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How to treat the surface before applying silicone sealant. Silicone sealant: pros and cons. What does it consist of?

How to delete old sealant and apply a new one

Removing the old layer of sealant

For good waterproofing of the space between plumbing equipment And tiled wall use . It is extremely difficult to regularly replace the sealant layer with a new one, since it sticks tightly to the surface, but a special solvent can help you. However, try to initially choose a high-quality sealant for wet areas and carefully apply it to the required joint.

Most affordable way, which can be used to remove sealant without leaving home to purchase special equipment -mechanical impact, that is, simply put, try to carefully cut off the old sealant by scraping, using a knife, scraper or spatula. The main thing here is not to overdo it, so as not to damage the work surface.

Special knife - scraper for removing sealant

If you completely wipe off the sealant mechanically fails, then applyspecial means for removing traces of old sealant (chemical exposure), they can also be used to soften rather thick or well-adhesive sealants that need to be washed.

We can recommend such well-knownsilicone sealant removersuch as: Silicon-Entferner, Sili-Kill and Soudal Sealant Remove, they allow you to soften and remove old silicone applied to ceramic, enamel or plastic. But acrylic and polyurethane sealants can only be removed mechanically.

In case you need to remove old layer sealant and apply a new one, use these tips.

	1. Using a knife, remove the old sealant. Trim it on one side first.
	2. Then cut the sealant on the other side and remove the sealant thread.
	3. As a rule, it is not possible to cut the sealant cleanly. To remove residual sealant, moisten it with solvent.
	4. Leave the solvent for about 30 minutes.
	5. After this, scrape off the remnants of the already softened sealant.
	6. Rinse the joint thoroughly with water and wipe with a dry cloth.

Applying a new layer of sealant

You can apply a new layer of sealant to a degreased (just wipe the surface with alcohol) and dried surface (a hairdryer will help you here). Use a special sealant for plumbing fixtures, preferably a fungicidal one, to avoid mold.

	1. Carefully cut off the tip of the canister containing the new sealant.
	2. Insert the sealant bottle into a special mounting gun.
	3. Carefully, in an even layer, apply a thin layer of sealant to the joint.
	4. Relieve pressure on the gun by pressing the lever on the back of the gun - this will stop the pressure of the piston on the bottom of the bottle and the flow of sealant will be interrupted.
	5. Wet your finger with dishwashing liquid.
	6. Apply this liquid to the sealant with your finger.

As a rule, the sealant is applied using a balloon and mounting gun, but special small tube-syringes are much easier to use.

	1. The sealant can be easily applied using a special device in the form of a syringe.
	2. Insert the plunger into the syringe tube.
	3. Carefully apply and spread the sealant at the same time.
	4. Another version of the sealant application device consists of a reservoir in which the sealant is pressurized, and a tip that allows you to regulate the flow of sealant.

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Sealants are designed to fill joints between building materials and have many various applications. They are most often used to seal holes in roofing, joints around bathtubs and sinks, openings between walls and doors or window frames, joints or unsightly cracks. There are two main types of sealants - silicone and acrylic-latex. They have various properties, so it is important to choose a sealant that is suitable for a particular task. Select the appropriate sealant and apply it using suitable tools- this will allow you to do the repairs yourself and not hire a specialist.

Steps

Surface preparation

Use silicone caulk as a waterproof sealant in a neutral color. There are two main types of sealants - silicone and acrylic-latex. Silicone sealants are waterproof and flexible. With their help you can connect the most different surfaces. Silicone sealant well suited for outdoor work. It can also be used to seal joints in damp areas inside the home, such as around a shower stall or bathtub. It is quite expensive and not very suitable for sealing areas that are subject to frequent loads.

Use acrylic latex caulk if you need a colored, water-based caulk. This sealant is cheaper than silicone, easier to work with, and more versatile. Acrylic-latex sealants of the most different colors, which are well suited for bathtubs and sinks. Acrylic latex sealants have water base, so they are best used indoors. They are less durable than silicone sealants.

Remove from work surface old sealant. Before applying new sealant, remove the old one. With quick, firm movements, clean the surface of old sealant using utility knife or a scraper blade. Please note that metal blades are not very suitable for cleaning surfaces around plastic fasteners. To avoid damaging the plastic, use a scraper with a plastic blade, which can be purchased at your local hardware store.

Clean the surface. Take a brush or vacuum cleaner and remove any remaining debris from the work area. After this, clean the surface with a dry, non-abrasive sponge or cloth. Remove soap residue and grease from the surface of the bathtub or shower using alcohol. Wait until the surface is dry before applying sealant.

• Both types of sealants require a clean surface. It is especially important to thoroughly clean the surface of debris and dirt if you are going to apply silicone sealant.
• Before applying silicone sealant, dampen a rag with mineral spirits or turpentine and wipe the surface. After this, wipe the surface with a damp cloth.

