Silicone up to existing seal

jar

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Hi
I need to reseal around our bath as the sealant has lifted from the bath in a couple of places. The bath is mainly used for showering. There seems to be a lot of play in the bath when getting in and this has caused the sealant to lift. I can't see how it's possible to do anything with this issue without ripping the bath out which will cause a lot of damage.

Anyway, the walls around the bath are fully tiled and there is also silicone, rather than grout, in the corners where the walls meet, from bath to ceiling height. Presumably this was done to prevent grout cracking in the corners.

The silicone in the corners is almost as good as new so my question is, can I remove and replace just the sealant round the bath and "join" this to the corner silicone and how would be best to do this ? Should I remove some of the corner sealant so that the old and new aren't meeting right in the corner of the bath where water will likely gather ? Or any other suggestions - hopefully other than re-doing the whole lot :)

Thanks
 
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If there is excessive movement of the bath ,you should attend to that.
Re apply silicone after removing all traces of the old ,and extend it vertically in the corner and up the walls
 
Hi
Thanks for the reply.
When you say up the walls how far do you mean, all the way ? In which case remove ALL the silicone from the walls as well as around the bath ?
Is there no way to do this without removing the lot ?
Thanks
 
Ideally you want to remove as much old silicone as possible, this ensures the integreity of the seal that the new silicone achieves.

As suggested though you do need to tackle the movement issue first. if it keeps moving no matter how much silicone is used it will eventually start to leak again.

If the bath is tight in and tiled then you'll need to use a baton and some wooden props and wedge the baton to provide support. Fill the bath full of water and silicone.
 
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Thanks for the replies.
The bath is enclosed on three sides so access to underneath at the far corners is almost impossible. Plus one of the internal corners has flooring partially removed for other pipework access so little surface area to add support.
Anyway - I will just need to see what I can do.
 
Ouch, that's not good, experience shows that it will go again I'm afraid. If there's enough movement to seee it when you enter the bath then that's just too much. Clear out as much silicone as possible down the long wall edge and then fill the bath to the gunnels when re-silicone'ing, to give it the best chance to grab as possible and let it sit for 24 hours
 
Thanks.
One side is worse for access that the other as it's also in a recessed area behind the toilet and sink units. Unfortunately that's the side where the shower is so where the leak is happening. Plus the toilet itself sits in front of the left side of the bath (same side). There is obviously a bit of a gap from the bath to the toilet but it severely limits getting access under that side of the bath.
If I can somehow get access underneath what is the best way to provide support without risk of damaging the bath ? I'm thinking that just sticking a bit of wood underneath risks breaking the bath when any pressure is put on that area ?
Cheers
 
Hi,

I have seen this stuff mentioned in a recent thread -
It seems an interesting concept and can be retrofitted without modifying the tiles.
It may be something to consider, but I'm afraid I can't vouch for its efficacy! :)
 
I'm thinking that just sticking a bit of wood underneath risks breaking the bath when any pressure is put on that area ?
A baton with the long side under the edge of the bath with props to support it, add a line of silicone to help with providing a seal underneath, it should have been done before the bath was fitted to support the long and short top edges, bath fitting 1'o'1 IMO.

I've had to take a toilet out before to access the top end of a bath with exactly the same issue to remove the panel etc.

As far as that seal's concerned .... never heard of it ..... will it work .... who knows.
 
Hi
Yes I saw another post which mentions that seal device. When I looked into it I found the usual mix of reviews, some saying it's rubbish, others it's great. Quite expensive so not sure it's worth the risk.
I'll have a think about what to do. Removing the toilet etc is above my skillset and is likely to go horribly wrong if I try.
Thanks again.
 

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