🛠Charlie DIYte Amazon Tool Store amzn.to/3fcLnY4 - all my tried, tested and much loved DIY tools. You can help support me by Buying me a Coffee ☕ bit.ly/3xuQ3zb or by becoming a Member to unlock a host of benefits - thanks so much 🙏.
Oh Man! Thank you for confirming this! Had to do an awkward thick bead over kitchen sink under window sill today. Came out a bit wavy as the stuff dries so quick between the mess and the tooling. Gonna go over it with another coat and soapy water to smooth it out clean. Relieved to see it sticks that well even to old silicone.
Thanks. Just caulked my bathroom entirely. A lot of uneven gaps between the stone and tub left when installed by last occupant. The job required using more caulk that you might typically use to fill the gaps. I didn’t want to overdue it but after it dried there’s a few tiny gaps left. This makes me feel better that I can fill them in instead of starting over. Thx
I'm glad this video just tells it undeniably. So many sites say you can't though look closely they are either major builders or the silicone manufacturer - go figure the motives! Chemically speaking so long the silicone is the same the new silicone has no way of 'knowing' whether the last layer just cured is fresh or old. The real issues are due to a layer or grease / dirt / mould which obviously DOES make a big difference. An interesting counter case: in the toy model world they have the opposite problem of having to deliberately spray a barrier between the silicone mould and the new casted silicone material so that they don't stick - so it can't be that in one industry the chemical properties suddenly behave differently to another!
GE says you actually can just that it won't adhere as well as on a clean substrate. I've done it and it works. I just make sure that I clean the silicone that I'm covering with some rubbing alcohol to clean and remove any oils etc. Once this is done it bonds fine.
Charlie, just watched your video. Thank you for the information. I like that you did the small test patch to show us that, YES, it does adhere very well. I also like how you explain why it is important to use a tool. I had always used my finger, but as you showed, this leaves a concave imprint on the bead. I will go get one of the tools you recommend and use it from now on. Videos like this are great, you prove your point well and help a lot of people!!! YOU ARE THE CAULK MASTER!!
I posted this video yesterday and then realised (after a comment from Ian Mathieson - for which thanks, Ian!) that I didn't put enough emphasis in the video on the need to clean and degrease before re-siliconing. So here's the updated video - hope you find it useful.
Charlie DIYte: Charlie, many thanks for the acknowledgement - wasn't expecting it! Yes, good to use water and detergent to remove any greasy buildup on the silicone - we all know it exists, that's why we have to clean our baths from time to time. But it's essential to then flush away any trace of detergent using plenty of water as detergent is a perfect silicone release agent. Lots of flushing is the key. Merely wiping with a wet cloth, while it will dilute the traces of detergent, will still leave some traces as the water evaporates. This is a common misunderstanding amongst people trying to clean any surface prior to getting anything to stick to it. Rub to get the worst off, then flush copiously, allowing the surface to drain off at an angle and then dry without wiping. This applies to degreasing solvents as well as water. In industry, hot vapour degreasers offer the best cleaning but are beyond the scope of DIY because of cost, the hazard of inhaling hot solvent fumes, and the need for regular maintainence. And I can vouch for the effectiveness of a 45 degree edge. There's a golden rule in industrial design when casting or moulding rubbers to bond to a rigid item, that there must be a 45 degree edge, either machined into the rigid item or built into the rubber mould. A 90 degree edge fails at a lower applied stress because any mechanical load including temperature cycling, results in a higher stress concentration at the edge of the rubber and so reaches the strength limit sooner and encourages peeling. A 45 degree edge allows the stress to taper off towards the edge due to local flexing of the rubber, so the stress at the edge is minimal and therefore offers the best resistance to separation or peeling. Hope this is of help to everyone generally.
Thanks Ian. Not at all - I always like to give credit where someone adds value, and you've done me a huge favour by re-commenting, because I wanted to copy your entire comment from the old video but stupidly deleted it before I could do so!
Charlie DIYte: Never mind. Just a shame I don't have a copy of my first comment. Didn't realise comments could be deleted once posted. We live and learn. I like the thoughtfulness of your videos and have subscribed to them fir the future.
