Hi

I'm sealing a shower cubicle tray for the third time in as many years. Last
time I used silicone sealer all around the tray and placed a right angled
shower sealing strip (from focus diy) all around the tray above the silicone
for good measure. The silicone has now come away from the tray so when the
shower was aimed at a particular corner, the water goes behind the plaster
under the cubicle and emerges downstairs out of a wall mounted light fitting
immediately below - wondered why the fuse box kept tripping.

This time I have some plumbers mate putty I used to seal a sink waste
outlet. I was going to push this into the gaps around the tray before I
tried sealing it; does this sound sensible? Will it stay where I put it and
maintain a leak proof seal or will it pull away like silicone always does?

What should I do after I have used the putty? I assume silicone sealer will
not bond to it so would it be OK to just stick a decorative trim over the
top of the putty and hope that the putty will maintain a seal on it's own?

Thanks

Haymish

Haymish Pupkin wrote:
Hi

I'm sealing a shower cubicle tray for the third time in as many years. Last
time I used silicone sealer all around the tray and placed a right angled
shower sealing strip (from focus diy) all around the tray above the silicone
for good measure...

SNIP LEAK TALE

Thanks

Haymish

It sounds like the shower tray is moving slightly in use which is
causing the silicone to come away from the tray/tiles. This is most
likely your underlying problem, and explains why you have had to redo
the seal once a year for 3 years. What you want to do (instead of
messing about with putty, plumber's mait, sealing strips etc) is to get
the shower tray absolutely rock solid, which may mean taking it out and
reinforcing the base.

Also get the shower tray as close as possible to the tiles against
which the seal will be made. The idea is to have the smallest possible
gap to seal.

Then get everything scrupulously clean, and apply the best silicone
seal you can find (Unibond "35 year" (!) type works for me...).

I won't go into the rights and wrongs of silicone sealer application
technique as this has been covered many times before!

Wingedcat wrote:
Haymish Pupkin wrote:
Hi

I'm sealing a shower cubicle tray for the third time in as many
years. Last time I used silicone sealer all around the tray and
placed a right angled shower sealing strip (from focus diy) all
around the tray above the silicone for good measure...

SNIP LEAK TALE

Thanks

Haymish

It sounds like the shower tray is moving slightly in use which is
causing the silicone to come away from the tray/tiles. This is most
likely your underlying problem, and explains why you have had to redo
the seal once a year for 3 years. What you want to do (instead of
messing about with putty, plumber's mait, sealing strips etc) is to
get the shower tray absolutely rock solid, which may mean taking it
out and reinforcing the base.

Also get the shower tray as close as possible to the tiles against
which the seal will be made. The idea is to have the smallest possible
gap to seal.

Then get everything scrupulously clean, and apply the best silicone
seal you can find (Unibond "35 year" (!) type works for me...).

I won't go into the rights and wrongs of silicone sealer application
technique as this has been covered many times before!

Thanks Wingedcat

The last time I sealed the shower tray it was rock solid, the silicone
sealer would not have been really cheap stuff but I wouldn't have used top
of the range stuff either. I can see where it has shrunk / hardened and
split from the tray. I will try to use just silicone again but the best
stuff. It just upsets me to have to pay £10+ for something that would cost
50p to make.

The back of the tray is the main bit that is leaking, this is also where the
biggest gap is. It's about an inch away from the wall at it's widest. What
would be the best way to fill that gap prior to using the silicone? As I
said, I could fill it with plumbers mate putty but would the silicone stick
to this then or would I only need to the silicone sto stick to the wall and
the side of the tray? Or should I stick a piece of wood there or a strip of
tiles?

Once I have done it, I don't want to have to do it again for a good long
while.

Thanks

Pete

Haymish Pupkin wrote:
Wingedcat wrote:
Haymish Pupkin wrote:
Hi

I'm sealing a shower cubicle tray for the third time in as many
years. Last time I used silicone sealer all around the tray and
placed a right angled shower sealing strip (from focus diy) all
around the tray above the silicone for good measure...

SNIP LEAK TALE

Thanks

Haymish

It sounds like the shower tray is moving slightly in use which is
causing the silicone to come away from the tray/tiles. This is most
likely your underlying problem, and explains why you have had to redo
the seal once a year for 3 years. What you want to do (instead of
messing about with putty, plumber's mait, sealing strips etc) is to
get the shower tray absolutely rock solid, which may mean taking it
out and reinforcing the base.

