Applying silicone sealant upside down

[Mrs Pingu]

I have 2 pieces of shower panel, 1 wall meeting one on a sloping ceiling.
I need to replace the silicone sealant at this joint.
Unfortunately for me, this means trying to apply a bead against the force of gravity.
Any of you clever clogs got any top tips/ideas?

[ian]

Pay a man.

[Mrs Pingu]

I would, but it seems beneath a highly trained plumber, and I don't know any competent professional handy persons.

[Canardly]

The sealant is easy to clean off with a wet cloth so give it a go. For finishing the bead make sure you have an appropriate tool to give you a neat finish. they do make a huge difference. e.g.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Finishing-XCOZU-Multi-Edge-Applicator-Bathrooms/dp/B07TYLT8HD/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=silicone+sealant+tool&qid=1618432124&sr=8-7

Use the square cut side not the rounded edge.

[Mrs Pingu]

I've got a finishing tool. I'm more worried about how to get the stuff to stick to the join as opposed to falling out of the gun onto my head.

[ian]

I would, but it seems beneath a highly trained plumber, and I don't know any competent professional handy persons.

I'd send you my handyman, but he's a bare-chested Kentish man capable of aggressively eating a sandwich*.

There is a chap around here who trades as The Mastic Man. He's pretty much picked his trade. He might be getting my business, but I also need someone to change the oven element, which upon investigation, requires undoing screws.

It should, by-the-by, from my limited experience, just stick to whatever you squirt it on (clean it thoroughly first with alcohol). This may include your fingers and then eyebrows, if you're me.

*nutty lady – we call her Weirdo Wendy (no idea what her actual name is) – from the around the corner, in one of her many notes shoved through our door, once complained that he 'sat and deliberately ate a sandwich in an aggressive fashion' outside of her house. He was for the record building a fence for us there, he doesn't eat sandwiches aggressively outside just anyone's house.

[Defblade]

Put it on in splodges, then smear it out into a neat joint. Then spend ages cleaning up the excess off the 2 flat surfaces...

[Aunt Maud]

Cut the nose of the screw on nozzle at an angle and make the hole big enough to fit over both sides of the joint. Do this with it screwed off of the tube of silicone. Mask the wall with quality tape, don't worry about the glass as it'll just rub off when dry.

Screw the nozzle on when you're happy with the size and angle. Do a dry run over the joint with it all in the skelly gun to get used to the run you're going to make.

Breathe, relax and don't clench.

Pull a business like face, so the silicone doesn't know that you don't know what you're doing...and...

Fully fill the beginning of the joint starting at its lowest point making sure the silicone is squeezed against both edges of the joint with no air gaps, this will make it stick in place, squeeze enough silicone in the joint to fill it completely plus a bit more whilst moving the nozzle of the gun slowly along the joint with the nozzle pointed slightly back towards the start of the joint

Do the whole run without going over the old stuff.

Once you've filled the whole joint, get a spray gun with soapy water in it and spray the whole bead of silicone liberally. Take a wet spoon and run it along the joint, scooping up all the excess silicone and dump it in a bucket with water in it or plastic bag. Silicone won't stick to a wet surface, so it's easy to get it off the wet spoon and into the bucket.

Once you've scooped it off and the joint looks beautiful and smooth, pull off the masking tape, drink gin and relax.

[Kim]

Cut the nose of the screw on nozzle at an angle and make the hole big enough to fit over both sides of the joint. Do this with it screwed off of the tube of silicone. Mask the wall with quality tape, don't worry about the glass as it'll just rub off when dry.

Screw the nozzle on when you're happy with the size and angle. Do a dry run over the joint with it all in the skelly gun to get used to the run you're going to make.

Breathe, relax and don't clench.

Pull a business like face, so the silicone doesn't know that you don't know what you're doing...and...