Thanks for the vid Charlie, had some pretty poor work done by "professionals" that have gone mouldy within a month of them refurbishing my bathroom. They've also used silicone to fill the tile edge that meets the bath and I just can't remove it no matter how much scraping I do so it's great to know I don't need to do anything extensive other than remove the mouldy silicon, clean and reapply.
Hi Charlie, We watched your video and managed to mastic our new shower room all by ourselves and following your guide it worked perfectly. Can't them you enough. Perfect instructions.
Charlie thank you did it first thing this morning not happy with a part very large kitchen window base so popped some more masking tape down glass of water to dip finger in for smoothing toilet roll at hand to clean finger inbetween. Another tip when removing tape pop it on newspaper as I found stuck to side of black sack cheers 😉
Ahhhh, see. I gather that one could use silicone sealant as an adhesive? I'm wanting to stick two quite flexible silicone parts to one another. I wouldn't have thought of using sealant as adhesive. This man is an unsung national treasure - a Barry Bucknall for our times!👏
Aw, thanks mate. Yes a lot of the sealants are also adhesives - eg CT1. It'll say on the tube if it doubles up as an adhesive. Check on a small area to see if it works.
I have found, if tooling silicone with finger, to spray water and soap mix in to paper towel, and to wipe finger onto that before and after tooling it. Not spraying that actual silicone with the spray.
I was nervous about my reef tank re-seal. After watching this, and your response to my comment on your corner video, I applied a 16mm bead ontop of the initial 10mm bead. I’m excited to see how it works out, hopefully I don’t have to spend another $350 on a new tank.
How did it go? I have just re sealed my 500 litre river tank but there is one area the silicone is, still a good cm out from the edge of the glass but is, spread really quite thin so I am going to go over it with a big dollop for peace of mind; as the reason doing this is due to a catastrophic leak aha. I'm very sceptical tho as everyone apart from one person in the aquatics hobby has said start completely over again
Did you read the comment by Wyaj78 Charlie DIYte? "As someone who worked in the maritime industry for 20 years doing most everything you can imagine the answer is a resounding no. My first rule is to NEVER use silicone period. It’s a contaminant more than it is a sealant. I’ve never experienced it sticking to itself with any success... ever. I haven’t ever seen it NOT fail either. When sealing anything the number one rule is to over prep the area you’re going to seal. This includes roughing up the surfaces and cleaning it of any oils before you continue. Removing existing silicone is extremely labor intensive. Sure, the bulk is removed easy enough but what’s penetrated into the surface area is fairly permanent creating a big problem because it won’t stick to its self let alone anything else." Q: If not silicone, what would you suggest for a bathtub? A: An acrylic bathroom caulk containing a mildewcide. It may not last as long as silicone on a NEW installation, but it will be a lot easier to remove and replace than silicone.
Another tip i would like to add and my apologies if it has been mentioned already. WD40 is great for removing old silicone , spray on and leave for 5 mins then spray a little more and scrap off with a plastic scraper so not to damage the surface.
Interesting tip. Presumably it doesn't degrade the silicone, just reduces the friction when you scrape it off - so the primary benefit is not damaging the surface.
Watched all your silicone videos before having my first go at it yesterday and have found them all super useful. One thing you didn’t mention, it’s like working with marshmallow fluff! So glad I had some decorators wipes on hand or I’d likely still be stuck to the kitchen. 😂
Yes, decorators wipes are a great thing to have handy. I tend to clean off the silicone in between runs with tissue, having a bin handy to put it in, and then at the end of the job I give the tool a good clean with a decorators wipe. How did you get on?
@@CharlieDIYte Not to bad, however the space behind the kitchen tap was difficult to navigate, so isn't very smooth , but I now know I can silicone over silicone ! So may try and salvage it. All of your video are so valuable as a DIY novice who's just bought an old house! Really appreciate being able to refer to your videos 👍😊
Been wondering this most of the day today. Silicone around my bath was done a couple of years ago but it's still clean and neat looking. Little bit behind the taps area though where the shower head water leaks down which I can see when I took off the side panel of the tub. Just put a clear silicone along the wall behind taps (can't tell it's been done obviously) so hope that fixes it. Touch dry just now but seems to have done the job.
