Bath Sealant...advice needed

[Sheena]

Can anyone give me any advice as I'm so frustrated. I have resealed around my bath five times now in the space of last two months. Each time, I have cleaned it carefully and reapplied the sealant and each time, it has cracked. I figured that I wasn't putting it on thick enough so last time I did it, I put it on really thick and used a tool designed for the job which gave it a lovely finish. I left it for 36 hours then just to be sure, taped some plastic covering to the tiles above which hung inside the bath so that no water would get to it while we were showering and gave it another 36 hours before removing.

After a couple of days use, it has started to lift from the bath (enamel bath). The one I have used is Ever Build bathroom and kitchen sealant which I know is not one of the more expensive makes but does say it last up to 20 years.

My plumber advised cleaning with nail polish remover before applying to make sure it was definitely clean which I did. Do I have to take the whole lot off again or can I re-apply over the existing stuff to give a thicker coating. I'm just not sure that it will adhere to the existing sealant.

Many thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

 

[jctilingservices]

remove old silicone, clean down with nail polish remover, ( now heres what i do, when remover has completely evaporated, use a non scratch scourer and rub the edges of the bath)
put in the plug and fill your bath at least half full, now silicone the joint (use a good anti fungal silicone), leave it a couple of hours, then pull the plug out, the bath should lift slightly leaving you a good watertight seal

 

[tictic]

with jimmy here do as above..

but it does sound as you have to much flex in your bath,only other thing i can add is..
is the bath secured to the wall,there should be 2 brackets attached to the bath then these are screwed to the wall.

 

[jctilingservices]

is the bath secured to the wall,there should be 2 brackets attached to the bath then these are screwed to the wall.

well said Davie mate, i never gave that a thought, i just assumed it was secured

 

[Richard C]

put in the plug and fill your bath at least half full, now silicone the joint (use a good anti fungal silicone), leave it a couple of hours, then pull the plug out, the bath should lift slightly leaving you a good watertight seal

I fill the bath right up to the overflow as it helps compensate for the weight of someone sitting in it & leave it overnight; silicone can still green after just a couple of hours.

I think your problem is either contamination, which should be easy to fix using JCT’s advice, or too much movement. There are limits but if you have a little too much movement, you could try a low modulus natural cure silicone; the window fitters friend. These tolerate far more movement & stick better but are more expensive; proprietary bathroom sealers are almost exclusively high modulus, acetoxy cure & have that characteristic ammonia smell.

 

[Sheena]

Many thanks to everyone for taking time to offer advice.

I have now sealed around the bath for the sixth time! Thankfully this time, it looks like all is well. I think the problem was that I was using cheap sealant which might possibly be ok for around kitchen worktops etc but not for baths. I have noticed that this sealant was a totally different texture, very very sticky and dried to a lovely shiny rubbery finish. It's been over a week now and still looking fine. I've learned my lesson...not to use cheap sealant in future. Thanks again to everyone

 

[jctilingservices]

Welcome Sheena, would like an update in a few weeks to see if its still ok, which it should be

 

[Sheena]

Sure thing JC, will do. Thanks again for your advice.

 

[jctilingservices]

Sure thing JC, will do. Thanks again for your advice.

welcome anytime

 

[Sheena]

Hi JC, it is only a month or so late...lol...but I did say I'd let you know how the bath sealant fared. I am glad to be able to say that it has been fine and I reckon that's a couple of months now

I won't be buying cheap sealant again!

Many thanks for your help

 

[jctilingservices]

Hi JC, it is only a month or so late...lol...but I did say I'd let you know how the bath sealant fared. I am glad to be able to say that it has been fine and I reckon that's a couple of months now

I won't be buying cheap sealant again!

Many thanks for your help

cheers Sheena, its nice when people take the time to let us know how they got on using our advice, you are more than welcome anytime

 

[Sheena]

Thanks JC...I'm sure I'll be back here for more advice in the future - moving house soon-ish so no doubt I'll need all the advice I can get to complete my new projects.
'Thank you' to yourself and the others on this forum...it's fantastic and to be truthful, I don't know how I'd have fared without the great advice I got here.

'Til next time!

 

[saffy1]

[quote="Sheena - Whats the make of Sealant did you buy?

 

[Sheena]

Hi Saffy1......I used Unibond Anti-Mould Shower and Bath Sealant available at any good hardware store and around £10. A bit more expensive than some sealants but worth every penny. It's been around six months now and all is well so can highly recommend. Hope this is of help to you.

 

[gcol]

£10 my a$$. Get yourself to a builders merchants and pay no more than £3-4 for a decent sealant.