In the bathroom and toilet, where humidity levels regularly increase, mold and fungus often appear on the floor. To reduce the risk of such consequences, it is necessary to use sealant for the toilet and bath. This tool reliably closes all joints and openings, protects the floor from leaks and the appearance of pathogens.
- Types of sealants
- Acrylic
- Silicone
- Polyurethane
- Bitumen
- Features of silicone sealants
- Acetic or sour
- Neutral
- Sanitary
- Advantages of Sanitary Silicone Sealant
- Right choice
- Shelf life
- Intact packaging
- Firm
- Place of purchase
- Application for toilet installation
- Training
- Markup
- Hole preparation
- Sealant Application
- Using sealant in an old bathroom
- Recommendations for the use of silicone sealant
Types of sealants
Depending on the composition and properties, all sealants can be divided into several groups, although there are also combined pastes, gels.
Acrylic
Typically, such funds are marked on the presence or absence of water resistance. If the adhesive sealant does not differ in the ability to withstand moisture, it can be used exclusively in dry rooms. Water-resistant acrylic sealants withstand high humidity, but, as a rule, do not tolerate constant direct contact with water. The advantages of the compositions include safety for health, excellent adhesion, a wide selection of colors. It is recommended to use them only for repairing doors, furniture, windows, and not to use in the bathroom.
Silicone
These are the best sealants for toilets, tiles, bathtubs, sinks, surfaces in the kitchen, they are in great demand among craftsmen. Silicone pastes have the highest resistance to humidity, temperature changes, they can be used for external, internal works.
Polyurethane
They are elastic adhesive compositions with polyurethane, which is characterized by strength, durability, wear resistance (many types of liquid nails are made on its basis). Such compositions are suitable for installing and strengthening the toilet bowl, sealing it at the base. But the remedies have a big minus - toxicity, therefore they are more often recommended for external works.
Bitumen
Such sealants are mainly used for outdoor applications. They are great for mounting and repairing roofing materials, fixing roof tiles, sealing masonry, foundations, gutters, ventilation, chimneys. Bitumen sealants do not respond to ultraviolet radiation, fill even large voids, but also have solvents in their composition, therefore they are toxic.
Features of silicone sealants
To stick the toilet to the floor, to seal its base, it is worth acquiring a silicone compound. This is a one-component, one-pack tool that maximally reliably closes all seams, cracks, defects, pits. Silicone sealants are divided into several types.
Acetic or sour
These sealants belong to the “economy” category: they are affordable, cheap, and fairly reliable. Of the minuses, you can call an acidic smell, which indicates the presence of acid in the composition, so sealants can not be used on marble, aluminum due to the risk of damage to the latter.
Neutral
Such products are based on alcohol components and metal oxides, which make them much stronger. They are suitable for any materials, do not cause their damage, but are much more expensive than the previous ones.
Sanitary
The sanitary category includes a group of silicone sealants that are used in residential premises. They do not contain toxic components, they have a minimum percentage of shrinkage, so the seams remain dense, durable for a long time. Due to its elasticity, the products are suitable even for mobile joints and units. Often they install plumbing devices, including toilet bowls, plant a substrate, and seal the joints with them.
to contents ↑Among other things, sealant can fill tile joints where they are exposed to water, close joints between structures and the wall, fix small glass products without bolts, and additionally fix mirrors.
Advantages of Sanitary Silicone Sealant
The big plus of silicone-based sealant is the ease of working with it, the ability to install plumbing with your own hands. The tool is universal, suitable for a wide range of activities in the bathroom, in the kitchen, in the sauna, bath, pool.
Other advantages of sealants are as follows:
- resistance to UV radiation, no burnout in the light;
- suitability for all types of materials that go to the manufacture of plumbing: cast iron, faience, ceramics, acrylic;
- resistance to the influence of low, high temperatures, their differences, humidity, good tolerance to direct contact with water;
- the presence of fungicide in the composition, the protection of surfaces from fungus, mold;
- high strength, high adhesion to the base;
- smooth, shiny surface of the seam after drying, aesthetic appearance;
- elasticity, the ability to stretch and contract with the main material;
- resistance to household chemicals and other aggressive substances that may fall on the seam;
- safety for humans, environmental friendliness.
Right choice
On sale you can find silicone sealants in different packaging: cartridges, tubes, sprays. The cheapest are the compositions familiar to everyone in tubes, which have an elongated nose. Sealants in cartridges require the additional purchase of a special gun. Usually they are purchased for processing large areas.
Silicone sealant must not only be used correctly, but also bought with a serious approach to the issue. To begin with, it is worth choosing a composition suitable for color, although most often masters prefer transparent or white means. You also need to consider several more factors.
