[Closed] Applying Mastic/Bathroom Sealant

Fugi tool or similar. Don't use a wetted finger.

There was a post recently mate, with lots of good advice.

I recently had my new bathroom sealant done (plumber sub-contracted to a specialist sealant guy). I didn't actually watch him work but I did notice him liberally using a spray bottle with soapy water in it, not sure if he used a tool or his finger for the finish though - the end result is very good.

Make sure surface is CLEAN AND DRY and use Fugi style kit.

There was a post recently mate, with lots of good advice.

Thanks, will search for it. Everyone must be getting their bathrooms ready for Christmas...

Is the silicon remover stuff the best method for removing the old stuff?

Our fitter used an ice cube to smooth it out.

Did a nice job.

Was going to say exactly what 'lambchop' said in the first reply.

This fellas video covers pretty much everything, presentation is a bit dry but it's worth it for the detail:

I did mine this week, removed the old silicone by cutting in from the edges with a scraper/razor blade/scalpel. Once that was done most of it came off in long strips. Any leftover chunky bits I took off with a gentle use of a very sharp chisel, then used white spirit and a cloth for the tiny little bits. Left that to dry thoroughly, then went over with meths to degrease before applying the new sealant.

This is my "no skill or special tools" method.

Just mask all the lines with 2 strips of Frog tape (green masking tape)  apply silicone, doesn't need to be fussy, wet finger in white spirit, press down hard and drag along the line, Wipe residue off fingers with kitchen roll.  Pull off tape and discard. You will need a lot of kitchen roll and a big bin.  Useful to have a new bottle of white spirit so you can stick your finger in the top and wet it every few seconds.

I got a tip years ago from a tile fitter. No need for fancy finish tools. He just used an old teaspoon, dragging this over the sealant gave a great seal.

Mask it all off to the desired width and apply several surgically thin beads, smoothing each one. When the smoothed bead just touches the tape, stop

Big thread about this two weeks ago.

Bit of a bump but I recently renovated a couple of kitchen worktops and used 'Sticks Like S*it' and having struggled and fumed in the past with standard cheap sealant this was a revelation: easy to apply, sticks very well, easy to tidy up with a tool. Use tape ^^ and make life even easier.

Thanks all. I have tried tape before, but ended up with a lip at the masked edge. I probably put too much on in one go though

Fugi and good quality sealant, Dow Corning or UniBond for me.

Really wish my bathroom fitter had watched that video!

The reason why there's a lip at the masked edge is that you didn't press hard enough when wiping off the excess so the sealant is still proud of the tape.  It doesn't matter if you apply too much as long as you wipe enough off.

I'm in awe of fitters who have mastered the technique - they can do a concave or convex seal without any tools or tape (maybe a bit of wood they got from their dad as a scraper they use from time to time).  They do it in a 10th of the time it takes me, and using a quarter of the sealant.

@BigJohn, watch that video ^^

The reason why there’s a lip at the masked edge is that you didn’t press hard enough when wiping off the excess so the sealant is still proud of the tape. It doesn’t matter if you apply too much as long as you wipe enough off.

It doesn't matter how hard you press, the upward motion of pulling the tape away will always create a little lip, unless you stop short of the tape, in which case there really wasn't any point in using the tape in the first place! 🙂

Yes, that video is now in my bookmarks.  But in fairness my technique is based on a similar professional youtube video and if you press hard enough you'll eliminate that ridge and the masking tape is there to use as a guide and to stop it going everywhere.