1. To ensure that the sealant lays evenly and does not spill onto surrounding surfaces, cover them with masking tape. Cover with strips of masking tape any areas where you don't want the sealant to get in. Apply tape around the area where you are going to apply the sealant. As a result, the sealant will lie smoothly and evenly. Masking tape will help you apply the sealant more neatly and beautifully.

   Cut the tip of the sealant tube to create a hole of the diameter you need. After this, the sealant will be able to flow freely from the tube. This will allow you to control the width of the seam. The lower you cut the tip, the wider the stripe will be. If you need to apply sealant quickly and not necessarily carefully, you can cut the end of the nozzle across.

   • If the sealant needs to be applied with greater precision and accuracy, cut the nozzle at a 45-degree angle.
   • Look inside the spout and check if it is sealed with foil. If the spout is covered with foil, pierce it with something sharp and thin (for example, a long nail).

2. Insert the sealant tube into the gun. There should be a long hooked rod at the rear end of the gun. Pull it all the way back. This will open the barrel of the gun and you can insert the tube into it. First, place the base of the tube into the gun. Then tilt the tube so that its spout is at the front of the barrel. Rotate the hook so that the hooked end is facing up and the prong side is facing down.

   Place the spout of the tube over the place where you will begin sealing. Lightly press the trigger to begin dispensing sealant. As a result, sealant will begin to leak out of the gun. Run the gun along the line or surface you want to coat with sealant. At the same time, continue to lightly press the hook so that the flow is not interrupted. Move the gun with constant speed. The sealant should come out in a continuous stream. Try to apply the sealant in an even seam along the entire length.

   • Keep a damp rag (moistened with water or white spirit) handy so you can quickly wipe off the sealant if you make a mistake.
   • Don't apply too much sealant. You can always add sealant in the right places on the second go.
   • To stop the flow of sealant, press the button under the barrel behind the needle. This will relieve pressure in the gun and give you a neat seam.

3. Check how neat the seam is. Do not squeeze out more than 1.5 meters of sealant in one pass without stopping. Stop and inspect the applied seam. If it looks smooth and neat, leave it as is. If the seam needs to be corrected, go along it with a scraper, spatula or finger dipped in water and smooth out the sealant.

Quite today wide application I received a special sealant for the bathroom - it is intended for sealing seams. With its help, you can also install tiles and plumbing. The main thing is to choose the right sealant.

Types of sealants - what are they?

Bathroom sealant is a mixture of polymer materials with various additives. Sealants are divided into several types.

Silicone sealants are most popular for bathroom work. Their distinctive features – long term operation and good adhesion with other materials. The base is silicone, which has water-repellent properties and can be safely used in the temperature range from -50 to +200 °. Today you can buy several types of silicone sealant on store shelves: neutral and acidic (acetic). The first type of silicone sealant for the bathroom is much more expensive, but does not harm metal products. The second type has a low price, but the material promotes the oxidation of metals.

Acrylic sealants are inexpensive and very easy to use. However, the coating acrylic sealant does not have a high level of elasticity, and therefore it can only be used for those places that are not subject to use. The material contains no organic solvents, and therefore it does not smell. When working in the bathroom, it is advisable to buy a moisture-resistant type of sealant.

Silicone-acrylic sealant allows you to make joints elastic and durable, and therefore it can be used for work in the bathroom without any problems. By using polyurethane sealant you can create a very durable coating. This type of sealant is characterized by excellent adhesion to other materials.

There are other types (bitumen, thiokol), but such sealants are not at all suitable for working in a room with high humidity.

To ensure that the bathtub is sealed properly high level, you need to choose the right product for sealing the seams in the room. A quality bathroom sealant should be waterproof - this is the most important requirement. For the bathroom the best material A special sanitary composition is considered to be a sealant that contains additives against the formation of fungus and the appearance of bacteria.

It’s worth saying a few words about the brand of material. There are professional formulations, and there are household products that are much cheaper, but are suitable for use in the bathroom. When processing seams, you can choose “Titanium sanitary”, but if you have to work on sealing plastic plumbing, then it is best to choose compounds suitable for PVC and acrylic. It's hard to say which material counts the best sealant for the bathroom - it all depends on your goals and your financial capabilities.

The best sealant manufacturing companies

Most well-known company the company that produces such materials is considered Ceresit, providing its customers with the widest range of products. Such sealants are intended for sealing joints between walls and the bathroom; they can also be used as a special adhesive for ceiling tiles.

The advantages of this company's products include:

• excellent adhesion;
• safety of use;
• plasticity and lack of fear of water.

Sealants are popular CIKI FIX(Turkish production). This product has excellent quality characteristics at minimal cost. Other advantages of this material include good adhesive properties - you can even use this sealant to glue anything in the bathroom.

How to seal joints using sealant?

No matter what sealant you use, sealing seams in the bathroom is almost the same. And here you should remember a few important points. You need to be as careful as possible when working - incorrectly applied sealant can ruin appearance products and the room as a whole.

