Wednesday, December 04, 2019

Why Silicone Seanalnt Turns Mouldy

Most people have a shower over their bath so an effective seal between the bath and the wall is essential. Why silicone turns mouldy and stops working can be down to several factors but one thing will common. Water has worked its way behind the seal.

Water will run straight off silicone under gravity. But if water gets trapped behind silicone then it forms a perfect breeding ground for mould to develop. If you can see mould appearing in yor silicone then it has grown through from behind.

This can only mean one thing - you silicone has lost its bond and has peeled away.

There are several factors that can cause this to happen.



Bath Movement

Baths are made from materials that flex slightly. Even though this flex is minimal it can be enough to pull the silicone away from the wall or bath surface. If you eliminate the bath movement you will prevent the same thing happening again in the future. 

Faulty Grout

This is another major cause. Grout is slightly porous. Badly applied grout can be very porous. This allows moisture to get behind the silicone where it is in contact with faulty grout. You will notice that the mould tends to start at the bottom of each grout line. Rake out the grout, re-apply the correct formulation and seal the grout to ensure no moisture will penetrate it.

Poor Adhesion

If the walls or the bath surface are dirty, dusty or greasy then the silicone will suffer from poor adhesion. It can peel away even if the other two issues above are not present (but these will certainly exacerbate the situation)

Cheap, poor quality silicone will also have less bonding ability so do not scrimp when you buy your sealant. Buy the best available - you should only need 1 tube. 





Thursday, November 28, 2019

Covering Shower Walls

Showers take a lot of punishment in their lifetime. The environment is hot, wet and steamy which causes havoc with many materials. So what is the best material for covering shower walls?

Tiles have always been the go-to product for most installers. But over the years many householders are finding that there are just too many problems with the, Grout can be hard to clean or completely fail leading to leaks.

Many house-builders have looked to shower pods as a way to overcome the issues and prevent them having to return frequently to sort out problems covered by their guarantee.

Shower wall panels are a great alternative to tiles and remove the majority of the problems that tiles exhibit in one stroke.

They are easy to install, use no grout and will last for years.

Add to this the fact that they are 100% recyclable and can even be re-sued and come around to the conclusion that they are the best solution for covering shower walls.

There is an article on this very subject here.

Adding Colour To Your Bathroom

White is by far the most common colour used in bathrooms. But over-using white will result in the room looking a little "clinical". There are many ways that you can add a touch of colour to your bathroom - either through decoration or via the installed components.

Blinds, towels, rugs and shower curtains will instantly splash some colour around the room. The big advantage of using these items to colourise your design is that they are easy to replace. So if in a few years time you fancy a change you simply need to replace a few of these items and hey presto you have a changed room.

Sanitaryware (baths, basins, toilet etc.) are usually supplied in white so there is not much scope to alter these colouring here. The 70's saw the introduction of stronger colours such as Avocado but these fell out of favour.

If you have room for vanity unit then this is a great way of adding a splash of colour to the room. There are many different designs available such as this beautiful range from Utopia:

https://www.utopiagroup.com/ranges/roseberry/

The only issue with this approach is once you have committed to a colour you are stuck with it.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

The Question Is - Can You Panel Over Tiles?

A question we get asked a lot.

It is possible and it is a pretty straightforward process. But there are some things that you need to take into consideration.

This article has more details:

https://www.bathroommarquee.co.uk/can-you-panel-over-tiles/

Winter Showering Advice

New article on winter showering advice available on the Triton Shower website:

https://www.tritonshowers.co.uk/blog/homeowner/1/winter-showering-advice

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Bathroom Accessories


Some great ideas for well designed bathroom accessories here:

Accessible Showers

This article gives you all the information you need when planning an accessible shower installation.

Digital Showers

Great introduction to smart showers here from Aqualisa