where not to Silicon..?

[bigdaz]

whenever I'm in a bathroom or toilet I always check the tiling and also the use of Silicon.
whats the norm, do you put Silicon down every internal corner in a room or just the ones near the shower/bath and would you grout the corners before using Silicon or not

 

[tactile]

always grout then Silicon all the corners as there is movement in all the walls throughout the year. its a neater job. if your Silicon tecnique isnt the best (admitedly mines a bit patchy) you can probably get away with just the external walls as this is where the most movement is.

i always do right round the edge of the floor as well. if ive tiled on ply board!

 

[enduro]

I do all the corners, around door frame and i use decorators caulk around the ceiling. Basically anyware ther could be movement or where it is touching wood etc.

 

[bencurtis]

depends on the job, but mostly silicon all corners.

 

[grumpygrouter]

I always use Silicon. Can't get a good finish with grout in the way.

Grumpy

 

[bigdaz]

so you saying you dont' grout the corners Grumpy?

 

[Tilestiles]

Silicon ALL internal corners. No point grouting beforehand as it would be a a waste of time in my opinion if you are planning to Silicon anyway. Grout around door frames is normally OK. Silicon round bath, shower, sink, worktop and ceiling too if all present. Also the toilet base. And bidet if they are posh!! - Lol

 

[basshunter]

dont leave any man goo behind

 

[Fekin]

All corners here too, don't grout them just Silicon.

 

[grumpygrouter]

so you saying you dont' grout the corners Grumpy?

Correct.

Grumpy

 

[sWe]

The point of the Silicon is three fold: to mask poor cutting in corners, to waterproof holes made after tanking, and to neutralize movement in the surrounding structure.

If you use regular grout in corners where there might be structural movement, and then use Silicon over it, you defeat the purpose of the Silicon, and you risk cracking. Over here, we refer to Silicon as "movement grouting", for just that reason. Use Silicon where it is due, and regular grout where it is due.

Do use Silicon:

-Where the substrate is concrete which is less than one year old (it shrinks)
-Where the substrate is board material, eg drywall, mounted on a wooden or metallic frame (moves with temperature and humidity)
-In new buildings, regardless of substrate, as there will be movement
-Where one substrate material meets another (eg concrete floor meets drywall)

You don't need to use Silicon for structural reasons:

-Where all surfaces are made from concrete which is more than one year old, prefereably more than two years old

There are a few other circumstances where it might, or might not be appropriate, but I can't be arsed. Tell you this though: It's safer to use Silicon, than to not use it. If you think it's needed, from structural reasons or otherwise, then by all means use it.

 

[grumpygrouter]

Good post sWe. Slightly disagree with the "hiding poor cutting" bit though. It doesn't always work IMO.

grumpy

 

[sWe]

Good post sWe. Slightly disagree with the "hiding poor cutting" bit though. It doesn't always work IMO.

grumpy

Alas, one can try

 

[bigdaz]

Thanks for the advice on this one guys, it pretty much clears up everything. just one thought... what's the widest gap you would use silcone for?

 

[sWe]

Thanks for the advice on this one guys, it pretty much clears up everything. just one thought... what's the widest gap you would use silcone for?

Normally I try to match the width of the Silicon to the width of the grouting, but if that's not practical and/or pretty... 5-6mm, give or take, OR the width of the grout + 1/2 is my normal maximum. Too wide Silicon lines in comparisson to the grout lines isn't pretty.

The most extreme Silicon width I've ever done, was a 2cm gap above a door in a real large (75m2), complicated wall... Wasn't pretty if you knew it was there, but no one seemed to notice. The grouting on that wall was 7mm, so 20mm Silicon was 3x the width...