The sliders that fit on the side of the Fuji sliders are great to give a smooth finish but if you need a second, final attempt you may have to take off the sliders. Using a diagonal finish is a real discipline 'cos you cant just finish it off with your finger so use the above suggestion for a 2nd attempt.
I needed to redo it, in order to protect sections where the rather fragile glazing had chipped off the hand glazed tiles - the original bead didn't quite overlap the tiles sufficiently, and I had a leak where the glass screen meets the wall tiles, that needed sorting. Suffice to say it's never leaked since.
Still going strong a couple of years down the line, with no sign of mould or silicone failure, although I do fully squeegee the shower each day after use.
@@CharlieDIYte Still going strong? I'm doing a job where I need to build up in layers in a very awkward area on a window outside, so I'm using a hybrid polymer. I figured with how good that stuff sticks, it would have zero issue sticking to itself. Seems like it'll work based on this video.
I need to replace the silicone round our bath, but the adjoining silicone that runs down the corner of the tiles from the ceiling to the top of the bath is still good. I was going to cut into it at the join and just remove the silicone from round the bath, then reseal it and try to blend that into the existing silicone that meets at the tiles. Would that work do you think?
Yes that's what I would do and in fact if you watch this video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EErbuodMOAM.html that's exactly what I do.
I have to fix a botched blobby silicone job done several months ago. None of the joints are flush with the surfaces and there is plenty of cavity left to fill. If I understand correctly, I can clean the existing silicone with methylated spirits (deantured alcohol here in US) and once it evaporates, the original silicone will be OK to caulk over. It won't degrade the silicone? I removed a bunch of slop from the tiles with mineral spirits (white spirits in UK I think) trying to be careful not to touch the joints. Will that cause a problem if it did touch the joint or will the methylated spirits be able to clean it away? Thanks for the video, I agree with your technique as you were able to prove all your points. Thank you for taking the time to explain everything.
Hi Vicki, cleaning is always a tricky one as some solvents like acetone can damage plastic or acrylic baths/ shower trays. We have a cleaner in a spray can here called Multi-Solve which is great as it removes silicone but also evaporates without leaving an oily residue. You can never use WD40 for that reason - it's very hard to remove the oil and so the new silicone often degrades almost immediately. In answer to your question, I think there's a risk the methylated spirits will degrade the silicone. I can't remember whether I swiped it across the existing siliconing as in the video you only see me using it on the shower screen section which I'd totally removed the silicone from. My advice to you would be to use a degreaser like sugar soap solution or Zinsser degreaser and cleaner, rinse it thoroughly afterwards and then when it's fully dried you're good to go.
This was really helpful, thanks for sharing Charlie. Off topic, my shower grouting is cracked in between the lower tiles. I tried to re-grout after watching your tutorial but the results were messy. I’m hopeless with DIY. I’m going to be selling my property soon hopefully and I can’t afford to have a professional in to do the job properly. Can you recommend something that I can fill the tiny cracks? I’ve seen various products on Amazon, one being a white liquid rubber product that has good reviews and can be applied using a paint brush. I’m at my wits end and currently have polythene sheets stuck with Gorilla tape to prevent damage to the actual wall behind the tiles. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 🙏
Great videos on caulking and appreciate the empirical testing on silicone on silicone. One question, I know on the other video you did not like to tape above and below the caulk, because the thin ledge/lip created on the top edge acting as an obstacle to down flowing water. But I wonder would that really be a problem on the bottom side since the water would flow over the bottom edge (assuming you're doing a 45 degree or convex bead?)
The thing is, you don't want a concave profile, and if you use the FUGI or similar forming tool there's no need for any tape, top or bottom. The silicone I did in this video looks as good today as it did 2 years ago because the diagonal profile is so strong. The lip created by the tape will become a breeding ground for mould.
Yes. Based on your video I now have the Cramer set. So I will give it a try. I'm removing 8 year old clear silicone caulk - and now have a special hatred of clear silicone being used for any application other than on glass.
