How To Seal A Bath

Sealing your bath where it meets the wall helps to keep your tub waterproof. Without bath sealant, water can leak down the side and underneath your bath tub, which can lead to rotting and a build-up of mould. Resealing your bath is also a simple way to refresh your bathroom and give it a new lease of life.

Read on for a step-by-step guide to sealing and resealing a bath – it's fairly straightforward when you know how.

1. Apply sealant remover to the existing sealant to break it down and make it easier to remove. Make sure you follow the specific product instructions.
   
2. Using a sealant remover tool, a chisel or a Stanley knife, gently remove the existing sealant.
3. Rub off any small remaining strands using either your finger, or white spirit and an old cloth.
4. If the old sealant was mouldy, use mould remover to clean the surface, following the specific product instructions.
5. Rinse the mould remover off and get ready to reseal your bath.

Preparation

Make sure you’re using silicone sealant and not grout, as grout will crack as soon as any weight is placed in the bath. Find out more about how to regrout a bathroom or how to clean grout.

Then make sure your bath is clean and dry, as any moisture will prevent the bath sealant from properly adhering to the bath.

1. Stick a length of masking tape around the edge of the bath, about 3mm from the wall, then stick another length of tape along the wall, roughly 3mm above the bath. The gap between these two pieces of tape is where your sealant will go.
2. Apply the silicone sealant using the narrowest point of the nozzle. Go around the edges of the bath, starting at the furthest corner so that you don’t have to couple back on yourself.
3. Cut the nozzle of the silicone sealant about 2cm down the nozzle at a 45-degree angle and apply a wider layer of sealant on top of the layer you’ve just applied. This should fill the gap between the two lengths of tape.
4. Using a sealant applicator or a wet fingertip, smooth and shape the sealant to make sure it is smooth, with no lumps or gaps. This will help to make sure that no dirt or mould can get behind it.
5. Before the sealant dries, remove the masking tape from the wall and the bath, and clean off any sealant that may have spilled on to your bath, shower screen or taps.

Sealant can take up to 24 hours to set, so make sure your bath isn’t used during that time.

And there you have it, a freshly sealed bath. Explore our full range of bath products or check out our shower replacement service to see if we can help you with your installation.