Smooth silicone joints - so you smooth silicone joints

• paraphernalia
• preparation
• Pull silicone joints
• Smooth

Crumble your joints in the bathroom or belongs to pulling the silicone joints to the last step in your new kitchen ">

Silicone joints are important in the bathroom, on the windows, in the kitchen and in many other spaces. They seal interstices, seal them off and in many cases provide protection against moisture and possible mold growth, which is especially important in wet rooms. Silicone, like many other materials that are not completely protected against wear, needs to be renewed at regular intervals. This prevents possible breakage or crumbling of the mass and the joints can serve their purpose. Especially for beginners, the pulling and smoothing of silicone joints seems difficult, but with the right instructions, this project is effortless to implement.

paraphernalia

The right tools and materials are important to be able to properly implement the silicone joints. It depends on special utensils, which are perfect for working with silicone and make the individual steps immensely easier. You need the following:

• silicone Press
• enough silicone
• Silicone smoothing agents, for example from manufacturers such as Soudal
• scraper
• cutter
• Brush, alternatively a small sponge
• Joint smoother, alternatively spatula
• silicone
• cotton cloth

Please do not use any alternatives to the smoothing agent, as these have only a short effect and are not really suitable for smoothing. The speech here is mainly of detergent and water, which although a favorable alternative to the professional smoothing agent, but it attacks the elasticity of the silicone and thus ensures premature wear. Therefore, it is not recommended to use this home remedy as it only works in very few cases. The smoothing agent, on the other hand, is specially designed for the processing of silicone and enables the best result here.

Tip: When choosing the silicone you should absolutely make sure to choose the appropriate one for your purpose. So a different silicone is needed for the joints in the bathroom as for the window or the skirting boards in the living room, because they each have other ingredients that have been optimally adapted for the specific locations.

preparation

The pulling and smoothing of silicone joints is necessary especially when renewing, to replenish the existing joints sufficiently, so that they can achieve their effect. The older the joints are, the more important it is to renew them. To do this, proceed as follows:

• remove the old joints
• First use a joint scraper for the joints, which are easy to remove
• furthermore, you can use the cutter if some parts are very tight

• For stubborn joints, use the silicone remover
• apply a brush or sponge to the joints and let it work
• orient yourself according to the manufacturer's instructions
• the remains then dissolve and can be wiped away with a cloth
• Thoroughly clean the joint, either with water or dry
• If the joint has been cleaned wet, it must dry out for some time
• Then glue the upper part of the joint so that no silicone can get on the surfaces

Now the gap is ready and you can start pulling.

Pull silicone joints

The term "pulling" refers to the filling of the silicone joints, which can then be smoothed. Here you have to be particularly precise, because a wrongly drawn joint is difficult to straighten and it may even happen that you have to completely renew the silicone joints from the front and refill. To avoid this, proceed as follows:

• Fill silicone cartridge in the silicone press
• Make sure that it is tight and can not fall out during work
• cut the opening of the cartridge at an angle of 45 degrees
• The opening should be as wide as the joint, otherwise too much or too little silicone will be filled into the joint
• a not exactly matched to the joint opening complicates the exact distribution of the required amount of silicone

• Position the opening of the cartridge at the beginning of the joint
• start by filling the joint with silicone
• In this step, it is advisable to spread a little more quietly to fill the silicone joints sufficiently

• she should even survive one to two millimeters
• as silicone shrinks later, that is safe to implement
• Do not interrupt the filling of a joint, otherwise it can lead to inaccuracies when distributing
• The best thing to do is to pull the press over the joint in one go so as not to create gaps
• then fill the remaining silicone joints

Smooth

The smoothing of silicone joints is much more difficult compared to other materials, as silicone immediately adheres to a variety of surfaces. For this reason, it is not possible with a dry spatula to smooth the mass, as this would otherwise stick and tear on the silicone. The following instructions explain the smoothing in all details:

1. Take the smoothing agent to hand. If this is not in a spray bottle, you should fill this in such a. This makes it much easier to apply. As an alternative, you can also use a low-pressure sprayer. Then spray the product generously on the surface of the silicone joints. You do not have to worry about spraying the product on the tape as it will not affect it.

2. Take the joint smoother or spatula by the hand and smooth out the silicone filling in one go. You'll need to use some force to wipe off the excess silicone and leave behind smooth silicone joints.

3. As an alternative to the joint straightener, you can use your finger, even if this requires some practice. The smoothing agent is not irritating to the skin, but you should wash your hands afterwards.

4. Now the tape is removed and the silicone joints must be left to dry. Depending on the silicone manufacturer, the duration differs and during this time, the joint should not be touched, otherwise it may become porous at the point of contact. The room temperature and the prevailing humidity significantly affect the waiting time to dry the silicone joints.