Instructions: How to remove old silicone joints

• When and why must silicone joints be removed "> New silicone on old silicone?
• Remove silicone joints
• Mold in the joints

The removal of unsightly silicone joints is one of the most annoying miniatures of a renovation - and should still be tackled early, because only if you have enough time for any Fummelarbeiten or waiting for the drying out of moisture, the removal of old silicone joints is a breeze.

Old silicone joints can be easily removed, but sometimes lurk some work, which also causes waiting times.

When and why do silicone joints have to be removed?

If you are moving in or already live in the rooms, there are situations in which you must necessarily remove the old silicone joints, and situations in which it is advisable to remove them.

Even if you could theoretically live with the damaged or unsightly silicone joints for a while, a small hole can cause great damage. This should be remedied immediately in your own interest because it could be dangerous. Through the seemingly tiny hole in the leaking joint, water can run under the shower tray, damaging the floor.

You should also think about removing the silicone joints if discoloration is seen. Then it has to be checked if it is mold. If only small spots are visible, you can try to remove the mold with a mold blocker or something similar. For more tips on how to use mold, see this article: Treating and Preventing Mold

In the case of a move, it may be useful to remove the old silicone joints because of claims for damages.

• Under leases, the landlord is usually responsible for sealing the sanitary objects
• It can be different if you have inserted the silicone joints or in the case of deviating agreements in the lease
• Also necessary if you have not properly maintained existing seals, so that mold has formed
• You have replaced existing seals with seals in your desired color

In such cases, you can often avoid litigation simply by removing the silicone joints, drying out any moisture, and treating possible mold growth with a suitable anti-mold agent from the trade. In small places, little mold also methylated spirits and isopropyl alcohol (simple alcohol, eg from the pharmacy), applied several times, do good service. Whether you need to set new silicone joints, depends on your contract and should be discussed directly with the landlord or new tenant, maybe he has something completely different.

New silicone on old silicone ">

Important: The silicone joint must not be moldy, porous or damaged along its entire length.

In order to apply new silicone to existing silicone, the substrate for the new silicone joint must be made absolutely clean, dry and stable.

Even though many artisans say silicone does not work on silicone, it is not entirely impossible to make minor repairs without renewing the entire joint.

In practice, one often has to do with ancient joints, especially in old houses, or in new houses with sloppily applied silicone, which was really nice and wide smeared, like well beyond the actual gap.

This makes mending problems, namely the following:

• If you want to apply a second layer of silicone, this must be at least 3 mm beyond the old silicone on both sides of the substrate.
• If already the old silicone is smeared wide, the joint becomes even uglier by mending (if at all possible)
• Scrape away only a part of clean would be more expensive than removing the entire silicone joint
• If the gap could be infested with mold, you should forget about any revision anyway, if you do not want to have the mushroom in the walls sometime

Remove silicone joints

Unfortunately, in most cases this means: remove silicone joints if they are not looking good, are likely to leak in several places, or are already so old that they have hardened pretty well over the years.

Is not so bad, the renovation of the silicone joint can be quite easy with a fine and skilled hands and the right tool.

Variant 1 - Remove whole silicone joints

Although the fugue looks pretty dubious, if you're very likely to suspect that the silicone joint is not very old, you should first try to expose a well-held string and then pull it all off at once.

Whether you attach the whole joint supportive along the spatula or simply gently pull it, is a matter of affair - if the silicone already has such an age or such a degree of damage that it can only be disassembled in small pieces, you will notice that quickly.

Variant 2 - Cut out silicone joints

If you notice that only parts are broken while pulling, you can change the strategy:

• Take a sharp craft knife and put it on one side of the joint at an oblique angle
• Now drive the blade along the joint in a long cut
• After that, the other side is treated the same way
• Now you have the silicone cut free from both sides and can pull it out in a strip

The fine work and the tool for it

If you had to cut the joints, depending on the condition of the silicone joints, more or fewer residues remain on the substrate.

Only patience and a tool that can scrape off the silicone residue without damaging the surface will help here. You can be creative when choosing:

• First, you can use the sharp side of the blade to cut away anything that can be removed from the surface without the risk of scratches
• Then the blunt side of the blade comes to the series
• Or a professional joint scratch

Tip: For 10.00 to 20.00 € you get complete sets, with joint knives, joint glazing and various practical essays.

The purchase of such a complete set is always worthwhile, as it saves a lot of effort. Sensitive materials can quickly cause unsightly scratches with the craft knife or razor blade.

Alternatively, you can use a Ceranfeld scratches, the ceramic hob must not damage the finally. The very last remnants can be rubbed off with a cloth or sponge and a little bit of mineral spirits.

If you are using a chemical agent, be sure to check carefully on sensitive surfaces before using benzene or even more likely silicone removers to damage the surface.

Finally: the cleaning

If no trace of silicone remains, the joint is carefully cleaned, free from any dirt and grease. Depending on which initial state you are dealing with, first with a brush and a cleaner with surfactants (cleaning and degreasing effect) and scouring particles (also removes hidden remnants of grout).

Finally, the former surface of the silicone joint is again thoroughly cleaned with a damp cloth with a little detergent on it and then rubbed with a sponge with clear water.

Mold in the joints

If you see mold on the ground, it must of course also be completely removed. Bathe the joint generously in a mold remover and cleaner from specialist retailers, in small, strictly restrictive areas and a relatively small amount of mold in isopropyl alcohol or methylated spirits. If the mold was visible in more than one dark spot, or if you notice any shadows after drying, you should apply them both as a precaution. No gap should be overlooked, mold is very small

If the fungal community has been killed in the bathroom (which sometimes has to be proven by a mold test for liability reasons), you should take an additional round with a mold blocker, which is available for spraying, so that he can get anywhere.

These mold blockers contain hazardous substances and must be used and disposed of according to the instructions given in the safety data sheet. They are called z. Eg Lithofin KF Schimmel-Ex (safety data sheet under www.im.de/gefahrstoffe/252365.pdf) or Sagrotan Schimmel-Frei (Safety data sheet is available after searching for "product" + "safety data sheet" on the Internet).

The mildew blocker should work for at least 24 hours, after which you can start refilling the joints (or leave the bathroom in a picobello state to the new tenant).

Detailed instructions for the treatment of mold on silicone joints can be found in our article: Silicone joints - treat mold and prevent