How to silicone a tiled shower to stop leaks - Inspire DIY Kent Thomas
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- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
- This is the easiest part of waterproofing your tiled shower, and it will give the tiles a fresh and clean look.
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Apply silicone like a professional.
I am applying silicone (similar to caulk) around the shower, at every change of plane (meaning where walls meet walls, and walls meet floor), these are the notoriously leaky spots of a tiled shower, mostly due to building movement and previous attempts at sealing, remove old silicone, caulking, or grout (if this was used for the corners) and CLEAN THE AREA WELL before applying the new silicone - most important!
The stuff and things I use, when clicked these links will take you directly to Amazon or an eBay site, InspireDIY is an Amazon associate/eBay Affiliate. Using these links does not impact the price in anyway for you, but InspireDIY may be able to earn from recommendations.
Bathroom and Kitchen (Acetoxy cure) Silicone is resistant to mould and mildew, so it stays whiter for longer amzn.to/2XzAMjH
Need a silicone or caulking gun? Everyone's favourite 'drip free' Caulking Gun amzn.to/3Q71Krt
For clean ups, In the US use Denatured Ethyl Alcohol amzn.to/2XomKBg or in the UK amzn.to/37DFPB9 and Australia (and everywhere else) use Methylated Spirits amzn.to/46pk9FJ or buy from eBay ebay.us/M1axfy
Need to remove all the old silicone first? check out my technique just here • How to remove silicone...
when using chemicals like Methylated Spirits, make sure you keep your skin safe with some of these Blue Vinyl (powder free) Disposable Gloves in ‘Large Size’ 100pack amzn.to/3j8uUpW
This is part of a larger shower renovation project - join me on Inspire DIY as I take you through all the different aspects of fixing this leaking shower, watch the playlist: • Shower leaks - gone
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Methylated Spirits Diggers 1 ltr from Bunnings australia
Thank you this is very useful for newbies like me :)
Perfect...I'm glad it helped Ada, thanks for leaving a comment! Kent
Thanks for sharing this video, it really helps alot as a newbie. Mum fixing my son's shower broken tiles. It's a lot of details but I am confident to do it and I enjoyed as well. Learning and fixing I can give it a go. And the silicone I am glad I watched your video sir I really need to do my 3 bathrooms and kitchen hhhh bit by bit. So all the best aye.
Hey Visi, that’s awesome 👏 I’m glad it helped, best of luck with your shower fixes. Kent
Hi Kent, did you use the sealer prior to silicone?
Finally somone not saying that stupd word caulk! It is silicone sealant and it is applied... just as that
Thank you. I've been watching this related set of videos as I do my first recauking/regrouting shower project. They have been very helpful.
In this video I am surprised to see you pushing the caulk as it seem more intuitive to me to pull the tube as I release caulk. Does it make a difference?
One thing I am not sure about is whether I want to clean the tiles from grout haze first and let that dry, or caulk first and let that dry before removing haze. I don't have any sense of what happens if I let the grout haze (and related scraps) sit too long. I guess I will find out tomorrow.
Hey Danny, cheers for the comment …and great questions 👍
I used to lay the silicone in by dragging the gun, but have found better infiltration to gaps when ‘pushing it ahead’ as it seems to fill the void better.
Grout haze, I like to clean the grout haze off first as the timing is important (1 day after re-grouting) and the little bit of moisture left is ok, just make sure it’s really dry, yeah you can vacuum it all before doing your caulking/siliconing. Hope that answers your Qs, let me know how you get on. Cheers, Kent
Great video! My question is, will the water that hasn’t dried up under the floor dry up, after I seal the wall and floor with silicone? Won’t mold occur if it is still wet under there?
Hey Michelle, great Q.
If water is getting through the grout and your membrane is intact then that’s fine.
If it’s a leak past the membrane into framing etc then yes, best to dry it out to avoid mould and rot etc
Best of luck, Kent
really great video. definitely will subscribe. Can I ask, is it possible to grout in the drain or do you have to use silicone? Our shower is leaking and was a prior diy job. They have grouted in an infinity drain. To clarify, there is about a 2cm space along both the front and back of the infinity drain that is just grout (i.e they didn't tile up to the edge of the drain and just used grout). The grout now has small cracks in it that i assume are the source of the leak.
Hey mate, yes you absolutely can grout that area (I kinda prefer it) I actually did one like this and applied penetrating sealer yesterday 👍
The small cracks are not a ‘poorly done job’ as much as it’s just due for a regrout👌
Best of luck. Kent
Very useful and for me new was to tap the remaining silicon with tape....