How to seal joints in a bathroom with sealant - step-by-step diagram

Step 1: Surface Preparation

Wipe the seam dry to seal. If the seam lies too deep, it can be dried with a regular hairdryer. Many experts advise additional surface treatment for better adhesion to the sealant. But you need to remember that after such treatment the surface must dry.

Step 4: Remove excess material

To remove excess, you will need a wet cloth - wrap it around your finger and rub it along the seam, removing any remaining silicone. You also need to remove the construction tape, and this must be done before the sealant hardens. Remove the tape as carefully as possible so as not to damage the layer of applied silicone. If this does happen, do not be upset - correct the damaged area with a damp cloth. If drops of material do get on the walls, they can be easily eliminated with gasoline or paint thinner. Simply soak a piece of rag in the solution and wipe away any dirt. That's it, sealing the bathtub is finished!

Now you just need to wait for the silicone to dry completely, this is about 8-10 hours, after which you can forget about the penetration of water into the seams.

When applying sealant, you need to take measures to protect the body from exposure to the material, because this is in any case chemical agent. Therefore, when sealing seams, be sure to ventilate the bathroom and work with gloves, because it will be very difficult to use your hands . Now you know that you can use bathroom sealant to seal the seams – it’s up to you to decide which one is better. The main thing is to strictly follow the application technology.

Renew the seams in the bathroom. What will you need?

To update the seams you will need:

• Silicone sealant. You need to choose one designed for baths: the packaging should indicate that it is resistant to water, detergents and mold.
• Gun for squeezing out sealant.
• Scraper for removing old silicone.
• Cleaning agent for removing old silicone.
• Spatula with different profiles to form new seams.
• Mold repellent.
• Masking/regular tape.
• Sponge.
• Paper towels.

Please note: this is the maximum. Below we will figure out what you can and cannot do without.

Step 1. Remove old seams

Grout manufacturers advise using special knives to quickly remove old silicone, but I wanted to make the repair as inexpensively as possible and at the same time experiment, so I made do with an ordinary narrow stationery knife. Let me tell you, he did the job perfectly. If the grout refused to give up without a fight, I would have to use special remedy to remove old silicone.

Please note: if you are squeamish and even in nightmare If you can't imagine being a plumber, ask someone else to remove the old caulk and clean the grout. It's a much messier job than it might seem..

Step 2. Preparing the walls.

Before applying silicone, you need to wash and degrease the surfaces, if necessary, treat them with a fungicidal agent and wait until they are completely dry. In addition, it is worth vacuuming thoroughly so that dust does not stick to the seams and prevent the silicone from sticking.

Step 3. Choose the appropriate product.

It is important to choose silicone not only famous brand(so that the dirty work doesn’t have to be redone in a year), but also in a convenient package. The most common option is a large can, which is inserted into a special gun. Professionals work with such guns, they are convenient for squeezing out the product, and a large package is enough for the entire bathroom. The downside is that you will have to buy the gun separately. At the other end of the spectrum are emergency supplies. self-repair in jars with a spatula spout, from which it is easy to apply silicone directly over old seams. I settled on the third option, buying a regular 50 ml tube. Looking ahead, I will say that this was just enough for me to make a 2 meter long seam.

Step 4. Apply sealant

Now is the most important step. You will have to decide how to apply the silicone.

In this video, they advise you to simply squeeze the product out of the gun and smooth it out with a spatula.

In this case, it is proposed to replace the spatula with a finger, and to protect the walls from excess and form even seams, use masking tape.

Having tried to repeat the technique from the second video, I ruined the first part of the seam: my fingers turned out to be thin, and the distance between the tiles was large, so the silicone was smeared too much. Then I decided that I couldn’t do without a spatula, and cut it out from an unnecessary plastic card. I must admit that a little silicone still leaked between the card and the wall, but the adhesive tape prudently placed 3-4 mm from the edge of the tile (ordinary tape, I also saved on painting) saved me from dirt.

Please note: to understand how far from the edge of the tile to stick the tape, apply a spatula to the wall and mark the point where the tool begins to come into contact with the wall - the seam will begin there, and this will be the distance you need. If you stick the tape closer, then when it comes off, it will take away part of the silicone, forming a step on the seam.

So, neither masking tape, nor a sealant gun, nor special scrapers turned out to be suitable for small repairs Not needed. The most useful, perhaps, is a spatula, which can form profiles of different radii, and of all useful little things I would buy this one. But if you have a limited budget, you can always make do with available materials.

Please note: it is better to apply silicone with a reserve: even if you clean off half of it with a spatula, the seam will be formed the first time, and you won’t have to fill random gaps later, unsuccessfully trying to do it carefully.

In the photo above - before and after (I only covered the seams between the tiles on the wall first, but the joint between the floor and the wall is ready). I am pleased: it has become noticeably better, although my seams were far from ideal. And not least because I had no idea how much patience, calm and concentration this work requires. At first, inexperience let me down, then fatigue. I hope you won’t repeat my mistakes and, thanks to this article, you can easily make small repairs in your bathroom if necessary!

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Cover photo: unionplumberfl.com