Silicone sealing

[sg66]

Your obviously very happy with plastic tools and long may you continue to use them, a thin mist of Polish or a bottle of water with fairy liquid to pour everywhere and plastic bits to clean no ta, I have tried all of that stuff.

 

[grim_d]

masking tape on the wall then on the bath or shower gun it in .run over with middle finger then pull it off .perfect results every time

This.

This is the way.

Not a wet finger.

Seen this video before. It's nonsense about the thin edge lifting... if done properly.

The fancy tools work but don't leave a pleasing smooth finish...the beads in the video look especially poor.

I see in a lot of new builds they are using shaped nozzles a bit like on the windscreen adhesives which don't need smoothing to seal, but look terrible.

Edit, this was sealed 4 years ago, Dow Corning sealant, masking and dry finger technique, still perfect.

 

[roofman]

masking tape on the wall then on the bath or shower gun it in .run over with middle finger then pull it off .perfect results every time

what he said

 

[Ali]

It’s turned out ok. Lying in the bath there’s a run about 6” that looks perfect. I’ll just focus on that for a year.

 

[mtt.tr]

For me, straight from the gun squirt with soapy water quick finger sorted.



I have done my fair share, me and another chap completed a 6 story building externally using abseiling was. Fun

 

[decca]

This is my kitchen. 2 years old, masking tape and finger

 

[northwest]

For baths, half-fill with water before starting and leave overnight to set.

This is very good advice.

 

[grim_d]

For me, straight from the gun squirt with soapy water quick finger sorted.

The risk with squirting water onto the bead is that as you smooth it out you trap water under the bead and it doesn't adhere correctly and causes the edge to lift.

 

[bricol]

Just given the bath an annual tidy up, need a lie down in a dark room now. My attempts with a silicone gun are much like my welding - I can lay down 12 inches perfectly, then have to change position or release the trigger and stuff up the good bit trying to make the messed up bit tidy. No matter what - bog roll, baby wipes, soapy water, special tool, expensive silicone - forget it.

Got to get rid of the old stuff properly first - I pull off, scrape off with car body filler tools, carefully knife off the old stuff as far as sensible then apply Screwfix silicon eater. thats gets rid of most of the rest, a second application if needed. Use a dish washing plastic scourer carefully if needed - they will scratch plastic baths. Clean with usual domestic cleaners, wash and dry properly.

Then mask, apply a bead all round, then run dampened finger in one go as far as possible, wiping it clean if needed. Peel the tape off back on itsdelf, then run a moistened finger all round again to flat the edges that might be lifted. Usual half full bath etc

When I was doing the house up and seemed to be applying sealant everywhere, confidence was higher and I could skip the masking most of the time - when I come to do it again after a break, I need the comfort blanket of the masking tape

Used to use dow corning stuff - it seemed to take a good few years to blacken in the dampest spots. Swopped to Stays white (or some name similar) - and it has. Stayed white.

 

[Muppet]

If those tiles are textured you ain't going to get any type of smooth finish agains them ,

BLACK silicone , against a lighter tile , is always going to stand out ,
I would redo with a slate gray

I have to get my breathing right before I start , and use a slightest angle on the nozzle,
Never touch it afterwards, , behind taps are my nemesis , hate the bloody things ,
I've even silicones before then installed them

 

[grim_d]

Used to use dow corning stuff - it seemed to take a good few years to blacken in the dampest spots. Swopped to Stays white (or some name similar) - and it has. Stayed white.

If you start to get mould on your silicone them the simplest solution is to roll up some toilet paper into a sausage shape and put it over the silicone then saturate with bleach...leave overnight or longer and all mould will have disappeared.

 

[mtt.tr]

The risk with squirting water onto the bead is that as you smooth it out you trap water under the bead and it doesn't adhere correctly and causes the edge to lift.

More technique dependant yet to have it fail

 

[Dcal]

If you start to get mould on your silicone them the simplest solution is to roll up some toilet paper into a sausage shape and put it over the silicone then saturate with bleach...leave overnight or longer and all mould will have disappeared.

Excellent tip.

I used this technique when the silicone in the shower went moldy.
It has kept the mold at bay for over a year now.

 

[keithski122]

Easy to get a nice finish on shiney flat tiles, the difficult bit is the joints between the tiles.

 

[Turbo]

I've used all the tips here to varying degrees of success, depending on the situation. But if I want a perfect straight bead I go for the making tape method.

What nobody has mentioned yet is a decent mastic gun makes the whole job a whole lot easier. Forget those cheap orange guns, inconsistent feed & a hand cramp after 5 minutes!

https://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/Everbuild-Hh0119101230-5029347600945-Power-Pro-Sealant-Gun-C4

This is the one I use, very good & not too expensive.

https://www.toolstation.com/cox-powerflow-caulking-gun/p66651

A bit more expensive but very popular in the trade!

 

[grim_d]

at nobody has mentioned yet is a decent mastic gun makes the whole job a whole lot easier. Forget those cheap orange guns, inconsistent feed & a hand cramp after 5 minutes!

The genuine "Cox" cheap orange guns are excellent.

They are so good I modified one for the sealant tubes at work and have pushed hundreds and hundreds of tubes through it....a basic genuine sealant gun is around £250 and I much prefer my £7 item.

 

[cheb]

The Cox guns have different leverage ratios to so you can have the best one for the sealant you are using.

 

[Kayos]

If we are talking guns I have moved away from traditional tubes where possible. I have an aluminium gun that takes foil "sausages" of silicone

Much less waste when you are finished

 

[cheb]

I'd like to do that but am limited to what I can buy locally. I don't use enough to lay in stock of the various types.

 

[earthman]

I only heard about the masking tape method a few months ago funny enough, not done it yet myself.