea or stupid one?

Thanks in adavance.

 

[Madrab]

I wouldn't - it just give the water somewhere to live if it gets in underneath and then invariably it'll mould and cause problems.

Get a pack of silicone finishing tools, makes silicone work much more straightforward.

 

[avonmouth]

As above,but i prefer a wet finger as my tool.You could use masking tape as well as a your finger,but realy no need.
25 years ago whilst on pricework i was getting £10 to silicone a bath.......£300 an hour.
Unfortunately i was only doing one every day.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Is this a viable idea or stupid one?

Having done exactly that myself, and found it is much more permanent than the usual sealant - I say go for it. I put plenty of sealant on both faces of the quadrant, then cleaned off later, what squeezed out. Cut the sections to fit neatly, before trying to finally fix them.

 

[Stringman_uk]

Thanks guys, the problem is that it is about a 15mm gap and my last attempt was ok but looked very diy!
hence the idea of using the silicone as a functional sealer and the quadrant as the finishing sealer

 

[Madrab]

All I can suggest is, as someone that does this as a job, I come across more issue where items - sealing strips, tile edging strips, inside quadrants etc - have been used to bridge a gap from a roll top bath to a wall.

If it is done whereby the water can't get underneath it and the bath edge wont move then it could work longer term but the issue usually comes down to that movement in the bath that then breaks the seal and once water get underneath it then it starts to fail. Given your is freestanding with, I would guess, a roll top edge then it may be prone to more movement than a fixed to the wall bath and therefore at higher risk of that seal being compromised. To be fair, these bath types were never designed to be sealed to a wall.

I guess it would be a suck it and see.

 

[Stringman_uk]

Madrab
Brilliant and honest answer.
I guess I will try to improve my sealant smothing skills lol
Thanks again

 

[johnny2007]

Thanks guys, the problem is that it is about a 15mm gap and my last attempt was ok but looked very diy!
hence the idea of using the silicone as a functional sealer and the quadrant as the finishing sealer

With a 15mm gap you must use a trim, no silicone will work with such gap.
I had similar problems in the past and did the following with success:

1. Remove all silicone that's there, all of it until there's no even a speck of it.
2. Seal any gap between bath and wall with expanding foam. Go very easy with it, it expands massively. Use masking tape on tiles and bath so you don't get foam where you don't want it.
3. Once cured, cut it with a sharp long and thin knife, then remove the masking tape.
4. Cut trim to size and make sure it fits nicely.
5. Silicone the back of the trim and stick it on.
6. Smooth and clean excess silicone before it starts setting.

Done a few in my days and still ok.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Thanks guys, the problem is that it is about a 15mm gap

In which case, you will need the next size up from 13mm quadrant.