Shelf life
Sometimes expiring sealants are sold at a great discount. You should not be led into tempting offers: usually the products have a greater density, less elasticity and may partially lose other useful properties, especially fungicidal ones.
Intact packaging
If there is even a small crack on the body of the product, it will quickly dry out after contact with air. When buying, you need to make sure that the integrity of the tube or other packaging is completely preserved. After uncorking, it is necessary to gloss over all those requiring this place in literally 3-4 days, otherwise the sealant will begin to dry.
Firm
Reliable, proven brands produce high quality products. Sealants of the Moment, Titan, Knauf, Soudal firms proved best of all. The downside is their higher price, because a well-known brand always has a slightly overestimated value of the goods.
Place of purchase
Sealants are sold everywhere, even in supermarkets. You should not buy them on the market, there are specialized departments or construction, hardware stores for this, where the goods are probably not expired.
Application for toilet installation
To put the toilet on the sealant, you need to correctly carry out the entire sequence of actions. To begin with, they acquire the necessary materials, prepare consumables and tools:
- silicone sealant;
- solvent for silicone (if it will be necessary to tear off and remove excess sealant or remove the old compound);
- laundry soap;
- marker;
- drill, glass drill;
- construction tape;
- stationery knife;
- plastic or rubber spatula;
- degreasing agents - alcohol, acetone;
- cotton napkin.
Training
Most often, a toilet with a vertical, oblique or horizontal outlet is mounted on an already laid tile. Therefore, you will have to work carefully so as not to spoil, not to break the tile. In order to correctly choose the position for the toilet, it is necessary to connect the corrugation to the drain in advance. Immediately prior to installation:
- block access to water;
- clear the area around;
- wash the bottom of the toilet, wipe the place of the future joint with alcohol for degreasing.
Markup
On the floor, you need to mark the entry zones of the anchors with a marker, which is easily erased from the tile, after circling the toilet. Then remove it, and paste the sections around the contour with construction tape. This will keep the surface clean.
Hole preparation
Using the door, you need to make holes in the floor where you have to put the bolts. It is important to first disable the shock mode in the drill so that cracks do not appear on the tile. For a concrete floor, such a drill will not work, you will have to buy a win. After the holes are ready, they must be cleaned of dust with a vacuum cleaner or with a dry cloth.
Sealant Application
Pour some sealant inside the holes so that the anchors hold tight. Also, the sealant will serve as a waterproofing, and water will not get into the holes. Then the order of work is as follows:
- apply a thick layer of sealant along the drawn contour;
- install the toilet, squeeze well;
- fix the device with anchors, put a rubber gasket under the fastener cap;
- wipe off excess sealant or immediately remove with a cloth;
- remove construction tape.
to contents ↑If a crack appears on the toilet leg, it can also be repaired with sealant. They cover up the entire defect from below, the fault, completely hiding it and slightly going beyond the edges. The sealant is leveled with a spatula, immediately after washing the tool with soapy water, otherwise the product will stick tightly. Using the same soapy solution, a crack is treated on top of the applied composition and smoothed to smoothness with your fingers if there is no spatula.
Using sealant in an old bathroom
Silicone paste can be used for partial repair of an old toilet bowl, the joint of which with the floor has already lost its strength. To do this, proceed as follows:
- prepare the base - clean from dirt, rust, plaque, remove the old sealant if possible;
- perform surface degreasing;
- purchase sealant in a cartridge, insert into a construction gun;
- pass the tool over the seam so that it falls under the device as deep as possible, making the line strictly continuous;
- remove excess composition with rags;
- after a few minutes, proceed to the formation of the seam with a rubber spatula (you can also use your hands in rubber gloves) - the goal is to align the silicone to the level of the surface to be treated;
- after solidification of the drop and unevenness of the seam cut off with an office knife.
It happens that the tightness of the toilet cuff is lost, which is superimposed on the sewer pipe. It can also be replaced with sealant. To do this, remove the adapter with a cuff from the rubber pipe seal, also remove the latter, clean and dry everything. Buy new parts: gasket, adapter, cuff. Apply silicone sealant to the pipe, insert an elastic band, then grease the cuff with the same composition and fix it in place.
to contents ↑Recommendations for the use of silicone sealant
In order for the completed seam to serve for a long time, it is important to observe a number of rules when working with sealant:
- maximum joint width - 5-30 mm;
- seam thickness - up to 1 cm;
- possible application depth - up to 60 mm;
- for too deep defects, it is worthwhile to use an additional sanitary tape.
Compliance with the sequence of actions and advice of professionals will help to do the job efficiently with your own hands without the involvement of specialists and unnecessary costs.
