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Original poster

Silicone on plaster can't be painted over?

11 replies

HouseIsOnFire · 30/12/2022 18:50

Hi all, hoping someone has a hack/solution please!

Bathroom nightmare continues - hired a decorator to paint new bathroom (paid bathroom company to do it during fitting... and they didn't!)

He's recommended by a friend, have seen his work, very happy with the bathroom and no reason to believe this is the decorator's fault.

Where the fitter has sealed (quite hastily) across the top of the tiles, he's smeared silicone on the bare plaster and it has left a residue that the paint is just sliding off. Decorater tried sanding it back, two different types of paint and umpteen coats but the paint will not stick.

He's suggested an upstand as a fix, but just wondering if anyone knew how to get the paint to stick?

Thanks!

Silicone on plaster can't be painted over?
OP posts:
girlmom21 · 30/12/2022 18:51

Skim over it?

Original poster
HouseIsOnFire · 30/12/2022 19:31

girlmom21 · 30/12/2022 18:51

Skim over it?

Would be quite difficult to do with not wrecking the bathroom wouldn't it?

OP posts:
FatAgainItsLettuceTime · 30/12/2022 19:40

Can the sealant not be scraped off? I'd try using a Stanley knife to cut a straight edge and then a sealant removal tool or metal scraper to take off the excess.

girlmom21 · 30/12/2022 19:42

No it'd be really easy as long as you only use a tiny bit of plaster. Any small amounts that got onto the tiles would easily scrape off.

Floppy12 · 30/12/2022 20:27

@HouseIsOnFire I would use thick masking tape over the good silicone and tiles. to protect them.Then sparingly use silicone remover on the excess silicone.
You shouldn,t need much as soon as the seal starts to break gently scrape it off.
Use your fingertips to feel for any bits of silicone left on the wall, repeat as necessary.
Give the wall a good wipe, then a gentle sand. I would then finish with a wipe with meths,making sure you ventilate as it is smelly.

Original poster
HouseIsOnFire · 30/12/2022 21:01

FatAgainItsLettuceTime · 30/12/2022 19:40

Can the sealant not be scraped off? I'd try using a Stanley knife to cut a straight edge and then a sealant removal tool or metal scraper to take off the excess.

It's left on the plaster on the wall, so cutting in would be gouging the wall out behind :(

OP posts:
Original poster
HouseIsOnFire · 30/12/2022 21:03

girlmom21 · 30/12/2022 19:42

No it'd be really easy as long as you only use a tiny bit of plaster. Any small amounts that got onto the tiles would easily scrape off.

But then would need to sand back level with the rest of the wall and would be back to silicone? (I don't know, I'm not good with this sort of stuff!)

I just want to know what I need to ask of the bathroom company (adding to never ending snag list!)

OP posts:
Original poster
HouseIsOnFire · 30/12/2022 21:03

Floppy12 · 30/12/2022 20:27

@HouseIsOnFire I would use thick masking tape over the good silicone and tiles. to protect them.Then sparingly use silicone remover on the excess silicone.
You shouldn,t need much as soon as the seal starts to break gently scrape it off.
Use your fingertips to feel for any bits of silicone left on the wall, repeat as necessary.
Give the wall a good wipe, then a gentle sand. I would then finish with a wipe with meths,making sure you ventilate as it is smelly.

I didn't know silicone remover was a thing! Would this work even through paint?

OP posts:
Original poster
HouseIsOnFire · 30/12/2022 21:20

Sorry, to clairfy, there isn't any feelable (is that a word!?) residue- the surface is completely smooth and before paint wasn't a different colour, think like an oil stain - invisible until not!

OP posts:
Floppy12 · 30/12/2022 21:47

Screwfix does silicone remover, like a large nail varnish remover bottle with the brush attached to the lid.

Sand the area where the problem paint is back to the base before the silicone was smeared on there. Mask any areas you dont want the remover on.

It may be the silicone was wiped after being applied but its left a very thin film on the wall. You need to break the film, you probably wont need much of the remover but you do need to make sure you remove every bit of it because as you know the paint just will not adhere to it. Methylated spirits( the purple one) is a very good to use as a final clean.

Original poster
HouseIsOnFire · 30/12/2022 22:06

Floppy12 · 30/12/2022 21:47

Screwfix does silicone remover, like a large nail varnish remover bottle with the brush attached to the lid.

Sand the area where the problem paint is back to the base before the silicone was smeared on there. Mask any areas you dont want the remover on.

It may be the silicone was wiped after being applied but its left a very thin film on the wall. You need to break the film, you probably wont need much of the remover but you do need to make sure you remove every bit of it because as you know the paint just will not adhere to it. Methylated spirits( the purple one) is a very good to use as a final clean.

Thank you!

OP posts:
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