running oily finger to set sealant in bathtub

[diydudedude]

hello,

i am applying sealant to my bathtub afer removing the exisiting sealant.

i did everything as per the instructions excepting in order to set the sealant in the gaps with my finger, i wet my finger with vegetable oil instead of water or liquid wash as had been suggested. have i goofed up.

also can i apply sealant on top of sealant as i thought there was a small hole left in one of the places, so applied some more sealant on top of the sealant applied last night

 

[cantaloup63]

Why did you use oil, which now needs a detergent to dissolve it and wash it off?

 

[handyman77]

The best thing for smoothing of silicone is saliva IMO. I hope it was silicone rather than that nasty sealant that doesnt flex. I hope you filled the bath before you sealed it as well......

 

[diydudedude]

i got confused, my first sealant job, and used oil instead of detergent.

i cleaned it off as a best as i could with a tissue paper and have then applied a fresh coat of sealant on top

i used silicone and filled in the bath half-full


you guys think i need to re-do my bath? how do i know if all has gone well.

 

[handyman77]

If you are using it for showering u will soon see if it's worked. If it's just bathing don't worry to much. When sealing fill the water to just under the overflow to weight it down as much as possible. Don't bother with the detergent just spit on the end of your finger and try not to use to much silicone. U could also use masking tape for a clean line, can be a bit messy though. Don't really recommend, but can be done.

 

[soubriquet]

When set, silicone doesn't stick well to silicone. So patching over may lead to it peeling apart later.
Wet finger works best, but so long as the silicone's surface is not still sticky, chances are the oil's done no harm.

Don't worry about it, just keep an eye on it, and if it looks wrong after a week or two, then be prepared to do it again. Before applying silicone, a wipe with a methylated spirits-damped rag will clean the surface. Then wipe any residue off with a clean piece of absorbent kitchen-paper.

 

[diydudedude]

thanks for the replies,

it is a bath. i had filled the bath only half-full. how do i know if there is a leak because of bad sealant?

i am usig my fore-finger but discover that i get sealant spilling in small lumps on either side of the finger. any way around it.

in case there care some holes left, can i cover it with sealant say 5 minutes later from the first bit of sealant applied?


the silicon's surface was not sticky but oily, i removed the oil with a tissue paper and then applied some more silicone. by applying more silicone did i make it worse?

 

[handyman77]

If your not using your bath for showering then the chance of it leaking is minimal. If it's looks poor just clean it off and start again. Give it a wipe with meths to make sure o oil remains

 

[MANDATE]

i am usig my fore-finger but discover that i get sealant spilling in small lumps on either side of the finger. any way around it. ?

I've just used masking tape 6mm up from bath and 6mm out from tiles and removed after about three hours leaving good clean line, any small lumps are on the masking tape

 

[handyman77]

R u sure u left it three hours before u removed the tape. I'm surprised it come off at all. 12mm mastic joint seems a bit much IMO! Wouldnt recommend this......

 

[cantaloup63]

R u sure u left it three hours before u removed the tape. I'm surprised it come off at all. 12mm mastic joint seems a bit much IMO! Wouldnt recommend this......

Tend to agree - I pull the tape off immediately and use a final "featherlight" (not the contraceptive !!!)touch with wetted finger to feather out any tape-thick ridge

 

[seco services]

Just use a fugi applicator you'll p*ss the job start to finish in under 5 mins.

 

[handyman77]

Just use a fuji applicator you'll p*ss the job start to finish in under 5 mins.

What's a fuji applicator? Sound like something for Tampax!

 

[seco services]

Just use a fuji applicator you'll p*ss the job start to finish in under 5 mins.

What's a fuji applicator? Sound like something for Tampax!

Come on move with the times.

FUGI

 

[handyman77]

Oh you mean Fugi! Why didn't you say so...
You wrote Fuji! I thought it's was another new tool on the market