Hey Mohammad, most of the time this works, but sometimes I come back to a tube that's dried out...🤷♂️ Who knows why! Thanks for commenting 👍 Kent
Great tips! That last one is 👌 I'm still pretty average with silicone but i reckon anyone can give it a go watching this 😎
Haha, you are very kind Jo😉
Hi Kent, I moved into a house 6 months ago that was built about 12 years ago in Sydney, NSW. I think water is leaking from the upstairs shower into the rest of the bathroom and to the hallway wooden floors. There is no water leaking onto the ceiling so I think the bathroom waterproofing membrane is OK and the water coming from leaks in the grout or shower corners. I suspect grout waterproof sealer has not been applied for a while. So I want to reseal the grout on the tiles to waterproof them. The white shower wall tiles are glazed and the grout looks OK. So I think I may only need to put a waterproof sealer on the wall tile grout? If that's correct what brand of waterproof sealer should I get? (from Bunnings?) I noticed that for the edges of the walls and where the walls meet the shower wall you use a Bathroom and Kitchen (Acetoxy cure) Silicone. You put an Amazon link for that but can I get it from Bunnings? (Which brand?). The shower floor tile grout may need to have an application of a waterproof sealer - would I use the same grout waterproof sealer for the shower floor as used on the shower wall grout? How often should bathroom grout be resealed and the corners siliconed? Every two or three years? Sorry about all the questions, I'm a newbie, regards, Jim
Hey James, sounds like you have a pretty fair idea of what’s going on👍, to answer your Q’s. I used Sureseal premium plus for sealing grout walls and floor, Bunnings didn’t have this one so use any penetrating sealer you prefer over good grout, I also would recommend checking the waste outlet and plumbing for leaks (may mean a hole in the ceiling below) For silicone I use parfix, Selleys and Sika (no favourites). Just a heads up, in its design grout is porous so membranes do the waterproofing, if you need to seal grout to stop a leak, and it’s not a plumbing issue then the membrane has failed. You could always look into a ‘Remedial Membrane’ too. Best of luck, let me know how you get on👍Kent
I am confused. Didn't you already regrout the shower? Or is this video not related to the previous regrout? Thanks
Hey Barbarra, you are very observant 👍, yes.. I have regrouted the shower tiles, the next step was to silicone the ‘corners’ and waste outlet. All the best with your project , Kent
@@InspireDIY thank. Do you both grout & silicon the corners? Or only silicon the corners? Thank you
I grout the flat planes between tiles and silicone the corners where walls meet, or where the walls meet the floor. This is most important as some movement is possible in a timber framed house - silicone remains flexible as opposed to grout that is rigid. When grouting if some gets into the corners you can wipe it flat with a damp cloth and silicone will cover this later. 👍 I hope that all made sense.
@@InspireDIY Thank you for your kindness Kent. You are a legend. 🙂
Hey mate loved the video and the explanation I have a question though I was using the same product as you were using in the video but when I did mine months ago using the same product the next day it all pealed off should I be buying a water proof silicone for my inside shower floor? thanks!
Hey cryptic. Rather than changing products …it sounds more like an adhesion problem! Did you prep (clean and dry) the surface well before starting- this makes all the difference as to whether it sticks or not. Best of luck mate🤙Kent
whats the different between acrylic, silicone and epoxy grout for waterproofing
Hey low q, great question👌 the acrylic is a waterproofing membrane that gets painted on to the surface (at construction stage) prior to floor and wall tile installation. Silicone is used as a flexible compound to seal where 2 materials meet or tiled corners etc. and can be successfully done DIY, epoxy grout is a waterproof material used (as an alternative to cement grout) around tiles installed professionally, it’s effective, so long as there is not building movement. 👍Kent
clear explaination and easy to practice! thank you
You are welcome Suffian 🤙I’m glad it helped! thanks, Kent
Very helpful Thankyou
You're welcome Jackie👍 Kent
Great video! Short and precise. My shower leaks from the grout. Tried using Sika grout seal but it didn't seal fully. Will give silicone a try. Do you have any experience with Selleys Wet Area silicone?
Hey Kodi, yeah, I've used and like Selleys 'wet area' silicone. IMO It's probably a better quality product than what I used. It too is mould resistant and there's several colours to chose from, and it's a fair price (about $11 aud) Do you have an opinion on it or preference? 👍Kent
@@InspireDIY Thanks for the recommendation. I'm planning to use it in my leaking shower grout. Will let you know how well it works!
Good stuff mate. Look forward to it. Other people read the comments too and all feedback on experiences is good, thanks in advance🤙 Kent
@@InspireDIY Just wanted to update here after applying Selleys silicone. I must say using your technique made my work look really professional 💪 😀. My leak has stopped now and we can use the shower again. Thanks mate!
Hey Kodi, that's so good mate! Thanks for the feedback letting us all know that it worked for you👌. Feeling stoked - Kent
very useful , thank you !
You’re welcome David 👍Kent
Great video. Question: why not using grout on those edges instead of silicone ?
Hey Arthur, from what I understand it's about ensuring a watertight seal at a corner or 'change of plane' were there is a possibility of building movement. silicone and caulk are a safer option that grout for this. Cheers, Kent
great video thank you
Cheers Younes 🤙 Kent
Very helpful , thank you!! 😊
Hey msdanaheart, I'm glad it helped.. let me know how you get on 👍, Kent
Thanks. Good demo.
Thanks for the comment Michael, I’m glad it helped👍Kent
Thank you for sharing
Thank you very much
You are welcome Judy. Kent
Tq
my terrace fully tiles fitting leakage rain water this is for useful not useful tell me
Yes RK, however, try a ‘waterproofing membrane’ if the ‘penetrating sealer’ and gap sealing with silicone doesn’t do the job. Best of luck, Kent
it is tedious to clean and re-apply silicon every few months.. isn't there a more permanent solution?
Hey Mehmet, I wonder why you are only getting a few months out of your silicone?? Is it bathroom & kitchen mould resistant? Quality? Are you prepping the surface well before reapplying? I get a few years at least💁🏻♂️ Kent
@@InspireDIY thanks for the info. It started leaking 6 months after I bought the house. So the previous owner must have used cheap silicon :)
I realized he put it a day before the inspection.
The tile and grout arent what’s supposed to keep the shower from leaking. Otherwise we wouldnt need to use waterproofing.
You are absolutely right Chip, when the membrane underneath failed we need to come up with a fix, several months after this video I did a moisture check and all was dry underneath, I have since however applied a waterproofing 'remedial membrane' over the top to good effect. It's just a little piece of mind I guess as we couldn't pull up the tiles and start from scratch. any advice you can offer us DIYers? cheers mate, Kent
Love you Darling
oh thank you Anikt, very sweet. Kent
Ex
Thanks Pekto 🤙Kent
Silicone stinks so bad tho.
Yeah I agree🤨