They certainly are, my friend. I'm a big fan of the CT1 silicone/ grab adhesive having used it on outdoor glazing when everything else has failed, and you'll see it right at the end of this video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wrFX5dIiDtY.html where I siliconed the barge boards to the undercloak boards and this weekend it just so happens that I'm posting a video on the CT1 Multi Spray.
As someone who worked in the maritime industry for 20 years doing most everything you can imagine the answer is a resounding no. My first rule is to NEVER use silicone period. It’s a contaminant more than it is a sealant. I’ve never experienced it sticking to itself with any success... ever. I haven’t ever seen it not fail either. When sealing anything the number one rule is to over prep the area you’re going to seal. This includes roughing up the surfaces and cleaning it of any oils before you continue. Removing existing silicone is extremely labor intensive. Sure, the bulk is removed easy enough but what’s penetrated into the surface area is fairly permanent creating a big problem because it won’t stick to its self let alone anything else.
@@sl1237 An acrylic bathroom caulk containing a mildewcide. It may not last as long as silicone on a NEW installation, but it will be a lot easier to remove and replace than silicone.
Is there a type of caulk you can you remove the top mold stained layer with a solvent and elbow grease, and also allow you to apply it over itself and be water tight?
@@CharlieDIYte Thank you Charlie. I love your videos and although I only do basic DIY, my husband hates DIY and I find it so relaxing,I enjoy learning new tips.
Your video was great. I bought the Cramer set with the scraper. I completed 2 vertical lines for the tile above my bathtub. I’m letting it dry and then I’ll do the horizontal lines so that my inside corners don’t get messed up. The only thing I didn’t understand in your vid is when you showed the 45 degrees vs 90 degrees... they looked the same to me in the video.... :-(
Hello my dear, I already realized that you can get the same width of cilicone, but not as thick as it is when you cut it 90° , so with a 90° line, the line you get would still be thicker, which is better to avoid having some gaps. Thanks!
Hi Charlie, thank you so much for your videos. They’ve been very helpful. I had a question. I used the Cramer tool to silicone around the bottom of my shower and did the 8mm size. If I decide I want to do 10mm, do you think I can just lay more silicone down over my current bead after I degrease it with denatured alcohol and tool over the old bead? Or do I have to remove the entire original 8mm silicone and start over? Thanks!
Why is soapy spray so bad for silicone? Surely it will not penetrate beyond the surface? Silicone dries under water. Please elaborate as I am confused.
Because the soap invariably gets into gaps that the silicone hasn't yet bonded to, and once it's in there, the silicone will never bond to that surface meaning water in the shower will instantly penetrate the joint.
I watch your videos on silicon caulking and got the profile tool. All set I began the project. You make it look easy but when I did it, i got caulk everywhere. On my clothes. in my hair, on the tub, on the cat and I dont even have a cat. My beads look ragged instead of smooth. I think I have to take the caulk off Again and do it over. Or should I just caulk over what I did? Advice? Also I still have left over caulk, can I still use that from yesterday or should I buy a new one to attempt this job again? Your help would be appreciated mr caulking guru...
I followed your other video but messed up a 15 cm section in the middle and fast-setting silicone meant the surface got bumpy. Would it be OK cut out only that section and redo it, joining up with the existing bead on either side?
Yes that should be fine. Make sure you use the same stuff obviously and degrease the surface if you've used the shower, before you cut the section out. Yes you've only got a few minutes to tool the silicone before it skins over.
I'm having a problem whereby a small patch of existing silicone on a vertical line has come away from a tile in my shower & I've put some Dow 785+ grey over it. However, I can't get the Dow to cure - it's more than 24 hours since I applied it & I'm wondering if the existing silicone is a different type & stopping it from curing? The tube I'm using was only opened in April, doesn't expire till next year & has been stored correctly. I tested it beforehand to make sure it was fine & it cured on a piece of cardboard. It's got me stumped!
@@CharlieDIYte No, I didn't put anything on it. The existing silicone was Everbuild 825 which is a low modulous neutral cure & the dow is acetoxy so wondered if this would be the reason? The existing is more of a matt finish than the dow which is glossy. All very odd.
