Bath/Shower Sealant

Question

Hello,

We have quite a newly built bathroom (coming up to a year on this new build and April past was the first year of completion.) However we looked and there is water leaking where the tub/tile meets the wall on the other side of the shower door near the shower head. After troubleshooting it appears to not be a leak (bathroom contractor confirmed) and a sealant problem with where the top of the tub meets the tile. Now the issue is plumber just put another layer of sealant on top of the current one on shower side as well as on where the door connects to the wall (although this wasn't the issue as it was bone dry). I've been reading that you should remove sealant first before applying again, should I be worried? The wall where the leaking was occuring is lightly damaged and now needs fixing (bathroom contractor said he can do that in future but would charge, which seems a bit strange as sealant failed after less than a year of use.) Just want some opinions on the whole situation.

Cristian · Accepted Answer

Hi, from what you’ve described, I would be a little concerned about simply applying a new layer of silicone over the existing sealant.
The correct way to reseal a bath is normally to remove the old silicone completely, clean and dry the area thoroughly, and then apply a fresh continuous bead of good-quality sanitary silicone. Applying new silicone over old silicone may look fine initially, but it may not bond properly and the problem could return.
Considering the bathroom is only around a year old, the original sealant really shouldn’t have failed this quickly if it was applied and prepared correctly. If the water damage to the wall was caused by that failed seal, I would also question why you should have to pay separately for repairing the resulting damage.
I would recommend asking them to remove the existing silicone and reseal the bath properly rather than just adding another layer on top. It’s much better to address it correctly now than risk further water getting behind the tiles or damaging the wall again.

Tom · Answer

100% the old silicone should be cut out, the surfaces cleaned thoroughly so there’s no debris / dirt and then the new silicone applied. New over old doesn’t bond properly and bacteria / mould will multiply between the two causing issues.

Steven · Answer

Best solution, remove all silicone, insert waste plug full bath with cold water and new sealant all around

Arwel · Answer

Hi old silicone should be removed before applying the new bead

Paul · Answer

Hi, yes all sealant should be removed, normally you would put sealant on the outer edge of the bath before putting in position, fill the bath then seal the top edge.

Stacking sealant rely doesnt fix the issues properly.

Water has a nasty habbit of gpong where it wants/can.

Doug · Answer

Yes old sealant should have been removed first cleaned and then re sealed with a good quality anti mould bathroom silicone not the cheap multi purpose stuff most contractors use

Darryl · Answer

If the house is within the warranty time frame there should be no charge. And ideally remove existing sealent and then re seal

Steven · Answer

Hi is there movement when using the bath? If the bath is moving, this would brake the seal. Also is there a gap between the bath and silicone? When installing a bath they have plastic feet on a thread bar. If the feet are not screwed to the thread fully when installing, the weight when in use can make the thread bar sink more in to the plastic feet causing the drop from the sealant.

Aqib · Answer

Ideally yes you should remove old sealant before applying new especially if there is mould. However as long as the existing sealant was dry prior to applying the new one on top you should have no issues with adhesion.

To obtain the best looking finish I would suggest removing all the sealant and applying one coat properly!

Hope that helps

Lee · Answer

Should still be under warranty,get builder back to rectify ,should definitely not leak

Bath/Shower Sealant

Follow Us

Cookies

Manage Cookies

Essential cookies

Analytics & Tracking

Advertising