Hi all

I've just fitted my new bathroom and it's time for the silicon sealant,
around the edges of the new vinyl flooring as well as the 3-piece suite. In
the past I have used my finger to smooth it, and made a really crap job of
it - sealant oozing out on either side of finger and difficult to get a nice
neat bead. Any tips anyone for applying silicon sealant neatly?

--
cheers,
truman
............

I found a site that had instructions - use masking tape either side of
the intended run, then put the sealant on, and use a shaped piece of
plastic to make a smooth shaped run, then straight away, remove the
masking tape. the key is to prepare the surfaces before - get rid of
all dust and moisture

On Wed, 6 Oct 2004 20:11:49 +0100, "truman" wrote:

Hi all

I've just fitted my new bathroom and it's time for the silicon sealant,
around the edges of the new vinyl flooring as well as the 3-piece suite. In
the past I have used my finger to smooth it, and made a really crap job of
it - sealant oozing out on either side of finger and difficult to get a nice
neat bead. Any tips anyone for applying silicon sealant neatly?

B&Q do a smoothing tool and as mentioned masking tape.

truman wrote:

Hi all

I've just fitted my new bathroom and it's time for the silicon sealant,
around the edges of the new vinyl flooring as well as the 3-piece suite. In
the past I have used my finger to smooth it, and made a really crap job of
it - sealant oozing out on either side of finger and difficult to get a nice
neat bead. Any tips anyone for applying silicon sealant neatly?




Asked exactly the same question a few weeks back. Lots of very erudite
answers from experts. It's well worth Googling through the archives.
The gist(s) involved laying masking tape guides and a bowl of water and
washing up liquid to freqently wet your finger. None of the answers
resolved the problem of laying enough silicone down to ensure complete
gap coverage without building up a huge 'snowplow' of excess silicone as
you smooth it with your finger.

SWMBO thinks that I should ask a friend who's wife claims is 'brill' at
applying siliconce. Something about a load of ******** and lasts was
muttered!

BOL

Richard

On Wed, 06 Oct 2004 20:30:18 +0100, Richard Savage
wrote:


SWMBO thinks that I should ask a friend who's wife claims is 'brill' at
applying siliconce. Something about a load of ******** and lasts

Does she mean Cobblers and Lasts?

http://www.skiptonweb.co.uk/tourist/...n/10_cobblers/

was muttered!

DG

Derek * wrote:

Does she mean Cobblers and Lasts?

http://www.skiptonweb.co.uk/tourist/...n/10_cobblers/






DG



Indeed!

On Wed, 06 Oct 2004 20:30:18 +0100, Richard Savage
wrote:

I've just fitted my new bathroom and it's time for the silicon sealant,
around the edges of the new vinyl flooring as well as the 3-piece suite. In
the past I have used my finger to smooth it, and made a really crap job of
it - sealant oozing out on either side of finger and difficult to get a nice
neat bead. Any tips anyone for applying silicon sealant neatly?

Asked exactly the same question a few weeks back. Lots of very erudite
answers from experts. It's well worth Googling through the archives.
The gist(s) involved laying masking tape guides and a bowl of water and
washing up liquid to freqently wet your finger. None of the answers
resolved the problem of laying enough silicone down to ensure complete
gap coverage without building up a huge 'snowplow' of excess silicone as
you smooth it with your finger.

It's doable, but not with a finger!

cheers,
Pete.

"Pete C" wrote in message
news
On Wed, 06 Oct 2004 20:30:18 +0100, Richard Savage
wrote:

I've just fitted my new bathroom and it's time for the silicon sealant,
around the edges of the new vinyl flooring as well as the 3-piece suite.
In
the past I have used my finger to smooth it, and made a really crap job
of
it - sealant oozing out on either side of finger and difficult to get a
nice
neat bead. Any tips anyone for applying silicon sealant neatly?

Asked exactly the same question a few weeks back. Lots of very erudite
answers from experts. It's well worth Googling through the archives.
The gist(s) involved laying masking tape guides and a bowl of water and
washing up liquid to freqently wet your finger. None of the answers
resolved the problem of laying enough silicone down to ensure complete
gap coverage without building up a huge 'snowplow' of excess silicone as
you smooth it with your finger.

It's doable, but not with a finger!

cheers,
Pete.

What with then? I'm about to do my kitchen (been putting it off for ages
'cos I hate silicon!)

