Reseal Kitchens, Showers and Bathrooms

When sealing or resealing a bath, shower or sink within your home, there are various things to take into account and tips to make the process more straightforward. Baths, showers and sinks will often need resealing if the silicone used to seal them has become mouldy.

In any tiling installation, there will always be a use for a silicone sealant. This can be used around a bath or around a sink, in the joints between the tiles on the walls, or in our tiler’s case in the video, between the tiles on the wall and the worktop. This will provide a nice seal, and will prevent any water getting in behind and through to the back of the worktop.

Mould can cause serious issues in bathrooms not to mention other rooms around the home. Thriving in damp environments, they only need a little water and air to regenerate and reproduce, meaning the problem cannot get better until they are completely isolated from these elements; something which is near impossible to do.

Where there are obstructions, such as where you are sealing the base of a wall on a worktop, and the sink tapsobstruct you midway, simply drag back along the wall as far as possible, behind the obstruction, before stopping and working from the opposing side, back towards the obstruction, where you should hopefully be able to reach the silicone already applied.

Once the silicone has been applied, you need to smooth the silicone. To do this, put a small amount of washing up liquid and cold water into a bottle with a spray top, and spray along the silicone. Then, wet your finger to drag along the silicone at a 45 degree angle. This will smooth the silicone and remove any excess.

Always carefully remove, with a cloth, any excess that has gotten onto a tile or a work surface. Remember – the silicone will tend to dry quite quickly, in approximately 5-10 minutes, so only work to areas you can complete in this time frame.

Sealing in between a bath and a tiled wall with silicone sealant is important because it prevents water from seeping between the two and causing damage. This short video shows you how to prepare the area for sealing, what to do to stop the sealant pulling away from the bath, how to use a cartridge gun to dispense the sealant, and how to dispense the right size bead as well as tips for getting an even, tidy finish.

Make sure the area you’re going to seal is clean, dry and free from dust – especially if you’re removing old silicone sealant before applying a new one. It’s a good idea to weight the bath down by filling it with water. This helps you apply enough sealant to stop the seal pulling away from the bath when it’s full.

Use a sanitary sealant as these often contain fungiside to inhibit mould growth which will help prolong the life of your bathroom seal. Make sure you leave your bath filled with water until the sealant is dry to avoid sealant coming away from the tiles when people use the bath.

Safety

Take care when using a stanley knife to cut off the top of the sealant. Always cut away from you. Wear protective gloves when using silicone sealant.

Visit our website at Homefix Handyman and you can Call us directly on 0115 822 4995 or email us.

Contact us on:
0115 822 4995
Or email:
info@homefixhandyman.com
Homefix Handyman
Suite 104 1 Hanley Street
Nottingham NG1 5BL