How and how to remove silicone sealant from various surfaces?

After repair or construction work, the question often arises: how to remove silicone sealant? Indeed, over time - after a few months - the traces of this material become dirty, giving a sloppy appearance to the recently renovated premises. In addition, a few years after application, it becomes necessary to remove the old sealant, as it breaks down over time and begins to leak water.

Dissolve, wipe or cut?

A universal tool for dissolving silicone, which can be used on any surface, has not yet been invented, so most often you have to use combined methods:

• soften (dissolve);
• cutting down;
• scrape off;
• wipe off;
• to wash.

In order to remove silicone mechanically, the following devices will be required:

• scraper;
• putty knife;
• sandpaper;
• abrasive composition;
• knife.

It is most convenient to work with silicone with a shoe knife, and ordinary salt can be used as an abrasive compound. With mechanical removal, a thick layer of silicone is first cut off, then an abrasive is applied, and the remaining sealant is rubbed off with a scraper. Silicone thinner may be used on some surfaces. After its application, it remains only to wash the remaining traces.

Effective Silicone Sealant Remover

Different types of solvents for sealants are presented in construction stores, so the question inevitably arises: how to clean silicone? What kind will be most effective? In order to purchase a suitable product, it is necessary to find out what type of sealant was used. They are one- and two-component. Two-component ones are mainly used in industrial conditions, therefore, the types of one-component silicone-based sealants will be considered here. They are divided by type of vulcanizing substance into acidic and neutral. Neutral, in turn, are:

• amine
• amide
• oxide
• alcohol.

Concentrated vinegar (70% essence) can be used to soften acid silicone. Alcohol sealants are soluble in technical or medical alcohol. For other neutral silicones, acetone, white spirit or gasoline are suitable. Special sealant solvents are on sale, for example Antisil, Penta-840. They are suitable for silicones with any vulcanizing agent, so if you need to remove the old layer of sealant with an unknown composition, it is better to purchase such a tool.

How to remove silicone sealant from an enameled bath or tile?

Removing silicone sealant from enameled plumbing equipment, ceramic tiles or painted parts must be done with minimal use of mechanical methods and abrasive. To remove the silicone and not damage the surface, you must perform the following steps.

• Remove a thick layer or sag with a sharp knife or blade without touching the surface of the bathtub or tile.
• Apply solvent to the remaining sealant and leave for several hours.
• After the silicone softens and is similar in consistency to jelly, try to pry it off with a sharp object and remove it entirely from the tile or bath.
• Wash or clean the remaining silicone with a dry rag.

Sometimes the sealant is not removed in a whole strip.This happens for various reasons: improper softener or poor quality silicone sealant. In this case, you need to once again treat the surface of the tile or bath with a rag soaked in a solvent (you can try to pick another one). It is necessary to process until the sealant begins to curl, and then remove the spools with a dry rag.

A rather laborious process is the removal of silicone from a tile with a porous base, not coated with enamel. Unlike enameled tiles, here the hitch with silicone is much stronger. To remove it, you will need to alternately apply a solvent to the tile and clean the softened seal with a scraper or pumice stone.

Tip

Solvents can only be used after checking on a small area of ​​the tile surface. This is especially true for painted parts.

It is convenient to remove the sealant with small plastic spatulas.

Removing sealant from plastic

It is easiest to wipe off silicone from plastic, since its adhesion to this material is the weakest. Pipes, plastic showers, acrylic bathtubs and trays can be washed by pre-moistening the sealant with a solvent (for 30-60 minutes). The remaining traces are washed off with any degreasing agent. However, such a simple process of removing old silicone is possible only if the primer was not used during application. Its use greatly complicates the task. Firstly, it is harder to choose the appropriate solvent, and secondly, it is necessary to combine the softening of silicone and mechanical cleaning.

To remove the sealant from plastic surfaces, Dow Corning OS-2 has proven itself well. It does not damage plastic, suitable for both acrylic surfaces and ordinary plastic pipes.
Step-by-step instructions on how to wipe off sealant from an acrylic bath:

• apply the solvent to silicone and wait until it softens;
• pry off the remaining sealant with a plastic or wooden spatula and remove it;
• erase the remaining trace with rags and degrease the surface.

How to wipe silicone off clothes

If sealant gets on clothing, wash it immediately at high temperature. Unhardened silicone is easy to wash. If time is lost, and the silicone has polymerized, you will have to be patient. Traces of repair can be removed from working clothes with sealant dissolving compounds - apply for 30-60 minutes, and then remove the traces.

If the clothes are colored, and the appearance matters, the use of chemical solvents can ruin them. Then you can try mechanical cleaning.

• Pull and fasten the fabric on a flat surface.
• Carefully remove contamination from clothing with a scraper or wire brush.
• Wipe the remaining trace with a suitable solvent - vinegar essence, white spirit, gasoline or alcohol.
• Soak and wash clothing immediately.

Prevention is better than dealing with consequences

When doing repairs, it is always better to remove the sealant stains from the tile or bath immediately. Unhardened silicone can be removed by hand without additional funds. Even after a few days, it is much easier to remove pollution than leaving this process for later. Another preventive measure is to leave notes on what sealant was used in the bathroom or another room. This information is useful when you have to remove the old seal: the solvent can be selected easily, and not by trial and error.