sanitary silicone sealant

[desrob]

any tips on applying this,i find it very hard to work with and whats the best thing to use when you get it every where,

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

use baby wipes that contain citric acid you will find it much easier to work with

 

[desrob]

use baby wipes that contain citric acid you will find it much easier to work with

i'll try that ,have you ever came across an extra long nozzle for those hard to reach places.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

no but have used a make plumbers gold i think that has a nozzle you can angle

 

[tweakyboy]

Best tip is not to use cheap £1 a tube mastic, use a good quality mastic to make your life easier. I use Dow Corning sanitary mastic at around £5 a tube, its really good to work with and doesn't smear all over the place if you go a bit heavy handed.

Also once you have applied the mastic from the gun, spray it with a lightly diluted washing up liquid mixture. Then spray your finger and tool it in, it won't stick to your finger and get everywhere.

 

[Dannypipe]

I've heard about this spraying the silicon bead with soapy water before tooling it up. I would worry about it not adhearing to the background properly.

I always masking tape top and bottom if it has to be 100% perfect.

Either way, I then use a soapy finger or I have a plastic tool which you push along the joint and it takes the excess off while leaving a perfect joint.

If it ever goes a bit squify I use 'Big Wipes' to clean it up. They'll shift it, even after its been on a few minutes.

Oh and just so you know, 'Big Wipes' won't damage chrome on brassware, but it does dry to a misty looking finish and require light buffing off with a dry soft cloth or tissue.

 

[khill]

Plumbcentre sell a tool for masticing, this is one of the jobs I cant
stand you can install a bathroom and it looks great and then comes
the mastic....this can make a great install look crap. But like tweak
says get yourself a £1 spray bottle and get handy with your finger.

 

[tweakyboy]

I also use the fugiboy kit, the best tool you can buy for masticing. I used to hate doing masticing around baths/basins but now I don't mind doing it, looks really professional once its complete.

That is one thing to worry about Danny, you must make sure you are good with the gun before hand and double check it has stuck to every edge before spraying the mastic.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

i would be careful using just your fingers when my old man was in hospital a few years back,guy in the bed next to him was seriously ill with blood poisoning from silicone sealant he was a window fitter your skins micro porous use gloves

 

[SimonG]

Try not to put too much on and a good finger, both ways.

 

[Bartdude]

My tiler friend uses a piece of wood that he shapes like a large carpenters pencil.He applies the silicone then sprays it with water only and runs the wood along the joint,the excess silicone runs up the wood and can be wiped off. It's quite an art and he makes it look very easy,I'm still trying to get the hang of it and find it easier to use my finger sometimes!!

 

[Puddle]

Gasman is right but I do use my finger,in my defence do not do that many now and size 12 fingers do the job well,you can get round this by cutting the finger tips from ends of sergical gloves and using,also would say do not put to much on,many cut nozzle tip to big,put to much on then mess up as have to remove some from joint

 

[mikegas]

has anybody tried this?
TradeTiler.Ltd

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

no but it looks a jml type gadget IMHO

 

[mikegas]

Its off a pro tiler online shop, just asked cuz i always end up covered in the stuff

 

[Guest123]

Try a small plastic spoon, the type you get that are disposable and spray some diluted washing up liquid on the silicone first. Use the spoon inside (the bit you put the sugar in!) to smooth out the joint, perfect results every time. For thin joints use a ice lolly stick with the washing up liquid. Use masking tape with both methods and cut your cartridge nozzel at 45 degrees and 3/4 of the way down. Use silicone sparingly, too much makes a messy job. Be aware that the acetic acid in silicone may have an adverse affect on other materials round about where your applying it. Tilesafe used in wetrooms dissolves with silicone and keep it away from some brands of plastic pushfit pipe! The best and safest all round sealant is a polysulphide based mastic.

 

[garyplumb]

To get to them hard to reach places like behind taps push 2 or 3 nozzles together, works a treat.

 

[WaterTight]

Try not to put too much on and a good finger, both ways.

Please, this is a family show

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

Please, this is a family show

that bloody vas gets every were

 

[SimonG]

Please, this is a family show

I do apologise......

 

[GQuigley67]

saw all the professional mastic guys using the piece of wood trick, they make it look so easy and when i do it its a nightmare lol. Got a tool from tradepoint a stanley one to scrape away the excess, haven't tried it yet though was only about £2

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

baby wipes lads forget your bits of sticks and jml tat £1 for 80 in most places as long as its got citric acid they will work,silicone jobs become easy

 

[desrob]

not a bad response, i'm not the only one,cheers lads

 

[gaspipe22]

Hi......you can get 7" nozzles and bendy angled nozzles very cheaply at this site. They work very well.

Flexible Nozzle Pack (5) - Spare Or Extra Silicone Nozzles - AB Sealants Ltd