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Original poster

Would you pay someone to reseal your bath?

53 replies

PrincessIntrovert · 20/07/2023 06:10

You know, the white stuff around the edge? Mine is absolutely minging and going black so it needs to be done. I've tried to do it myself numerous times but I'm just making it look bloody worse! I'm not the best at DIY and don't have anyone who can help, relative or partner etc. My hands / arms aren't physically strong enough to pull out the old stuff. I've tried using a knife to pull out what I can and seal with the new stuff but it is actually much harder than it looks and I just end up with numb hands! Even squeezing it out of the bottle is hard. It seems like such a basic thing to pay a tradesman for though, they'll probably laugh at me!

OP posts:
Northernsouloldies · 20/07/2023 06:15

You tube is your friend for this. There is a knack to using silicone and getting a smooth line. A Stanley knife should do the trick taking out the old. Dow corning is a quality silicone.

LindorDoubleChoc · 20/07/2023 06:17

Yes. There are people out there who make a living from this, it is a real skill. You could try googling "mastic man" in your local area.

BillaBongGirl · 20/07/2023 06:18

No. I do it myself.
There is a multipurpose tool for pulling out the old sealant.
You then need a caulking gun to squeeze the tube for you to apply the new stuff.

PermanentTemporary · 20/07/2023 06:20

Yes. The reason I employ my builder is he will do the most ridiculous jobs for me and doesn't laugh, but this isn't a ridiculous job. He did this one for me earlier this year and it looks great.

My way of managing this is I don't quibble over price and I pay immediately. He can laugh all the way to the bank if he likes but not in front of me. Ask around for recommendations.

TerfTalking · 20/07/2023 06:21

I do! We use a local handyman for jobs like this, but I do save all my jobs up to make it worth his visit. So his morning might include removing and replacing silicone, putting up a shelf, replacing a shower hose and resetting a loose flagstone.

DH is shit at DIY, I do what I can, but I know my limits.

the bathroom looks like new when the silicone and shower screen strip at the bottom have been replaced.

BeethovenNinth · 20/07/2023 06:24

Yes it’s difficult to do it properly. I load it into other jobs that need doing

Original poster
PrincessIntrovert · 20/07/2023 06:25

What is a reasonable quote? I'm Midlands...

OP posts:
LMNT · 20/07/2023 06:28

We have a handyman that we call for all of these types of jobs.

We never do anything that we don’t want to do ourselves, we outsource.

cornflakesandtea · 20/07/2023 06:32

I would do it myself personally but if I was struggling with arm and hand strength as you are then I'd definitely call a tradesperson.

Jeffjefftyjeff · 20/07/2023 06:33

We do loads of diy jobs ourselves but have paid someone to do this in the past

jacckandsalllly · 20/07/2023 06:34

PrincessIntrovert · 20/07/2023 06:25

What is a reasonable quote? I'm Midlands...

I paid £85 recently for someone to remove all the old caulk and reseal the bath.

He was here for about an hour and a half.

BarbaraofSeville · 20/07/2023 06:49

LindorDoubleChoc · 20/07/2023 06:17

Yes. There are people out there who make a living from this, it is a real skill. You could try googling "mastic man" in your local area.

DP used to do this as a job, I agree it's a real skill to do it neatly, it's really not a basic job at all.

If you can't find a dedicated mastic man, or woman, which will probably be the case as they generally work for housebuilders. They get paid by the metre of mastic applied, so what they want is to do new houses where they can bang in a lot of mastic quickly. They generally hate fiddly jobs that require prep and only a bit of masticking.

But it's probably within the realms of the 'no job too small' handy person, who'll have done far simpler and quicker jobs than that. If these sorts of jobs are the sorts of things you struggle with, it's quite a lifesaver to have a reliable person you can contact.

DM uses them for all sorts - changing light fittings, putting up curtain poles, that sort of thing. They generally charge a minimum fee of around £25 which will pay for a small amount of time, if it's literally a 10 minute job and obviously increases with time taken for bigger jobs.

colouroftherugisblue · 20/07/2023 06:54

It is a skill to get it looking good, I am the silicone sealer in this house, Dh is rubbish at it. I would pay someone to get it looking fab.

If you ever want to do this in future, stop trying to remove it without treating it. You can get silicone remover that makes it go back to how it was when it comes out of the tube, ie wet and sticky. But it is time consuming and messy. Honestly. Pay someone to come and do it.

kitchenhelprequired · 20/07/2023 07:08

It is a job which is worth being done well. It's far from cosmetic and provides a vital seal to keep water from going behind the bath. Having failed sealant or tile grout in a bathroom can prove very costly if it isn't dealt with quickly so best to get someone in who can do the job properly.

cinnamonfrenchtoast · 20/07/2023 07:20

No, but that's only because DH does it for a living.

If I was on my own I'd pay someone to do it as I don't have the patience or the strength!

WaitingForSunnyDays · 20/07/2023 07:37

Yes. I'll do all sorts of DIY, but having tried several times to do this before I'd happily pay someone now!

newnamethanks · 20/07/2023 07:44

Yes, of course I'd pay someone to do what I can't, people frequently need the old silicon replaced.. Although, having said that, I've lived with a dead light bulb in my hallway for months because I feel, as you do, that it's a trifling thing to ask a tradesman to replace it. Can't bring myself to ask.

Soozikinzii · 20/07/2023 07:44

Yes you just need a local handyman don't pay someone over qualified is the key .

Dumbphone · 20/07/2023 07:50

I literally just tiled my own kitchen (so don’t shy away from diy!) and having applied this stuff many, many times over the years just can’t get it looking good enough. I’ve put clear in as a temp solution and will be looking for someone to reseal it and every other every bit in my home when I can afford it.

Mumtothreegirlies · 20/07/2023 07:53

jacckandsalllly · 20/07/2023 06:34

I paid £85 recently for someone to remove all the old caulk and reseal the bath.

He was here for about an hour and a half.

Show quote history

£85 for an hour and a half?!!! I have to retrain to seal baths!!

SunnieShine · 20/07/2023 07:56

Blimey, I feel good now. I did my own and it looked fine. I didn't realise it was supposed to be tricky, just told myself, "well, if you can ice a cake..." 🎂

Badbudgeter · 20/07/2023 07:58

Plumber might do it. I save all the jobs for when the boiler gets an annual check up. This year he changed a set of taps , cleaned shower filter and resealed shower. They charge for time/ materials obviously but only 1 call out fee. So all the extra bits cost £80 on top of service charge.

Sparkle88K · 20/07/2023 08:01

Absolutely, I attempted to do this myself & it looked really bad! Plus it took me ages to remove the old mastic.
I paid a local mastic man around £80 to remove all my bodged work & reseal the bath & sink. It looks so nice & neat now.

Lindy2 · 20/07/2023 08:07

Mastic is not an easy thing to do.

I found someone on our local Facebook that was advertising as a mastic man.

I got him in to do several jobs. Around a big window, shower tray, kitchen sink and a bath panel. I think I paid about £70.

He was pretty quick but did a good job. It would have taken DH and I a lot longer and with much poorer results. We both have tried and failed with mastic before.

comeondover · 20/07/2023 08:34

You say it's going black? Do you mean mould? If so, you need better ventilation and to treat the mould. Lots of mould treatments don't work properly or make it worse, as it will release spores at the slightest provocation. Soaking a rag in white vinegar and laying it over the black bits for an hour is how I've read to deal with it.