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Bath Sealant: 22 Hot Questions

What is the best bath sealant to buy? At what stages of repair and where exactly can it come in handy? How to properly seal the seam between the bathroom and the wall with a sealant? In my article I will try to answer these and some other questions.

Areas of use

1. Where exactly in the bathroom can a sealant be used?

Here are the most typical applications:

• Sealing the seam between and the wall to which its tailgate adjoins;
• Filling the same joint between the bathtub or shower and the tiles. Of course, this is only possible with relatively flat walls. Their significant curvature will require a plastic corner sticker;
• Filling the joint between the toilet and the floor. The sealant distributes pressure over the entire surface of the sole and eliminates damage to uneven floors;
• Grouting joints between tiles. As a rule, in this case, a colored sealant is used to match the tile. It is present in the product range of many renowned manufacturers.

I have successfully applied sealant to solve a few more problems:

• For gluing the joints of homemade furniture;
• For gluing tiles to drywall. Silicone allows it to be glued to materials that have poor adhesion to cement glue - plywood, chipboard, oriented strand board, metal and plastic;

Use tile sealant only on walls. On the floor, the tiles are experiencing high operational loads, and it is very important to distribute the pressure over the maximum area of ​​the base. Therefore, the tiles on the floor are laid only with cement glue applied over its entire surface.

• For sealing prefabricated sewer connections. Rubber O-rings will lose their elasticity over time and the joint will leak. A sealant that fills the gap between the pipe and the socket reduces the likelihood of leakage to a minimum;

• For sealing the joint between the shower enclosure and the wall. There is no standard seal there, and a shower jet directed into the joint often leads to the appearance of puddles on the floor;
• To eliminate leaks between the fence and the shower tray. The lower guide for the door leaves a gap when properly fastened, through which water, under certain conditions, enters the floor.

Choice

1. Which is the best bathroom sealant - silicone or acrylic?

For filling joints in contact with water - definitely more waterproof silicone. Acrylic sealant or acrylic putty can only be used when decorating the bathroom ceiling.- for example, for attaching a foam ceiling plinth.

Acrylic putty will help to hide the gaps between the skirting board and uneven walls. It is applied along the edge of the skirting board with the tip of a trowel. The surplus is removed from the wall and baseboard with a rag.

1. Should you prefer a sanitary sealant or a general purpose sealant?

Sanitary differs from universal, as a rule, in the presence of antifungal additives. They come in very handy where the silicone is constantly in contact with water - at the junctions of plumbing fixtures and in the seams of the tile apron above the bathroom. Otherwise, a universal sealant can be used.

1. Can an aquarium sealant be used to seal joints in the bathroom?

Yes. It differs from the sanitary one by the complete absence of toxic additives.(hardeners, fillers, etc.) with excellent adhesion to smooth surfaces (including glass and glossy tiles).

1. How to choose a manufacturer? Who makes the best silicone sealant?

In my personal rating, Ceresit is in first place, and Moment (Henkel) is in second. Among other manufacturers, I cannot name clear leaders, but this does not mean that the quality of their products does not differ. In general, a simple rule applies: the higher the price, the better the sealant.

There is one nuance here. Silicones from different manufacturers differ primarily in adhesive properties. Ceresit CS 24, which got on the metal fence of the stairs, I removed from it with great difficulty, but the products of the unknown Uncle Liao keep only on rough surfaces - dry wood, drywall, etc.

Accordingly, a high-quality sealant is necessary when applied to a smooth base, but when gluing tiles to gypsum boards, you can safely purchase the cheapest silicone.

Application

The seam between the sink and the wall

1. How to seal the seam between the sink and the wall with your own hands?

The instruction is not complicated:

• The seam area is cleaned of any dirt, degreased with an aqueous solution of soda, washed with clean water and dried;
• The tube is installed in the pistol;

• The nose of the tube is cut so that the diameter of the hole in it matches the thickness of the seam as closely as possible;
• Strips of masking tape are glued to the shelf of the sink and to the wall. They will save you from having to think about how to clean the surfaces from the silicone hardened on them;
• The spout is inserted into the seam while pressing the pistol grip. The joint is filled to the maximum depth and smoothed out with a damp finger or a narrow rubber trowel.

The seam between the bathroom and the wall

1. How to fill the junction of the bathtub to the wall with silicone?

The same as in the case of the sink, but with one amendment. As a rule, the joint is wider here, and the sealant filling it slides down under its own weight. To prevent this, it is enough to stick a strip of foam plastic below, under the shelf of the bath.

1. Do I need a sealant under the corner of the bath?

Let's just say: it certainly won't be superfluous. The rubberized edge of the corner is not always tightly pressed against the bath shelf. Moreover: plastic can deform when hot water gets in.

1. How to apply silicone sealant under the corner?

When gluing a corner, this is done like this:

• Two strips of silicone are applied to the cleaned and degreased bath shelf and wall. You should not apply it on the corner itself - you will stain both the bath and the wall;
• The corner is set in place and pressed against the corner between the bathroom and the wall with a long straight rail, steel corner or any other suitable object;
• From above, the entire structure is loaded in any way (for example, several boards laid across the bathtub and a basin of water placed on them).

If the corner is already glued under the tile and you want to close the seam between it and the bathtub, use a spatula 10-15 cm wide. The spatula lifts a section of the corner, after which silicone is applied under it. Then the corner is pressed against the shelf along its entire length in the manner described above.

