I redid the silicone where the bath meets the tile. Cleaned out the old stuff, wiped with alcohol, let it dry, applied a bathroom silicone and smoothed it. Four weeks later there is a hairline split running along the tile edge for about half the length. Am I doing something wrong or does this just happen?
Cut it all out and redo rather than caulking over the split. New silicone does not stick reliably to old silicone and you will be back here in a month.
Plastic scraper for the bulk, then a silicone remover gel left on for an hour, then isopropyl. The gel is the step everybody skips and it is the one that matters.
Any trick for getting the last invisible film off, or is it just patience with a blade?
Wait for the full cure time on the tube, not the touch dry time. Those are different numbers and people read the first one.
A split along the tile edge specifically usually means adhesion failed on the tile side, so degrease the tile face harder than the bath lip next time.
@cast_iron_carl · last mo. · 3 replies
Not normal, and there is almost certainly one cause: the bath was empty when you sealed it.
Fill the bath with water before you caulk. A tub drops several millimetres under 150 litres plus a person, and a bead cured in the empty position gets stretched past what it can take on the first bath. Fill it, seal it, let it cure fully with the water still in, then drain.
Other causes, in order of how often I see them:
Alcohol is the right cleaner but the surface has to be genuinely dry, and old silicone residue is invisible. If the corner still feels slightly slick, it is still there.
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@cast_iron_carl · last mo.
Everybody learns it the same way, usually twice.
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@clickertrainbee · last mo.
I did not fill it. I did not know that was a thing and now it seems obvious.
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