Resealing bath

[InTheCludgie]

So I noticed last night that a small section of bath sealant, maybe about 5cm in length, is missing. There was a slight loose edge on that bit so tbh I think one of the kids might have been picking at it 🤔 could we get away with shoving a fresh bit of sealant on it or should we strip it all back and redo?

Neither of us have done this before how easy is it? What type of sealant do we use? Any tips for making it a success? Or are we best to just outsource as we don't have a clue?!

Safest option is to redo it all, as new silicone won’t stick to old silicone, so you might end up with a tiny gap that allows water through.
It’s a basic job you can do yourself.
You need to scrape out all the old silicone first. You can buy a cheap plastic tool that does this, but a Stanley knife does a better job in my opinion.
If there’s any residue you can buy a little tube of silicone remover solvent which will dissolve any that remains.
Clean thoroughly.
Fill the bath with water - this stops the silicone from splitting later as the weight of the water will make the bath drop slightly.
You can buy a toothpaste-type tube of silicone from a hardware shop that should be enough to do a bath, or if you have a gun you can buy the bigger hard plastic tubes. In my experience they’re all much of a muchness, so just buy any bathroom-specific tube.
For a neat finish Screwfix sell a cheap lset of green silicone tools. Run a generous bead all the way round, and then use the tool to tidy it. Wipe the excess off the tool regularly to stop it from making a mess. Trade wipes are brilliant for wiping the excess onto, and for cleaning up any mess.
Do a final tool round in one motion to get a consistent finish.
Wait for it to dry before emptying the bath.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-smoothing-tools-straight-joints/92313?tc=VA9&ds_rl=1249416&ds_rl=1241687&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1247848&ds_rl=1245250&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItJfYtZv1gAMVDdvtCh0WNwAMEAQYASABEgIxnvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

https://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-sealant-remover-100ml/88987?kpid=88987&cm_mmc=Google--Datafeed--Sealants%20and%20Adhesives?kpid=KINASEKPID&cm_mmc=Google--TOKEN1--TOKEN2&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrrThzZv1gAMVSeztCh1xvgP1EAQYASABEgIUn_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

You don’t necessarily need this if you do a good job of scraping away the old stuff with a knife.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/big-wipes-scrub-clean-wipes-blue-100-pack/6488F?kpid=6488F&cm_mmc=Google--Datafeed--Auto%20and%20Cleaning?kpid=KINASEKPID&cm_mmc=Google--TOKEN1--TOKEN2&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIufy-gpz1gAMVU8ftCh3DzADFEAQYASABEgJjs_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

These are amazing at cleaning up silicone mess. DON’T USE THEM BEFOREHAND AS THE NEW SILICONE WON’T STICK.

Wear shitty clothes. You will definitely get some on your clothes and it will never come off. Don’t ruin your best cardigan like I did. And wear disposable gloves,it’s hard to get off your hands.

The green tools were a game changer for me. You get a really neat professional finish with them.

Watch you tube

Thank you @Helenahandkart that has been very helpful! Looks like I'm off to screwfix. @Diyextension I'll definitely look up youtube vids, will feel less like I'm going in blind with this, so to speak!

Is it silicone you would use round a bedroom window also? I've noticed a split in the seal round that too 😭