Tile sticker

1. How to stick tiles on silicone?

I do it like this:

• The wall is cleaned of debris, dedusted with a vacuum cleaner and primed with a penetrating primer;
• The lower edge of the tile apron is marked;

An important point: it is better to mark out not along the edge of the bath, but according to the level. The bath is usually installed with a slight slope towards the outlet, ensuring full drainage of the water. The deviation of the bottom row of tiles from the horizontal will make the seam between the vertical rows in the corner very untidy.

• Any stop is installed that allows you to align the tiles along the markings. I used for this purpose plastic spacers for the installation of double-glazed windows;

The thinner the seam between the tile and the bathroom, the neater it will look.

• The sealant is applied only to the tiles, and not over the entire surface, but in dots or in stripes. I apply strips of silicone around the perimeter of the tile and criss-cross in the middle;
• The tile is pressed against the wall and rubbed against it with a couple of sliding movements;
• In order to maintain a consistent width of the seams, I use plastic crosses.

1. How long does silicone dry under tiles?

You can remove crosses between horizontal rows in about half an hour. After two hours, the tiles can no longer be torn off. The drying time is slightly longer than when filling the joints due to the limited air access.

1. How to remove the old tile glued with silicone on the gypsum board?

Only together with a sheet of drywall. The adhesion between the tile and the substrate is in this case much better than with cement glue.

1. How to remove old tiles glued with silicone on plaster or brick walls?

The tile is chipped off with a chisel and hammer. On a plastered surface, there is a chance to remove part of the tile intact, but the plaster will be noticeably damaged.

Grouting joints between tiles

1. How to rub the seams between tiles with silicone?

The seam is filled in the same way as the abutment of a bathtub or sink. The tile is protected from contact with the sealant with masking tape. A few subtleties:

• The seam must be filled to the full depth. If gaps remain under the silicone, the tightness of the seam may be compromised by accidental damage;
• Transparent silicone can be used along with white or colored grout sealant. Tested personally: the base shines through it only in very bright light and point-blank gaze. Under normal conditions, the seams look quite neat;

• Masking tape should not be used multiple times. It inevitably gets dirty when the seam is smoothed out. When you re-apply the silicone, it gets on the tile, and again you have to think about what to remove it with.

Toilet installation

1. How to apply undersole sealant when installing a toilet?

The joint is filled with silicone to the maximum depth after installing the plumbing fixture on the standard mount.

The sealant will firmly glue the sole to the surface of the tile, and if you try to remove the toilet, you will tear it off along with several tiles. That is why, instead of silicone, in this case, it is better to use cement diluted to the consistency of very thick sour cream.

1. How to change the toilet bowl installed on the sealant without damaging the tiles?

Before dismantling the plumbing fixture, cut through the sole embedment around the entire perimeter with a sharp knife with a thin blade.

Deleting

1. How to remove the silicone joint between the bathroom and the tile?

Office knife and steel wool. First, the main volume of the seal is cut out, then the sealant smears remaining on the surfaces are carefully removed. Silicone traces are rubbed off with moderate force with a washcloth.

The metal washcloth cannot be used for acrylic bathtubs. Scratches will remain on them. In this case, it is better to arm yourself with a damp rag made of coarse cloth or use chemicals, which I will discuss in a few paragraphs below.

1. How do I remove the sealant from my enamel bath?

The same metal washcloth. Residual silicone can be removed with a sponge and any abrasive cleaning agent.

1. How to remove traces of silicone from tiles?

Again, a metal washcloth or abrasive powder for cleaning earthenware and washing dishes. The tile is extremely durable, and it is almost impossible to leave scratches on it.

1. How to remove old sealant from an acrylic bathtub wall abutment?

In this case, the seam is cut out with a clerical knife. But to clean up traces of sealant, you can use a special chemical agent (for example, Penta-840 or CRC Gasket Remover). Silicone dissolves and ordinary white spirit: it is enough to apply it on a rag and thoroughly wipe the place of contamination.

Care

1. How to remove mold on the sealant between the bathroom and the wall?

For this purpose I use the "Whiteness" product based on sodium hypochlorite. It has a disinfecting or whitening effect. The agent can be applied to the seam affected by the fungus with a sponge or sprayed with a flower sprayer; after 10 - 15 minutes, it is washed off along with the remnants of dirt and mold.

1. Is it possible to pre-treat the anti-mold bathroom sealant with something?

As I wrote above, antifungal additives are included in sanitary sealants. Alas, with constant dampness in the bathroom, they do not save: the seams still turn black.

Here are some tips to reduce the chances of getting a fungus:

• Use transparent silicone instead of white... It does not darken even in humid places. The reasons for this are unknown to me, but the fact remains;
• In places that are not in direct contact with water, an antiseptic primer can be used to treat the seams. Alas, it will wash off over the bathroom at the first shower;
• Provide forced ventilation in the bathroom. By reducing the humidity in it, it is often possible to completely forget about the fungus;
• Provide space heating. For this purpose, a water or electric heated towel rail is installed in the bathroom. In one of the bathrooms of my house, there is an aluminum battery connected to the electric boiler.

Conclusion

That's all. As usual, additional thematic materials can be found in the video in this article. Feel free to share your own experiences in the comments. Good luck, comrades!

August 16, 2016

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