"Pete C" wrote in message
news
On Wed, 06 Oct 2004 20:30:18 +0100, Richard Savage
wrote:

I've just fitted my new bathroom and it's time for the silicon sealant,
around the edges of the new vinyl flooring as well as the 3-piece suite.
In
the past I have used my finger to smooth it, and made a really crap job
of
it - sealant oozing out on either side of finger and difficult to get a
nice
neat bead. Any tips anyone for applying silicon sealant neatly?

Asked exactly the same question a few weeks back. Lots of very erudite
answers from experts. It's well worth Googling through the archives.
The gist(s) involved laying masking tape guides and a bowl of water and
washing up liquid to freqently wet your finger. None of the answers
resolved the problem of laying enough silicone down to ensure complete
gap coverage without building up a huge 'snowplow' of excess silicone as
you smooth it with your finger.

It's doable, but not with a finger!

Very helpfull!

On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 12:50:10 +0100, "Ric" wrote:


"Pete C" wrote in message
news
On Wed, 06 Oct 2004 20:30:18 +0100, Richard Savage
wrote:

I've just fitted my new bathroom and it's time for the silicon sealant,
around the edges of the new vinyl flooring as well as the 3-piece suite.
In
the past I have used my finger to smooth it, and made a really crap job
of
it - sealant oozing out on either side of finger and difficult to get a
nice
neat bead. Any tips anyone for applying silicon sealant neatly?

Asked exactly the same question a few weeks back. Lots of very erudite
answers from experts. It's well worth Googling through the archives.
The gist(s) involved laying masking tape guides and a bowl of water and
washing up liquid to freqently wet your finger. None of the answers
resolved the problem of laying enough silicone down to ensure complete
gap coverage without building up a huge 'snowplow' of excess silicone as
you smooth it with your finger.

It's doable, but not with a finger!

Very helpfull!

Sorry! It was a crafty attempt to flush out any finger sealant
smoothing experts

The FAQ covers it very well:

http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/decorating.html#silicone

The only thing I could add is that I found the end of a one piece
stainless dessert spoon best for smoothing a bead of sealant.

First use it at a shallow angle to get most of the excess sealant off,
then at a slightly steeper angle for the final smoothing.

If doing a line from two ends, start off slightly deeper from the
second and go shallower to blend it in with already smoothed stuff.
Then blend the 'join' in with a wet finger. It helps if the join is at
the least obtrusive end.

cheers,
Pete.

"Pete C" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 12:50:10 +0100, "Ric" wrote:

The FAQ covers it very well:

http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/decorating.html#silicone

The only thing I could add is that I found the end of a one piece
stainless dessert spoon best for smoothing a bead of sealant.

First use it at a shallow angle to get most of the excess sealant off,
then at a slightly steeper angle for the final smoothing.

If doing a line from two ends, start off slightly deeper from the
second and go shallower to blend it in with already smoothed stuff.
Then blend the 'join' in with a wet finger. It helps if the join is at
the least obtrusive end.

cheers,
Pete.

I have one run where the kitchen worktop meets a tiled window cill, both at
exactly the same height.
I'm wondering what the best way of tackling this might be - using a spoon or
finger would leave a channel, where I suppose a ridge would be better?

Bob

Pete C wrote:
On Wed, 06 Oct 2004 20:30:18 +0100, Richard Savage
wrote:

I've just fitted my new bathroom and it's time for the silicon sealant,
around the edges of the new vinyl flooring as well as the 3-piece suite. In
the past I have used my finger to smooth it, and made a really crap job of
it - sealant oozing out on either side of finger and difficult to get a nice
neat bead. Any tips anyone for applying silicon sealant neatly?

Asked exactly the same question a few weeks back. Lots of very erudite
answers from experts. It's well worth Googling through the archives.

It's in the FAQ.

The gist(s) involved laying masking tape guides and a bowl of water and
washing up liquid to freqently wet your finger. None of the answers
resolved the problem of laying enough silicone down to ensure complete
gap coverage without building up a huge 'snowplow' of excess silicone as
you smooth it with your finger.

It's doable, but not with a finger!

Smoothing it is certainly doable with a well-soaped finger - see the
FAQ.

Laying a smooth, even, perfect bead of silicone sealant is one of those
jobs that can only be done by someone who's doing it every day. But the
rest of us need all the help we can get, or else we end up with an
unsightly mess.

Masking tape makes sure that the finished edges will be straight and
clean, and there is no risk of smearing. When you're using masking tape,
any excess silicone is no big deal - just lift it off, dump it and carry
on smoothing.

The instructions that I wrote for the FAQ were given me by a
professional bath-fitter. Every time that I've followed them correctly,
the results have been perfect. Not just good - perfect.