Fully fill the beginning of the joint starting at its lowest point making sure the silicone is squeezed against both edges of the joint with no air gaps, this will make it stick in place, squeeze enough silicone in the joint to fill it completely plus a bit more whilst moving the nozzle of the gun slowly along the joint with the nozzle pointed slightly back towards the start of the joint

Do the whole run without going over the old stuff.

Once you've filled the whole joint, get a spray gun with soapy water in it and spray the whole bead of silicone liberally. Take a wet spoon and run it along the joint, scooping up all the excess silicone and dump it in a bucket with water in it or plastic bag. Silicone won't stick to a wet surface, so it's easy to get it off the wet spoon and into the bucket.

Once you've scooped it off and the joint looks beautiful and smooth, pull off the masking tape, drink gin and relax.

I think I've learned more about silicone sealant from that post than I have from a lifetime of fucking it up.   

[citoyen]

I think I've learned more about silicone sealant from that post than I have from a lifetime of fucking it up.   

Yes, it's a most excellent post.

[ian]

Yet nothing about how to get it out of your eyebrows.

[Kim]

Yet nothing about how to get it out of your eyebrows.

Eyebrows are for waterproofing.  You might as well leave it in.

[tonyh]

I think I've learned more about silicone sealant from that post than I have from a lifetime of fucking it up.   

Yes, it's a most excellent post.

+1

[Lightning Phil]

Pay a man.

Perhaps she doesn’t want to do what you do?

[wajcgac]

More general advice on applying silicone rather than specific to the OPs situation.

I recently had to redo the sealant around a shower tray, a job I've done several times previously with varying degrees of success but this time I thought I'd see what advice I could find on how to do the job.

I found these youtube videos very useful

Having watched them I went out and bought the profiling tools and can second what others advise regarding them. They made the job so much quicker and easier. Also the finish was also way better than anything I'd managed before.

How to apply silicone

How to silicone corners

He also explains why you shouldn't do various things such as use your fingers, concave tools, soapy water, tape etc.

[ian]

Pay a man.

Perhaps she doesn’t want to do what you do?

Blimey, that's a bit passive-aggressive.

[Blade]

I used to dread applying silicon sealant and then attempting to get a visually acceptable bead.

Gamechangers for me were:

Wipe surfaces where you intend the silicon to adhere with methylated spirits before comencing to apply the sealant.

After applying the sealant, mist slightly with soapy water.

Use the appropriate radius finishing tool. Make sure that the tool is of the non-stick silicon type. A set of 6 pieces costs around £8.

Family and friends now ask me to do their silicon beading in exchange for beer.

[Mrs Pingu]

<snipped>
I found these youtube videos very useful

Having watched them I went out and bought the profiling tools and can second what others advise regarding them. They made the job so much quicker and easier. Also the finish was also way better than anything I'd managed before.

How to apply silicone

How to silicone corners

He also explains why you shouldn't do various things such as use your fingers, concave tools, soapy water, tape etc.

Wow. I usually hate watching videos but that was so geektastic that I watched them both. I had already read about the 'no soapy water thing' but his demonstration was effective.

I've got a profiling kit but it looks rather shit in comparison so I shall buy one of those.

I did look for a mastic person in Furrybootoon, but if there is one, they are hiding their light under a bushel. (Also, who'd want to do that all day, every day?)

[Aunt Maud]

Yes...well.

He didn't fill the joint properly and based his argument for not using soapy water solely on that, which is nonsense.

[mrcharly-YHT]

You need to mash it right into the joint/corner, so as you are squeezing the stuff out of the gun, there is a bit ahead of the nozzle. Don't drape it on and try to push in later - that just results in air under the silicone, which will then push the silicone off or into a bubble.

I learnt a lot from Aunt Maud's post as well.

[Mrs Pingu]

I've done it. If I never had to do it again it would be too soon.
Started at 9am, finally finished at 1430.
I can't say I'm entirely happy with the finish of the really thick bead that meets the shower tray (that I was hoping to avoid doing but couldn't), but the rest of it seems alright.
The Fugi/profiling kit worked nicely,