@@CharlieDIYte ill give it a test today see how it goes, cause after bathroom was renovated in like 2 weeks it turned yellow/orange not very happy... thanks for your reply
@@user-sv4ev5qg1u unfortunatley nope, the waterproof paint behind the tile is black and im thinking that is causing mine to turn yellow, in one of my bathrooms i actually put a little white grout into the corners because some reason my gaps are big i know you are not ment to do that but its the only way i was able to stop it from turning orange but some of the gaps were like a centremeter thick if you only got little gaps and its turning yellow again im not sure sorry
Hi, thanks for the video. When you clean with the spirit there, is that with the silicone still in place? If so, will this not impact on the existing silicone? Looking to do this and will clean the area first with methylated spirit, then silicone over the silicone?
Yes the silicone is still there. You just need to check the new silicone is compatible with the old. Try on a small area dust like I did, let it set overnight and check adhesion. Then you're good to go.
caulk master huh. need help. used ardex sx white caulk around my tub and within a couple months it turned yellow and hard. now a year and a half later i need to attack this project. ardex says if exposed to urethane fumes it will turn yellow and i used a urethane trim paint (emerald) from sw. problem it is so hard, i can not remove it. have been putting coats of acetone on it hoping it would soften it up. found the tube downstairs and there was some dried caulk coming out of the end, it was white and soft/flexible. any ideas?
I only need to silicone the base and a foot vertical in corner. @Charliediyte can I silicone up to the old silicone trying to refrain from removing the entire shower. A d only do the bits I need to do?
Yes, you can certainly do that. Check out this ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EErbuodMOAM.html for the corner. Cut off any loose silicone if there is any. Thoroughly degrease the area and then do the vertical bead. Let that set and then do the horizontal like I do in the video.
@@CharlieDIYte Thankyou so much for responding. Im a new subscriber and love your vids. Came here after doing a bad, taped up job. Now I've completed it, after watching your tips. I've not done too bad a job. Thankyou!!!
Hi, in the U.S. what did you use to clean the silicone? I want to clean where a new bead will butt-up against an older bead and want the best possible adhesion. Either that or I remove it all and start new. I removed a section and it was slow going with a razor knife. I might need a chemical if I strip it all out. Thanks.
Are you wanting to keep the existing silicone, in which case you want a degreaser like acetone. If you're wanting to remove it, Google "silicone remover". I'm afraid I'm not totally up on what the best products are in the US.
So I recently saw this video and do have to say I learned a lot that most will say can't be done. I am repairing a 60 gallon fish tank with very thick walls. Old style fish tank. I ordered the cramer profiling kit 5. I also ordered the best fish tank sealant you can buy. After stripping the old sealant off of the tank, I found that on the bottom, of course, that the bottom piece did not contact the side glass and instead they just filled in the gap which is about 14mm. Using the 16mm is cutting it very close, but i am determined to give this a try. What is the chemical you use to clean the old caulk? The site of leak is on the opposite side of the tank just to mention. I can send pictures if needed, which may help alot. What is your opinion on this issue? Also is their something I can use to deal with this wide gap in the tank? All other parts are close together. Any help would be greatly appreciated and passed along to others. I am not a throw away person and believe in finding a way to fix things.
I need help with my bath tub and I hope you can help me! I really need to re- silicone my bathtub. I seem to have a lot of movement with my bathtub and every time I redo the job it is only a matter of months before I seem to be doing it again. I have Mapesil AC to do it this time round. Do you have any tips for me? Should I fill the tub up with water for example to add extra weight...? Thanks in advance.
Sort out the movement of your tub first, use L brackets to secure it to the wall from underneath. Check the legs are levelled, I've even used bricks with a bit of wood on top to wedge under both ends of the bathtub to limit movement. Mapei is a good silicone, i use it for its colour range, it goes off quite quick, so be ready to smooth off.
I physically fear this DIY. My sealant is all lumpy. Maybe I put too much on. I've no idea. I used one of those Fugi tools.. Made my life harder. For me it's nozzle at an angle and wet finger. I cannot get the professional methods to work. I'm gutted.
Sorry to hear that. Sounds like you might be leaving it too long before tooling. Work in short sections and tool immediately. Failing that, I'm not sure what you're doing wrong.