Also get the shower tray as close as possible to the tiles against
which the seal will be made. The idea is to have the smallest possible
gap to seal.

Then get everything scrupulously clean, and apply the best silicone
seal you can find (Unibond "35 year" (!) type works for me...).

I won't go into the rights and wrongs of silicone sealer application
technique as this has been covered many times before!

Thanks Wingedcat

The last time I sealed the shower tray it was rock solid, the silicone
sealer would not have been really cheap stuff but I wouldn't have used top
of the range stuff either. I can see where it has shrunk / hardened and
split from the tray. I will try to use just silicone again but the best
stuff. It just upsets me to have to pay £10+ for something that would cost
50p to make.

The back of the tray is the main bit that is leaking, this is also where the
biggest gap is. It's about an inch away from the wall at it's widest. What
would be the best way to fill that gap prior to using the silicone? As I
said, I could fill it with plumbers mate putty but would the silicone stick
to this then or would I only need to the silicone sto stick to the wall and
the side of the tray? Or should I stick a piece of wood there or a strip of
tiles?

An inch gap ?
Sounds like the install is a bit of a bodge job.
Any chance of a photo ?
Silcone would only be used to seal up to 5mm gap really.
Is the gap vertical or horizontal
You could fill the gap with something like WBP ply, tile it then seal
it.
Simon

sm_jamieson wrote:
Haymish Pupkin wrote:
Wingedcat wrote:
Haymish Pupkin wrote:
Hi

I'm sealing a shower cubicle tray for the third time in as many
years. Last time I used silicone sealer all around the tray and
placed a right angled shower sealing strip (from focus diy) all
around the tray above the silicone for good measure...

SNIP LEAK TALE

Thanks

Haymish

It sounds like the shower tray is moving slightly in use which is
causing the silicone to come away from the tray/tiles. This is most
likely your underlying problem, and explains why you have had to redo
the seal once a year for 3 years. What you want to do (instead of
messing about with putty, plumber's mait, sealing strips etc) is to
get the shower tray absolutely rock solid, which may mean taking it
out and reinforcing the base.

Also get the shower tray as close as possible to the tiles against
which the seal will be made. The idea is to have the smallest possible
gap to seal.

Then get everything scrupulously clean, and apply the best silicone
seal you can find (Unibond "35 year" (!) type works for me...).

I won't go into the rights and wrongs of silicone sealer application
technique as this has been covered many times before!

Thanks Wingedcat

The last time I sealed the shower tray it was rock solid, the silicone
sealer would not have been really cheap stuff but I wouldn't have used top
of the range stuff either. I can see where it has shrunk / hardened and
split from the tray. I will try to use just silicone again but the best
stuff. It just upsets me to have to pay £10+ for something that wouldcost
50p to make.

The back of the tray is the main bit that is leaking, this is also where the
biggest gap is. It's about an inch away from the wall at it's widest. What
would be the best way to fill that gap prior to using the silicone? As I
said, I could fill it with plumbers mate putty but would the silicone stick
to this then or would I only need to the silicone sto stick to the walland
the side of the tray? Or should I stick a piece of wood there or a strip of
tiles?

An inch gap ?
Sounds like the install is a bit of a bodge job.
Any chance of a photo ?
Silcone would only be used to seal up to 5mm gap really.
Is the gap vertical or horizontal
You could fill the gap with something like WBP ply, tile it then seal
it.
Simon

I agree, an inch is far too big a gap for silicone seal, and indeed any
seal, to cope with. From what you say the tray is a full inch away from
the wall at one point. So you'll either have to move the tray so it is
closer to the wall (might be rather complicated), or bridge the inch
gap with something solid. Then a thin bead of silicone each side of the
bridge.

"Wingedcat" wrote in message
oups.com...

sm_jamieson wrote:
Haymish Pupkin wrote:
Wingedcat wrote:
Haymish Pupkin wrote:
Hi

I'm sealing a shower cubicle tray for the third time in as many
years. Last time I used silicone sealer all around the tray and
placed a right angled shower sealing strip (from focus diy) all
around the tray above the silicone for good measure...

SNIP LEAK TALE

Thanks

Haymish


http://tinyurl.com/gv9ru

HTH.

Pete