--
Ian White
Abingdon, England

Others have given tips on application. Also, I have found that it often
looks neater to use clear silicone - even when sealing two surfaces which
are the same colour as the sealant (eg white sealant used on white tiles
meeting a white bath). The inevitable cockups seem to stand out less. Of
course you must make sure that no unsightly things show through from
underneath the sealant!

In article ,
"truman" ks says...
Hi all

I've just fitted my new bathroom and it's time for the silicon sealant,
around the edges of the new vinyl flooring as well as the 3-piece suite. In
the past I have used my finger to smooth it, and made a really crap job of
it - sealant oozing out on either side of finger and difficult to get a nice
neat bead. Any tips anyone for applying silicon sealant neatly?


You shouldn't need to use anything to smooth it after application - just
cut the nozzle to the right size, hold at the right angle and apply at
the right speed and pressure. That way the only extra sealant will be a
bit that gets past the nozzle on either side, which you can peel or
scrape off when it's part set.
Buy extra and practice :-)

In article , Rob Morley wrote:
In article ,
"truman" ks says...
Hi all

I've just fitted my new bathroom and it's time for the silicon sealant,
around the edges of the new vinyl flooring as well as the 3-piece suite. In
the past I have used my finger to smooth it, and made a really crap job of
it - sealant oozing out on either side of finger and difficult to get a nice
neat bead. Any tips anyone for applying silicon sealant neatly?


You shouldn't need to use anything to smooth it after application - just
cut the nozzle to the right size, hold at the right angle and apply at
the right speed and pressure. That way the only extra sealant will be a
bit that gets past the nozzle on either side, which you can peel or
scrape off when it's part set.
Buy extra and practice :-)

You forget to add that you point and push the nozzle in the direction
that you're laying down silicone. Cut the nozzle diagonally and press
it into the gap so that the cut surface sits symmetrically in the
'v' and parallel to the groove. If you pull the nozzle and trail
silicone behind it, you just get a mess.

--
Jan
mmmn silicone chips!

In article , "Jan Wysocki" jan@jans-
g4.local says...
In article , Rob Morley wrote:
In article ,
"truman" ks says...
Hi all

I've just fitted my new bathroom and it's time for the silicon sealant,
around the edges of the new vinyl flooring as well as the 3-piece suite. In
the past I have used my finger to smooth it, and made a really crap job of
it - sealant oozing out on either side of finger and difficult to get a nice
neat bead. Any tips anyone for applying silicon sealant neatly?


You shouldn't need to use anything to smooth it after application - just
cut the nozzle to the right size, hold at the right angle and apply at
the right speed and pressure. That way the only extra sealant will be a
bit that gets past the nozzle on either side, which you can peel or
scrape off when it's part set.
Buy extra and practice :-)

You forget to add that you point and push the nozzle in the direction
that you're laying down silicone. Cut the nozzle diagonally and press
it into the gap so that the cut surface sits symmetrically in the
'v' and parallel to the groove. If you pull the nozzle and trail
silicone behind it, you just get a mess.


I didn't forget to add it, I just couldn't be bothered to figure out how
to explain it without a picture. :-)

truman wrote:

Hi all

I've just fitted my new bathroom and it's time for the silicon sealant,
around the edges of the new vinyl flooring as well as the 3-piece suite. In
the past I have used my finger to smooth it, and made a really crap job of
it - sealant oozing out on either side of finger and difficult to get a nice
neat bead. Any tips anyone for applying silicon sealant neatly?

Disposable bog roll - soaked in white spirit.

Use a whole roll, and keep wiping till surplus is all gone.

Use a fresh piece EVERY wipe.

You can also use a sponge rinses out in whie spirit EVERY WIPE, but the
final tidying up needs absorbent throway bog roll.

"truman" wrote in message ...
Any tips anyone for applying silicon sealant neatly?

i saw it done very neatly last week.

- apply thin bead
- spray area with dilute washing up liquid
- wipe with finger, use lots of kitchen roll

the washing liquid stops the silicon sticking when it spreads beyond
the original bead as you wipe it. seemed to work

I mask off both sides and then use a gun all the way along with the
nozzle angle cut so the nozzle trails the gun. Then quickly run a wet
finger (washing up liquid mixed if you want) all the way along wiping
any major build up of excess silicone off onto a rag at the end of
each straight run (otherwise that crap gets everywhere!) Then strip
off the masking tape straight away. I leave at least a gap of 5mm each
side from the corner when applying the tape for decent adhesion or it
will just come away with a little flexing from the bath/work surface
etc.

Don't be tempted to keep touching up small imperfections cause you'll
only make it worse!