Why can't i seal my bath with bathroom and kitchen sealant?

Question

I fitted my bathroom suit last year, about 7 months ago. I have gone through to self sealing strips that were more than useless, i have used kitchen and bathroom sealant suitable for wet areas obviously. This will be the third time i will have to re- silicone around the edge of the bath as it keeps coming away, the bath is always bone dry, i leave it the suggested length of time to cure but it starts to curl at the edges after a couple of months. Water does sit on the bath edge when we use the shower but surely there is something wrong when you have to re- do it this many times. Do i need to key the bath(sand it)? or is there a high strength silicone on the market? Someone please help before my wife divorces me and the sledge hammer gets dusted off.
Thanks
Tony.

Answer 1

Are you half-filling the bath with water before you seal it? (Otherwise the weight of someone in the bath will pull it away from the wall.)
Other than that I don't know what you could be doing wrong.
Is the gap too deep/wide? Does it maybe need filling a bit before applying sealant?

Answer 2

Bath Sealing Strip

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why can't i seal my bath with bathroom and kitchen sealant?
I fitted my bathroom suit last year, about 7 months ago. I have gone through to self sealing strips that were more than useless, i have used kitchen and bathroom sealant suitable for wet areas obviously. This will be the third time i will have to re- silicone around the edge of the bath as it keeps...

Answer 4

This could represent something v.simple or I'm completely wrong. Silicon is the right material & silicon is silicon. What I suggest is fill the bath completely with water then silicon it up. Apply a thin line then beed in by running your finger along clearing away the excess. This way you are applying the silicon at the greatest tension i.e. lowest point it will experience. Leave this overnight and don't get it wet. Be fine for yrs.

Answer 5

If its possible, take the side panels off and block out the bottom of the bath, its a trick many plumbers/builders use, modern baths are so thin/plastic etc that when your full weight plus water is in the bath it pulls it away from the sides as it flexes inwards. By putting a concrete block directly under the middle of the bath this will solve the problem. reseal with nothing but silicone sealant (flexible) and as they say up north

Jobs a good un

Answer 6

Keying the edge sounds like a good idea, but make sure it's totally dust-free & clean before you re-silicone. Also try leaving the silicone to cure for a while longer than the normal time... :)

Answer 7

Sounds like you already have good plans. When removing the old, get it really down to nothing, using a razor if needed. I'd use silicone sealant. You can usually get a good finished result by just using a finger along the corner, though on your first try it may not go so smoothly. Was the plumber able to check the drain pipe under the tub?

Answer 8

Listen to 'ascoile' - you need to 3/4 fill the bath BEFORE you apply the sealant, then leave to dry out overnight, or at least 24 hrs.

There should be nothing wrong with th sealant you are using.

Answer 9

I'd agree with blocking up underneath the bath to stop excess flexing - modern plastic baths flex alarmingly unless you do this and that's probably pulling the sealant away.
Personally, I've done it with a breeze block at each end and a stout plank between them, it does the job without damaging the plastic.

Answer 10

http://www.acehardware.com/sm-ge-silicone-ii-bathroom-tub-and-tile-sealant-12-pack--pi-1277631.html

Use something of this quality. Clean everything, then blow dry with a hair dryer. THEN wipe down with alcohol. I am thinking that perhaps some soap scum is causing the problem. Let it dry an extra day, with a small fan blowing in the room. Remove panels to clean if possible.