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Resealing shower tray

Does what it says on the tin
brightncheerful
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Resealing shower tray

#340448

Postby brightncheerful » September 15th, 2020, 3:53 pm

Some years ago i asked our reliable painter and decorator to redo the sealant between the tiling and the shower tray as it was looking dirty and grubby. i don't know what product he used but it lasted well.

Needing to spruce things up, in January this year, i asked a jobbing builder to redo it. Good on completion but within months it looked as bad as before. So in July, i had a go myself and again it looked good on completion, Now it is looking grubby and dirty again. After a shower, i wipe off any excess water using a damp cloth along the lip of the tray where it abuts the sheeting but sometimes Mrs Bnc uses the shower after me and she doesn't and I forget so the water evaporates over the course of a day.

The shower tray isn't enveloped in wall tiles but in solid acrylic sheeting. floor to ceiling. The gap between the tray and sheet is tiny with hardly anything for the sealant to grip. i think the sealant is mainly for finishing off decor.

DAK please what the best sealant is to use?

kiloran
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Re: Resealing shower tray

#340454

Postby kiloran » September 15th, 2020, 4:10 pm

I use this: https://www.diy.com/departments/unibond ... 147_BQ.prd

This does become a bit discoloured over time, but regular use of this is very effective: https://www.dettol.co.uk/products/see-a ... w-remover/

--kiloran

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Re: Resealing shower tray

#340482

Postby jfgw » September 15th, 2020, 5:31 pm

Most importanly, get a sanitary silicone, whatever brand you use.

I normally use Dow Corning 785 unless I want something coloured. This was the best. There may be better sealants now (I don't know) but this stays good and it is cheaper than many of the others. If you stand things in front of it so that it is permanently wet, it might go mouldy over time but I haven't tested other ones out to see if they do the same.

BAL do a range of coloured sealants with a 10 year guarantee against fungus (subject to regular cleaning). A few colours are exclusive to Topps Tiles. Mapei (available from Screwfix) have a six year guarantee but I have had less experience with these.


Julian F. G. W.

fisher
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Re: Resealing shower tray

#340494

Postby fisher » September 15th, 2020, 6:54 pm

Dow Corning has always worked well for me. I've seen it recommended many a time.

stewamax
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Re: Resealing shower tray

#340585

Postby stewamax » September 16th, 2020, 11:00 am

brightncheerful wrote:The shower tray isn't enveloped in wall tiles but in solid acrylic sheeting. floor to ceiling. The gap between the tray and sheet is tiny with hardly anything for the sealant to grip. i think the sealant is mainly for finishing off decor.


However tiny the gap, water will find a way! So sealant won't just be decorative.
It sounds as if you have something like Neptune board sheeting. I have this in my showers and have never found a problem with sealant lacking adhesion. If the sealant surface is smooth and as vertical as you can get it, you shouldn't have a problem, even if it isn't wiped down after a shower, unless you have poor ventilation - in which case other bits will get grubby/mouldy as well.
Have you tried sealant in other darker colours (e.g. the grubby colour!). Among others I use a 'limestone' shade that matches the shower base; white or transparent shows marks more easily.

Dod101
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Re: Resealing shower tray

#340587

Postby Dod101 » September 16th, 2020, 11:13 am

In my experience, any shower sealant is going to look grubby fairly quickly if you do not dry it after every shower. Who wants to do that? Water is the enemy of nice white sealant so every so often you will need to treat it with something such as kiloran has suggested. I use HG mould spray. It is basically a chlorine based bleach so needs to be treated with respect but it works.

Obviously if the sealant is not doing its job, that is another problem altogether.

Dod

brightncheerful
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Re: Resealing shower tray

#340629

Postby brightncheerful » September 16th, 2020, 1:07 pm

The sealant does grip, just that there isn't much for it to grip.

For Mrs Bnc's health reasons. i won't use bleach. however, white vinegar diluted 1:1 with water. spray on and soft toothbrush to remove is suggested as effective.

Thank you for your comments.


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